Shoutbox

Does anyone know if Microsoft/MSN has a page that will detect you OS in order to determine which version of MSN Messenger to install? I'm think of one that they have for Windows Media Player (WMP). Going to the URL will test your OS, if you have Window XP it will being downloading WMP 10, however if you have Windows 98SE/Me/2000 it will begin installing WMP9.

If MS does have such a page, can someone please send me the link.

Thanks

WHats your OS i could telkl you for MSN you can dwonload MSN or almost all OS mirosoft and mac it all depends on ram and pentium and w/e mac uses

The main download site detects your OS automatically.

http://messenger.msn.com automatically checks your operating system when you visit the page and shows you the version you need to download. However I do know this works with Windows XP, I am not sure if it works with older or mac operating systems to detect the version you need, but from what I have heard it does.

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Originally posted by Anubis
http://messenger.msn.com automatically checks your operating system when you visit the page and shows you the version you need to download. However I do know this works with Windows XP, I am not sure if it works with older or mac operating systems to detect the version you need, but from what I have heard it does.

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what would be the point in an OS check that didnt support certain OS's?

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Originally posted by Lee Jeffery
what would be the point in an OS check that didnt support certain OS's?

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With older or different operating systems (eg Windows 3.1 is a good example) calling the name of the operating system works differently than with newer ones.

Also detection checkers often are not set to detect many Linux based operating systems.

In the case where certain operating systems can't be identified the page could be directed to a manual choice of operating systems.

Because I hadn't tested this checker on older operating systems and was going purely on hearsay, I covered this eventuality. Also I was basing it on other browser detection checkers I had come across in the past.

quote:

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Originally posted by Anubis
With older or different operating systems (eg Windows 3.1 is a good example) calling the name of the operating system works differently than with newer ones.

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Well either the browser does send Windows ?.0 in the useragent or it doesnt, and I'm assuming it either reverts to 98 (which is what it did with vista) or sends you to some special page.

With most browsers, the OS is sent in the UserAgent field or some such similar field in the HTTP request. If the OS isn't recognised, or that info isn't sent, the site will usually offer a manual choice.

Anyway, if that site detects you're on a Mac, it should go to the MSN Messenger for Mac page.

Edit
My UserAgent field is as follows:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.10) Gecko/20050716 Firefox/1.0.6 Web-Sniffer/1.0.21

This says I'm using a Mozilla-based browser (Firefox 1.0.6 specifically), on Windows NT 5.1 (Windows XP), and to favour US English pages (depite being British). And I think the Web-Sniffer thing is because I used http://web-sniffer.net/. A regular HTTP GET probably won't have that bit.

Thanks for the replies. I am aware that the MSN Messenger download page detects the OS, but im looking for a page that will detect and automatically begin the appropriate download. Does anyone know on which of the MSN Messenger download pages this is done? Is it done on the main page (the first one) or on the one where the download begins?

This reason i want this info is for my website, i would like to link to a download of MSN Messenger, but would like a page that will automatically begin the download. I have used this method for the Windows Media Player download, and thus would like one for MSN Messenger as well

RileyM

AFAIK, such a page doesn't exist. However, you could always write your own (if you're on a PHP-enabled server) that redirects to the download. Thing is, for me, when I go to 'messenger.msn.com', it detects the OS then.