Unable to sign in MSN messenger after upgrade--PLEASE HELP! Thanx.

[Ethan]

Hi, all,

I have a serious problem of MSN messenger logging in.
Please help! Thanks in advance.

I have been using MSN messenger for quite a while and
everything was fine, until recently it keeps popping up
windows to prompt me to "upgrade to the latest version".
If I don't upgrade it just keeps reminding me every day.
So I decide to upgrade.

Everything seems fine except one thing--the "upgraded
messenger" is totally dead. Everytime I want to sign-in
with saved account info. or re-enter password, it will
popup a window saying:
"We were unable to sign you in to .NET Messenger Service,
possibly because of a problem with the service or with
your Internet connection. Please make sure that you are
connected to the Internet.

Click the help button to check the current .NET service
status."

I am a computer literate who solved many problems before--
not this one. I have no idea why Microsoft is so
persistent to get me to install the "update" although the
old version works flawlessly. And now I am unable to use
MSN no matter how I try. I don't understand them.

After spending hours reading posts here, I tried every
measure I can possibly think of but none of them work.

1. I am running Windows XP with Windows messenger 4.7 (at
least that's what it tell me in Help menu). Using DSL at
home behind a hub.
IE works flawlessly. I can log into my hotmail account
and check hotmail email, etc. without any problem.
Changed password without problems either. Yahoo!
messenger works great.
2. Absolutely no firewall. Even the Windows Firewall is
disabled completely. (No ZoneAlarm, no Norton Internet
Security...)
3. Time adjustment is accurate to the second according to
government time server.
4. Not route/hub hardware firewall problem. Actually,
took my company laptop (which basically has the same
setting) and works flawlessly in place of my home
computer. Something in the registry might be broken on my
home computer?
5. Changed all settings in IE. No proxy. "Check for
server certificate revocation" is unchecked. Also 'Use
SSL 2.0' and Use SSL 3.0' are checked.
6. regsvr32 softpub.dll done successfully.
7. IE security level is set to default.

If anyone knows any trick (such as downgrade Windows
messenger, etc.), please let me know.
(e-mail address removed) Or post a message please.

Anyway, do NOT upgrade message without reason! Otherwise
it may cost the messenger function.

Thanks again!!!

Sincerely,

Ethan

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Ethan,

I don't really have an answer for you (I see you've already tried all the suggestions on my
normal response, and you've cancelled out most of my other suggestions I would make, thanks
for all the information however), but you can downgrade Windows Messenger back to the old
version by using System Restore. To do so, click Start, then Help & Support, then "Undo
changes to my computer using System Restore" and go through the wizard to restore your
computer back to before you installed the Windows Messenger update.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Windows MVP, Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Hi Boro,

Well you can uninstall Messenger using this method:
Close down Messenger if it's running (right click the messenger icon in the notification
area/system tray and click close). Then click the start button, then click Run and type in
(copy-paste if you like):

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

Then click OK.
Messenger will then be uninstalled. For more detailed instructions and screenshots, go to,
http://messenger.jonathankay.com/problem.aspx?ID=7

and then reinstall an old version (say 4.6) from here:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/msnmessenger/install/4.6/win98me/en-us/mmssetup.exe
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Windows MVP, Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Hi Boro,

Since you are able to get into Windows Messenger (from your other thread), this really won't
effect it.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Windows MVP, Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com

 

[Athena [MVP]]

What kind of networking equipment are you using? I wrestled with a similar
problem for over two months and discovered that the problem was my Microsoft
broadband gateway. It would not work with a later version of Windows
Messenger until I upgraded the firmware to 1.09.010. There are apparently
some known issues with other brands of hardware too.