Shoutbox

Hi everybody!

I apologize ahead of time if this question has already been asked & answered somewhere here.  I did a search & couldn't find it, just info about the dp frame being blue.  Why is it sometimes the status is blue when someone's busy? 

Thank you very much, I know this sounds minor but it's been bugging me (because I know there has to be a reason!) yet I can't find it anywhere on the net.  I don't know why I didn't think to come here first!  I know the other person & I both have WL!P.

Thank you!
Feffer

Could you please post a screenshot illustrating the problem?

Also, please be clear in your terminology.  Windows Live Messenger (WLM) is a chat program (formerly known as MSN Messenger) made by Microsoft, Messenger Plus! Live (MP!L) is an add-on for Windows Live Messenger which adds some extra functionality and features

djdannyp, thanks for your reply!  I don't know when it will happen again so rather than wait to be able to take a screenshot let me give a more detailed description to see if that will help.  I keep my contacts' on display on my desktop.  When their status changes to busy normally it says Busy and a red circle appears with a line through it on their icon/display on my desktop.  Every once & awhile though the circle is blue instead of red yet it still says "Busy".  Why would this happen?

And yes, I'm sorry, you're right.  I meant we both have Messenger Plus! Live.

Thank you for your help,
FefferJ

Are you using a Messenger Plus! Live skin?

Or do you have any installed?

What you are describing are the 'older' status icons from Messenger. Messenger Plus! still uses them in the Desktop Contacts feature.

A red filled circle with a horizontal white line through it, is a traffic sign. It means the contact's status is 'Busy' or 'On the Phone'.

A red outlined circle with a diagonal red line through it, is the international prohibition symbol. It means the contact is bocked.

A small clock as an overlay on the green buddy icon means the status of the contact is either 'Away', 'Idle', 'Be Right Back' or 'Out to Lunch'.

The blue circle, as you describe it, as an overlay is actually a world globe, and it means the contact has signed in using Web Messenger.

Also see here:
http://help.msn.com/Help.aspx?project=Messengerw1...boutYourStatus.htm

Note that the statusses 'Be Right Back', 'Out to Lunch' and 'On the Phone' still exist (for backward compatibility), though you can not set them anymore nativly in Messenger.

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If these aren't the icons you're talking about, then we really need a screenshot to see what you're on about. And as djdannyp suggested, you need to check if you haven't got a skin installed in that case. And also, tell us your exact and complete Windows Live Messenger version (you can find it in the About window).

DJDannyP & CookieRevised,

Thank you very much for your replies & efforts to help me solve this.  As to skins, I do have a couple of scripts I use, one that allows my contact name to be personalized with color & symbols and, my favorite, one that makes my display picture a slideshow of pics from a folder on my pc when chatting.  I don't know if either of these are relevant, however, since most days I see the regular busy icon, red circle w/line through it, but then there are the 'mystery' times...

Thank you for the link about the status symbols, but I'm pretty sure this is a blue busy icon & -not- a world icon.  I've finally been able to grab a screen shot & have attached it.  I hope someone's able to solve this frustrating puzzle for me!  I've looked all over the web & haven't found mention of it anywhere!

Thanks,
FefferJ

That looks like the standard Busy status icon. But the red color is colorized towards purple-ish.

I very strongly suspect this is due to a bug or something in either a skin or either Messenger or either Messenger Plus!, where the colors are mapped in a wrong way. Because no such icon (thus with a purple-ish Busy icon) exist anywhere.

Have you ever seen that purple-ish Busy icon and the normal Busy icon at the same time?

No, I usually just chat with one person at a time though.  I have, however, seen the normal red busy icon one day & the blue one the next.  Could it be any coding or the result of using a vpn on the other person's end?  To me there is a clear difference, one is a deep red & the other is a bright blue...

quote:

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Originally posted by FefferJ
Could it be any coding or the result of using a vpn on the other person's end?

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Nope, this is entirly, and 500% certain, on your end. There is nothing the contact can do which would affect this.

quote:

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Originally posted by FefferJ
To me there is a clear difference, one is a deep red & the other is a bright blue...

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It is dark purple for me though (a bit darker than your purple desktop wallpaper). If you see it as bright blue your monitor is also not set up correctly (unless you have some form of color blindness).

PS: whenever you encounter it again:
1) remove the desktop contact from the dekstop
2) close the contact list entirly in case you had it open (thus Messenger should be gone from the taskbar and only visible in the system tray). Do this being pressing the red X on the top right side of the contact list.
3) open the contact list again by double clicking on its icon in the systemtray
4) re-add that contact as a desktop contact
-> Has the color changed to red or is it still the same?

If it stayed the same purple (or blue-ish as you call it):
1) Exit Messenger completely so it doesn't run anymore
2) Restart Messenger
-> Has the color changed to red or is it still the same?

Thank you for clearing it up that it is 500% on my end.

I don't think I have color-blindness, but who knows!

When I encounter it again:  will do!  Thanks & I will get back to you when it happens again & let you know what those steps result in.