Shoutbox

Hi, I'm not sure if this problem was posted before so I'll post it myself (although I have checked several pages of threads in this section).

I'm running the latest version of MSN and Messenger Plus - 6.2 and 3 respectively, on a Windows 98 SE operating system. Within a few minutes of starting MSN Messenger I get a window with the following error message:

Messenger Plus! Recovery

MSN Messenger or Windows Messenger is currently running without Messenger Plus! added functionalities. This generally happens when another program installed on a system behaves incorrectly. Such kind of program prevents other softwares to run properly too, not only Messenger Plus!.

The best thing to do, if you can, is to try to find out what program is causing the interferences and upgrade it (or uninstall it). Messenger Plus! is built to resist that kind of issue, please select the action you want to be performed to correct the situation.

(radio button) Repair and restart Messenger (recommended)
(radio button) Repair and try to fix permanently when computer starts
(radio button) Stop displaying this window)

/end of error message.

Here is what I have tried doing:
Using each of the 3 options stated above. Problem still occurs for the first 2, and Plus! continues not to load.
Uninstalled both MSN and Plus, then re-installed. (Just a note, this problem occurred for earlier versions of both programs too)

Does anyone have a suggestion? If i'm posting in the wrong section, I'm sorry. Feel free to move it to Bug Reports or something.

Thanks!

What are u runnin alongside messenger? If ur using Smileycentral than thats prolly causing it, if not could u post what is running at the same time as MSN messenger?

Oh...yeah I think I have smiley central around somewhere. I'll try uninstalling that then see whether it solves the problem. Thanks

For Smileycentral uninstalling instructions look here: http://help.smileycentral.com/un_install.html#j

If those instructions dont work look here: http://help.smileycentral.com/un_install.html#p

Good luck!

I experienced this also on someone's computer, when the person asked me for help to install Plus! because she couldn't....

The reason was something different (although SmileyCentral can also be the cause and you need to check that first, it wasn't in her case)....
The reason was the sponsor from Plus!

Explaination:

She once installed Plus! 2 with the sponsor, but Spybot S&D removed the adware from the sponsor (without she knowing about it, so I hadn't a clue either because she couldn't tell me).

Plus! was still running fine of course, but... whenever she (and I) wanted to install the new Plus! 3 it worked (the installation that is), but as soon as Messenger started to run and Plus! tried to hook, the same Recovery Window came up .

Of course I had no clue that it was the sponsor, because the message doesn't mention it. It doesn't even mention a bad installation. Which in fact is correct though, because Plus! was installed correctly; only parts of the sponsor where removed, but still you couldn't install and run a new Plus! version over it.

Also, uninstalling Plus! didn't work because then a popup would appear with the message: "Plus! not installed properly, can't continue" or something.... (which seems also very strange and dodgy because I wanted to uninstall it because I KNEW something was wrong, but it didn't let me <- can this be fixed Patchou? I mean, why wont Plus! let me uninstall it, while I knew there is something wrong with it )

Anyways, after much thinking and trying (and always getting the same errors), I gave it a shot in the dark and I decided to install Plus! with the sponsor and then trying to remove it again... And it finaly worked. So Plus! was uninstalled at last and then I could reinstall it without the sponsor with no problems....

In short & solution:

So, in short (but I hope Patchou read the above): it is also possible that you once had installed Plus! with the sponsor, but that the sponsor was removed by a program like ad-aware or SpyBot S&D. Whenever you want to update such a corrupted installation with the new Plus! 3 and without the sponsor, you will get the Recovery Window. To fix this (if this is the case), installe Plus! 3 WITH the sponsor, Remove Plus! 3, and reinstall without the sponsor....

Well, I've uninstalled Smiley Central but the problem is still there. And no, I have never installed the sponsor program in any installation so it couldn't have been due to Ad-aware removing it or something.

Any other ideas?

Sorry, ignore the above message. It does work now after uninstalling Smiley Central. Thanks Sunshine!