Shoutbox

Windows Live Messenger 8.5 registry values are in the same place as previous versions. But 8.5 is still beta so this can still change in the final version though....

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\FtReceiveFolder

this could easly be found out and verified by simply changing the folder in the Messenger preferences and checking your registry for that path. So please do such tests before posting, instead of guessing.

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When this registry key doesn't exist, a new default directory is automatically created when Messenger starts up. The name depends on the language of Messenger.
This default location is something like: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Received Files

The proper method to find this location is to use the SHGetSpecialFolderLocation API (or the likes).

NEVER EVER read this location from the registry key "HK_*\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders", "User Shell Folders" or any other registry key. The registry is not the proper place to find user folders as those keys: 1) don't always exist, and 2) wont always point to the correct location. Those keys are ONLY provided for compatibilty with (very extremely) old programs from back in 1994! of which probably not a single one exist anymore. Use the provided Windows APIs instead (SHGetSpecialFolderLocation and related APIs).
more details: http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2003/11/03/55532.aspx

So, in order to get the location of the received files folder you need to do:

1. Check the registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\FtReceiveFolder
   
   
2. If the key didn't exist or it has no value (this is not the same as an empty string!), the location string is created as follows:
   
   1. Check the version of Messenger
      
   2. Open the language resource file of Messenger.
      (the file name depends on the version number, hence step A)
      
   3. Read out string resource number 61188.
      (This contains the proper translated name of the received files folder).
      
   4. Get the special folder with CSIDL constant CSIDL_PERSONAL using the Windows API SHGetSpecialFolderLocation or related.
      
   5. Concatenate the folder found in step D with the string found in step C.

Note: the above steps are valid for all current Messenger versions (7.0 -> 8.5).



Note: A Plus! script example for points A, B and C can be found in the script Tabbed Chat Taskbar Button Changer