Hey Guys
quote:
Originally posted by CookieRevised
Your DPs, CEs, ...
For MSN and Windows Messenger:
Your own display pics, custom emoticons and backgrounds and other stuff are all stored in your MSN Messenger application object storage directory. The files have the extension .TMP or .DAT, but are actually GIFs, JPGs or PNGs (depending on type of content). The directories are different from OS to OS and depend on what you're exactly looking for:
CookieRevised's reply to 'where is custom stuff stored?'
For Windows Live Messenger:
The Windows Live Messenger object storage directory is split up into the old one (see above; it is still used for other things) and a slightly new location. Your own display pics, custom emoticons, backgrounds, and other stuff are now stored with the extension DT2. They are still GIFs, JPGs or PNGs though (depending on type of content).
The new location is:
%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Messenger\<your_windows_live_id>\ObjectStore
Contact's DPs, CEs, ...
For MSN and Windows Messenger:
The Display Pictures and Custom Emoticons you've recieved from your contacts are stored in your cache in your "Temporary Internet Files"-folder. These are stored as PNGs. The filenames are named as CA<6_characters>.BIN.
For Windows Live Messenger:
The cache directory is now located at %temp%\MessengerCache and will contain PNGs and GIFs (gifs are used for the animated emoticons only).
Files are named with a hash and have no extension. But if you browse that directory with a graphics program which can reconize graphic formats by their contents you can easly pick the ones you need and copy them.
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And thus those are the exact places where "Display Picture Stealers" will look for the pictures and emoticons of your contacts. So if you delete your temporary internet files (or the MessengerCache folder if you use WLM) then no DP-stealer will find anything because nothing is there to find. For more details see:
CookieRevised's reply to 'How do CE/DP stealers work and do I need them?'
CookieRevised's reply to 'Non-Spyware CE/DP stealer/exporters'
- I registered today just to say thanks to Cookie Revised.
- I use MSN Messenger Live (not my choice but because MSN wouldnt let me sign in without using downloading and installing Live!)
- I was wondering where the temporary avatar files had moved to.
- I can definitely vouch that what you are saying about the older files containg the
CA<6_characters>.BIN is spot on.
- I used to copy them to a blank folder, creating a dummy MS-DOS BAT file and type: -
ren *.bin *.png
- Windows Image/Fax Viewer would just open it normally.
- I used notepad to verify the file type. The first 3 bytes of info indicate what it is.
- In this case of course the first 3 letters start PNG and have lots of code after it.
Thanks again and take care all
.
PEACE OUT !!!
EDIT:
- If you cant be bothered to rename all the temp cached avatars, copy them to a blank folder, creating a dummy MS-DOS BAT file and type: -
ren *.* *.png
and save it as a *.bat (you cant use the asterix, just call it whatever you want - its not relevant, however do remember that when you do this, it will also rename the batch file).
- This is lazy coding, but im sure you dont need to worry about error checking for something so trivial.
