Shoutbox

I'd like to know because I want to see if changing the colour quality makes a difference in whatever file format it stores them in.

C:\Documents and Settings\UserName Goes Here\Application Data\Microsoft\MSN Messenger\User Number Goes Here\UserTile

I didn't find the specific folder you were talking about, but I found a similar one:

C:\windows\Application Data\Microsoft\MSN Messenger\USERNAME\UserTile

However, it doesn't seem to be creating/deleting .tmp files when I add/delete avatars. . .

Well the folder is different depeding on wether your has more than one user or not.

Those might be other peopls avatars and not yours , Im not sure

quote:

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Originally posted by NoName
C:\Documents and Settings\UserName Goes Here\Application Data\Microsoft\MSN Messenger\User Number Goes Here\UserTile

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This goes for NT-based Windows

quote:

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Originally posted by LunarCrisis

C:\windows\Application Data\Microsoft\MSN Messenger\MSNPassportID\UserTile

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This goes for 95-based Windows. It could be C:\windows\profiles\(windows username)\Application Data\Microsoft\MSN Messenger\MSNPassportID\UserTile if you have more than one user accounts.

Where does Messenger store contacts' display pictures?

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Originally posted by thekid
Where does Messenger store contacts' display pictures?

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On their own computer

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, JPGs 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 decent graphics program which can reconize graphic formats by their contents rather than by their name, 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'

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
Contacts DP's, CE's, ...
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 also stored as PNG's. They are named as CA<6_characters>.BIN (not sure about the first part "CA" thought, but it seems to be always that with me).

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Not on my computer .... I have nothing with the name CA<.....>.bin...Help?

It's the same for everyone...
Did you look into your "Temporary Internet Files"-folder?

btw, if you look into it with Windows Explorer you wont see the real contents of the folder, but rather the references used by Windows. So, CA<...>.BIN are the (cached) filenames, not the things you'll see with Explorer for that folder.

Browse to that directory and search for things like "JqUgPyxSxEZ+DnSElJn3Zmhpup8=" (or something in that style) and look at their properties, you'll see that the filename is actualy something else.

Note: if you copy those things to another directory, the actual filenames are used (of course).

If you did all that and there is nothing there, then you don't have any cached DP's of your contacts, and CE/DP stealers wont find anything either then...