Shoutbox

Specs:
MSN Messenger 6.2 (build 133 - WindowsX version)
Messenger Plus! 3.01
MessengerDiscovery (build 2512).
(Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Ed.)

Problem:
On boot, Messenger Plus! fails to hook with MSN Messenger.

The registry has these entries:
HKCU: MessengerDiscovery -- C:\Program Files\MessengerDiscovery\MessengerDiscovery.exe
HKCU: MessengerPlus3 -- "C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 3\MsgPlus.exe" /WinStart
HKCU: msnmsgr -- "C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe" /background (yet only when MSN Messenger is running, as it should be, I recon?)

The registry does not have these entries:
Normal MsgPlus.exe entries (without /WinStart)

Detailed description:
MSN Messenger starts on boot, right after MessengerDiscovery, yet Plus! isn't hooked with MSN Messenger. When I close MSN Messenger and restart it, there still is no hook. When I close it, start Plus! (without the /winstart of course), then start MSN Messenger, Plus! is present and hooked properly.
* lhunath reboots a few times and tries to figure out more.

Ps./ At times, MessengerDiscovery fails to perform some of its tasks, like, removing the Mobile group, or changing the taskbar title, hooking issues as well?

Thanks to those interrested in giving some advice.

~lhun

Edit./
I deleted the MessengerPlus3 /WinStart entry => Messenger didn't start anymore.
I added it again and added a normal MessengerPlus3 entry (without /WinStart) in HKLM => Problem solved.
So I recon Winstart doesn't run Plus! at all, it only delays MSN Messenger from being run?

Anyhow, sorry for a useless topic =|

Yet, I have one more issue, the fact that at times MSN Messenger ran itself twice... I think these are somehow closely entwined.

quote:

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Originally posted by lhunath
So I recon Winstart doesn't run Plus! at all, it only delays MSN Messenger from being run?

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Yep.

BTW, this isn't a useless topic: it allows people (esp. Patchou) to see why Plus doesn't hook properly. It's possible this is a Plus bug.

Good detailed post too: very informative.

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On the subject of MD, it uses a different hooking method. You'll have to report that bug to effekt on the MD forum.

quote:

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Originally posted by lhunath
I deleted the MessengerPlus3 /WinStart entry => Messenger didn't start anymore.
I added it again and added a normal MessengerPlus3 entry (without /WinStart) in HKLM => Problem solved.
So I recon Winstart doesn't run Plus! at all, it only delays MSN Messenger from being run?

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Detailed information

quote:

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Originally posted by lhunath
Yet, I have one more issue, the fact that at times MSN Messenger ran itself twice... I think these are somehow closely entwined.

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In Messenger (when Plus is working fine), go to Tools > Options > General. Select the first checkbox (so it starts automatically when Windows starts) and close Messenger. Now check your registry settings in HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
There should be no entry for Messenger and 2 entries for Plus (the one with the "/WinStart" parameter will start Messenger).

If you don't have a msgplus.exe key in HKLM (not HKCU), then Plus! just doesn't start with Windows. In that case, asimple reinstallation of the program will solve your problem

Appearantly. But I prefered to figure out why exactly things weren't working before fixing them the lame way. That way at least I know what's going on, and can prevent/fix it in the future.
By the way, how come Winstart doesn't do a detect to see whether Plus! is active, if not, run it itself? That would omit the need for one more regkey, might make things more simplistic and bug-proof. No?

Nope because the start key of Messenger must be in HKCU (so, /Winstart must be there too) and Plus! must be in HKLM to make sure it's launched by anyone logging in the system.