Shoutbox

when I go to Tools/Options/Security Tab there's a checkbox labeled "Allow me to connect directly to my contacts when sending messages". This checkbox is greyed (inactive), so I can't select it or deselect it. How can I fix this? Thanks
I have MSN Messenger 7.5.0322 with Messenger Plus (latest version) and A-Patch.

You can't fix this, apparently it's not possible (in your country) to directly connect to your contacts anymore.

How do you know that? And what is the advantage of direclty connecting with my contacts? Thanks.

If it was available it wouldn't be greyed out. Only possible advantage a direct connection might have that it's slightly faster (you wouldn't notice the difference really).

1) Maybe it's greyed out because of a bug in the installation/program?
2) Slower connection....maybe that's why the display pictures of my contacts in the contact list take ages to appear, or they never show up at all (only after oopening a convo window with that contact and waiting a few seconds)...?

No this wouldn't be greyed out because of an installation error as this is in the program itself and should have nothing to do with a problem in the installation.

quote:

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Originally posted by alegator
Slower connection

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This has likely nothing to do with this and as said by sunshine, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference.

if you live in Australia, you cant check the Box, ,, which in a way is dumb coz im pretty Sure ICQ/AIM supports direct Connection to Contact,

the option to 'connect directly to my contacts' is unavailable (greyed-out and unchecked) for me as well... i'm in canada.

from what i've read, just like e-mail, conversations via IM chat clients like MSN Messenger, et al are NOT private and not encrypted, AND even archived on the service provider's servers (microsoft in this case), which has been deemed mandatory (in the US) by the Dept of Homeland Security.  so, it would follow from that, MSNIM direct connections b/w contacts would contravene the US government's requirement that IMs be retained/archived by the service provider for security/surveillance purposes.

obviously, i can't verify if this is true, and if indeed it were the case, how would any of us know or find-out???  it's not like they're gonna tell us, which would only defeat their intelligence gathering efforts.

i think it's reasonable to assume that *anything* we do online (all traffic traversing the internet), is subject to the scrutiny of US security/intelligence gathering agencies.

any other thoughts on this?