Shoutbox

Hi,
I have searched the forums as thoroughly as I could, and I also spent some time in the live chat channel and never got the answer to my question.

I have msn 6.2, here is the problem: if I go to plus > preferences > message helpers > quick icons > Panels configuration. This panels configuration is grayed out, so I have no more than the default msn emoticons. This happened on both my pc (winxp pro) and my laptop (winxp home). My friend that referred me to msgplus in the first place doesn't have this problem; but it seems like some of his friends do and some don't. Is this completely random or is there a critical option that I did not check, or a plug-in, or anything.

The only solutions I saw for this as I searched the forum, I see for people using windows messenger, and I don''t. People also said to add each emoticon individually... but that is the Menu that I cannot access for some reason.

Please help me figure this out. Thanks.

Melissa

Make sure you have already added custom emoticons. Go to Tools > Create emoticons and add them there. You can only use the panel if you have custom emoticons installed

When you say add custom emoticons, what exactly am I adding??
I click add and it wants a picture? What am I looking for and where is it? I don't understand this part.

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Tools > Creat emoticons

that whole box is blank; the only option I have is too add, and there it  asks me to specifiy an image.

That feature is available to add your own emoticons. You can specify an image here, which you can send to your contacts in a conversation. Add an image here to make it available as emoticon in a conversation window. Make sure it's 19x19 pixels, or it will be resized and it might be messed up.

The quick icons panel you are referring to can be customized to show all your custom emoticons in a panel, where MSN Messenger normally shows only 10 of them (below the normal emoticons if you click the face on the toolbar in a conversation window). However, you must add custom emoticons once before you can configure the panel to show them, as you were trying.

I hope I made it clear enough; if not, please ask further questions

Sorry, I feel completely dense, because I guess I still don'tr get it.

Ok so what exactly do I need to do to add custom emoticons?
tools > create emoticons > then what?

If I find a 19x19 image and add that in that menu, then I should be able to view the configure panel which should give me more emoticons than just the default msn 10?

quote:

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Originally posted by seakelp911
what exactly do I need to do to add custom emoticons?
tools > create emoticons > then what?

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Click the Add button and browse for an image on your system.

quote:

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Originally posted by seakelp911
If I find a 19x19 image and add that in that menu, then I should be able to view the configure panel which should give me more emoticons than just the default msn 10?

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MSN Messenger comes with a large amount of emoticons by default, for example the emoticons , and . In order to customize your Messenger, you can add custom images as emoticons. These are nothing more than images that have the same size and can be sent to your contact easily.

To add such images as emoticons, do as I described before: Tools > Create emoticons > Add. You will be asked to enter some details (for example the name you wish to give it, or the shortcut you wish to use for it in a conversation window - just like the shortcut :) gives ).

MSN Messenger can only show 10 of your custom emoticons in a conversation window; these 10 will be visible on the last row when you click the button on the toolbar in a conversation window. With the Plus! quick icons panel, available when you press a ) in your conversation window, you can show all your custom emoticons. But, logically, in order to be able to use and customize the panel for that, you will have to add custom emoticons first, otherwise it will be unavailable - the customize button will be greyed out

Ok I made an emoticon and added it, this did allow me to view the panel config.

I have to add each smilie by hand? Or is there a standard set that I would be able to add?

I am still just puzzled why my friend had all these extra emoticons. He did not add them himself and he does not have any plugins. Uses msn 6.2 and everything just like me

quote:

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Originally posted by seakelp911
I have to add each smilie by hand?

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Basically, yes, that's the way it works. There are mass emoticon adders, I believe, but I don't use them myself. Try to get them from http://www.mess.be or http://www.sherv.net/MSN_Emoticons_Adder.html.

quote:

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Originally posted by seakelp911
is there a standard set that I would be able to add?

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There are also emoticon installers, which add large amounts of emoticons automatically. An example is http://www.emoinstaller.com.

Note that these programs and installers might contain adware.

quote:

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Originally posted by seakelp911
I am still just puzzled why my friend had all these extra emoticons.

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Custom emoticons don't add themselves; somehow, he must've added them.

Thank you for your help, I do greatly appreciate the effort.