Shoutbox

quote:

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Originally posted by Th3rmal
Ok, open up WLM, then go Contacts > Save instant messaging contacts, save to a place somewhere, then on your new account go Contacts > Import instant messaging contacts, and choose the file that you saved with your previous account.

Hope this helps

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sarmadmalik, please do not follow that advise...

(sorry Th3rmal )

Creating new accounts like that is not a proper way of doing things and you will bugger your contacts without any need!! Not to mention you will loose all your settings and other data connected to that account.

MS has provided a far easier and far less troublesome way to switch accounts, read below:


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first of all,

You do not need to create a new account in some cases. You should always check first if you can change your existing account.

For this:

1. go to http://account.live.com/ using Microsoft Internet Explorer
   
2. Sign in with your old email/windows live id
   
3. Then, in the summery page, on top, you'll see next to your email "Change", click this and you'll come to a page where you can enter the new email you want.
   
4. Select "New Windows Live ID" if you want another @hotmail address. (this is new; this wasn't possible before)
   
5. Select "Use your own existing email" if you have another existing new email address, other than a by MS provided address.

After 48 hours, all your settings should have been ported to the new Windows Live ID automatically. But do note that during this transition you could experience some sign in problems.



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But since you have already created a new email, I suggest to first close/remove this again. Because you shouldn't have create a new one manually. If you don't remove it again, you can't use it to port all your settings to, since it already eixsts and thus "isn't available" anymore.

After the new email account is gone again (this can take a few days), you can sign in with your old one and change it over to the new one as I described above.

All contacts, personal info, settings, connected servives, etc will simply be copied over. This mean your contacts wont notice anything either and don't need to go thru all the trouble of removing your old account and adding your new one in their contact lists.

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Also remember that if you do close an account, the best thing to do first is deleting all the contacts from the Messenger contact list and the Hotmail contact lists.

Never forget to do that, or your contacts will end up with your dead Windows Live ID in their contact list or reverse list which can't be fully deleted.