Shoutbox

Very interesting mail though.... Thanks for posting it...

So, this didn't helped either? (it lists even more Messenger related stuff to delete need to update my posts regarding this apparently...)

Could you keep in contact with this technical support guy and report that it doesn't worked? I'm very interested in this...

(if you did all that and it didn't worked, I almost must be a remote problem and not locally, no?)

btw: did you mentionned the cause of all this to him, that 'prank' I mean?

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
Very interesting mail though.... Thanks for posting it...

So, this didn't helped either? (it lists even more Messenger related stuff to delete need to update my posts regarding this apparently...)

Could you keep in contact with this technical support guy and report that it doesn't worked? I'm very interested in this...

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Sorry I havn't kept up to date. I didn't e-mail them back, but I will do for you .

No, it didn't help resolve the problem.

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
(if you did all that and it didn't worked, I almost must be a remote problem and not locally, no?)

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Yeah I guess so.

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
btw: did you mentionned the cause of all this to him, that 'prank' I mean?

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I did, see below.

This is the e-mail I sent to the technical support guy:

quote:

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Service :  [Service:]
  Windows Live Messenger

What type of problem do you have?  [What type of problem do you have?]
  I can sign in, but I need something fixed  []
  Working with Messenger Contacts or Groups  []
  other  []

Full Name:  [Full Name:]
  Chris Lozeau

What e-mail address would you like a response sent to?  [What e-mail address would you like a response sent to?]
*hidden*

Primary e-mail address/member ID associated with the account you are inquiring about:  [Primary e-mail address/member ID associated with the account you are inquiring about:]
*hidden*

Be specific when describing your problem. The details that you include enable us to promptly send you the most likely solution to your issue.  [Be specific when describing your problem. The details that you include enable us to promptly send you the most likely solution to your issue.]
  I fell for a prank, by putting something in my personal message. This then makes it so you can never sign in to WLM again. To fix it, you have to delete C:\Documents and Settings\CHRIS\local settings\application data\microsoft\windows live contacts\[MY EMAIL]

So, I deleted that folder, then I could sign in. One problem - All my contacts have been put into 'Other contacts' group.

I thought that the information about which group my contacts are in was saved on the WLM servers, correct? Not my PC? So I can't see why deleting that folder would do anything, it's only cache, isn't it?

So basically I'm stuck with all my contacts in the 'Other contacts' group. Is there any way you could help me get them back to how they was? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Chris

Which Version of Messenger are you running? (Within Messenger, click the ''Help'' menu and then select ''About'' to find the current version.)  [Which Version of Messenger are you running? (Within Messenger, click the ''Help'' menu and then select ''About'' to find the current version.)]
  Windows Live Messenger 8.1

What is the frequency of the problem?  [Frequency of the issue:]
  First time

Where are you trying to connect from?  [Where are you trying to connect from?]
  Home

If you have a firewall, which one?  [If you have a firewall, which one?]
  Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall

What type of internet connection do you have?  [Type of Internet connection:]
  Cable Modem

Which operating system are you using?Windows XP: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.8.1.3) Gecko/20070309 Firefox/2.0.0.3  [Which operating system are you using?]

Which browser are you using: Firefox2.0.0.3  [Which browser are you using]

Location: en-gb - English (Great Britain)  [Location: en-gb - English (Great Britain)]

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I just replied saying it didn't work, just deleted everything to do with WLM, etc.

They replied but with something completely different

I said..

quote:

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Thanks, but unfortunately this did not help with the contact groups being restored to how they was before I fell for the prank, it just deleted everything to do with WLM, etc.
...

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and they said...

quote:

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...
According to your email, the issue is about Windows Live Messenger is not letting you to work with Instant Messages and after that it disconnect suddenly. I certainly understand how important it is for you to have this feature working properly.

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Huh? When did I say anything about Instant Messages disconnecting me?

Here's the full email:

quote:

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Hello Chris,

Thank you for contacting Windows Live Messenger Technical Support. My name is Spencer and I will be happy to help you with this issue. First, I would like to apologize for the delay of this response. We have received an unusually high number of e-mails in the past few days, making it difficult to respond as quickly as we would like.

According to your email, the issue is about Windows Live Messenger is not letting you to work with Instant Messages and after that it disconnect suddenly. I certainly understand how important it is for you to have this feature working properly.

To get this feature working properly again, please follow these steps in the order they appear:

To perform a clean installation of Messenger, follow these steps:
1. Remove Messenger from the computer.
a. In the notification area, right-click the Messenger icon, and then click Sign Out. 
b. Click Start, click Run, type control appwiz.cpl , and then click OK. If you are running Windows Vista, click Start, type control appwiz.cpl, and then press ENTER. 
c. In the list of currently installed programs, select MSN Messenger or select Windows Live Messenger, and then click Remove. 
d. If you are prompted to confirm, click Yes. 

2.  Remove the temporary files and folders from the computer:

. For Microsoft Windows XP.

a. Click Start, click Run, type cleanmgr , and then click OK. 
b. If you are prompted, click C: in the Select the drive you want to clean up list, and then click OK.

Notes:
. If you partitioned the hard disk, the CleanMgr utility prompts you to select a drive. 
. The Disk Cleanup utility displays how much disk space can be freed. 
. This process can take several minutes. 

c. On the Disk Cleanup tab, make sure that only the following options are selected:
. Downloaded Program Files 
. Temporary Internet Files 
. Temporary files 
. Temporary Offline Files 
. Offline Files 

d.  Click OK two times. 
 
3.  Delete Messenger related cache files

. For Windows Live Messenger on Windows XP:
a. Click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then press ENTER to open a command window. Execute the following commands one at a time and hit Enter after each command to execute each of them. 
b. The following commands delete files that are used when you sign in and files that are related to the Contacts Cache folders.
del "%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\IdentityCRL"
del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\IdentityCRL"
del "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts"
del "%USERPROFILE%\Contacts" 
c. The following commands delete files related to sharing folders. Executing this command may result in deleting the files your contacts shared with you or that you shared with your contacts using the sharing Folders feature. Please create a backup of these files , if desired, before executing the next two commands.
del "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Messenger\<Users Live ID>\Sharing Folders"
del "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Messenger\<Users Live ID>\SharingMetaData" 
 
4.  Delete Messenger-associated registry keys.

Important: The following steps contain information about how to modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up, and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, visit the following Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986
Warning: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Note: In some case you may encounter the error that the key does not exist. If you have typed the command correctly, this may be because the key has already been removed earlier or does not exists on your machine.
REG DELETE HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger /f
REG DELETE HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSNMessenger /f
REG DELETE HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Live\Communications Clients\Shared /f
REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL /f
REG DELETE HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\usnjsvc /f 


5. Restart the computer. 

6. Reinstall Messenger: a.  Visit the following Web site:
http://get.live.com/messenger/overview 
b.  Click Get it free or click Download now. 
c.  In the File Download window, click Open or click Run. 
d.  Follow the steps to install Messenger. 

Thanks again for contacting Windows Live Messenger Technical Support and for using Microsoft products. Have a great day!

Best Regards,

Spencer
Windows Live Messenger Technical Support

For questions or self-help with Windows Live Messenger, at anytime you may also visit: http://help.live.com

With Windows Live Messenger, you can now talk to your Yahoo! Messenger friends.  To learn more, paste this link in your browser:
http://get.live.com/messenger/addyahoo

Find out how easy all-in-one PC care can be with the 90-day free trial of Windows Live OneCare. To get started, paste this link in your browser:
http://www.windowsonecare.com/purchase/trial.aspx?sc_cid=SPT_msgr

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Hmm, won't bother deleting all that stuff, I done it all before.