IE6 - IE 7 & Hotmail/Windows Live Messenger

[Guest]

Alright. Everything was fine until this week. For whatever reason I get
redirected to banner ads when I try to check my hotmail/livemail or whatever
it is now.

I had done a complete reinstall of XP Home. I had not yet finished updating
and did not have IE 7 at the time, I had IE 6. THEN I installed the newest
version of Windows Live Messenger.

Everything was fine for one day. Then, when I would access email through
Live Messenger (button), it would open IE6 and I would see my start page of
hotmail for 2 seconds, then it would reload and all that shows up are the
banner ads that are usually on top while I read my mail.

I accessed www.hotmail.com directly, same issue...as soon as it opens I am
refreshed to a blank page with the regular banner ads MSN puts above mail.

I Have:

Uninstalled Messenger - rebooted - cleared cache - go to hotmail directly -
same problem.

So, then I go to windows update and get all updates except IE 7 - reboot -
same issue going to hotmail directly through IE6.

I installed Firefox. I can go to hotmail and read mail just fine.

Except now, I cannot get updates for WinXP because win updates thinks my
computer is a Mac.

I uninstalled firefox, rebooted, tried to go to WinUpdates to get IE7 - it
tells me I'm a mac. Finally downloaded IE7 Redistributable, installed,
rebooted.

Still cannot read hotmail without being refreshed to a blank page with ads,
and still cannot go to windows update as it still thinks my computer is a Mac.

Automatic updates does seem to function.

I have gone through my system with several spyware/malware/bho/anti
virus/and everything else I can think of programs. Some free, some paid for.

I have rebooted and rebooted and checked settings... IE7 is my default
browser. I have gone through the registry and made sure everything for
Mozilla is gone and etc etc etc.

This is getting very aggravating. Please tell me what in the heck I need to
do.. I have never had this issue before.

Thanks in advance........... oh.. and if this thing shows my hotmail
address.. don't bother sending me email... I can't get it

 

[Rob ^_^]

Hi Magi,

I don't know if this will work.
(maybe first delte all cookies that are {username}@hotmail.com)
Try login.live.com/ (enter in the Address Bar of IE7 and press enter)

Hotmail has been re-branded to Windows Live Hotmail and they recently
changed the way that you login.

If you have the Live or MSN toolbar installed, maybe check for an update.

Sorry this is an untested guess.

Regards.

 

[Rob ^_^]

Hi Magi,

Here is a message snippet for dealing with login problems at hotmail
If you are having difficulties signing out or replying to posts, please
delete these Microsoft cookies:
a.. username@microsoft
b.. (e-mail address removed)
c.. (e-mail address removed)
d.. username@live
Instructions:

a.. Delete cookies in Internet Explorer
b.. Delete cookies in FirefoxIf you are having difficulties signing out or
replying to posts, please delete these Microsoft cookies:
a.. username@microsoft
b.. (e-mail address removed)
c.. (e-mail address removed)
d.. username@live
Instructions:

a.. Delete cookies in Internet Explorer
b.. Delete cookies in Firefox
Regards.

 

[Guest]

Hi Rob -

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yes, I have used 3rd party clean up programs as
well as using the tools in IE as well as manually deleting cookies and
restarting IE.

Nothing seems to work. I also noticed it has changed the way the login is,
I did download the latest MSN messenger and all updates for IE7. Still the
same issue.

Today I viewed the source on the live login (the one the msn messenger opens
when you click on the mail icon within messenger) as this time it was taking
a while to process the page. It is a javascript. So I went and made sure I
have the latest version of java and any java plugins. No joy with IE here.

I have other computers with Messenger installed that I do not have a problem
with, but it is very inconvenient for me to have this issue on this
particular computer.

I can access my mail now that I reinstalled Firefox...but no matter if I
have firefox installed or not, windows updates still thinks WinXp is a
macintosh and won't scan my computer for the updates I need so I have to
manually go and try to figure out which ones I may still be missing...no clue
there.

In most cases I would simply try another reinstall of Windows xp...but I
can't afford to have that computer totally down for another entire day or two.

For the record, I have no problems signing in to hotmail or livemail...that
is not the issue...the issue is using IE7 it shows the main page for mail for
2 seconds and reloads the page to banner ads...and it's not spyware or
malware, they are the actual msn ads.

When I get back to work tomorrow...maybe showing the URL's it's taking me to
would help? Or the page source code? Assuming I still have the issue tomorrow
that is...

I have been hoping I would come into work one day and it would have just
"gone away"... no joy there.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Rob ^_^]

Hi Magi,

Check that you havent blocked cookes in IE7 or that your firewall or the
third-party tool is not blocking or deleting them.

To do an update from FireFox download the IETab extension for Firefox

http://ietab.mozdev.org/

When you install IETab in Firefox also check if you can login to Hotmail...
if you can then this will indicate that one of your Security Zone settings
in IE7 is the problem (IETab uses the IE navigator, but does not use the IE
security zone settings)

Regards.

 

[Guest]

Hello again!

Okay. I downloaded the IE Tab Extension for Firefox. I can still login to
hotmail/livemail with Firefox - Still cannot get windows updates with Firefox
- tells me my comp is a mac.

In IE7 I CAN log in to the account manager using the link you gave me
live.login or something like that. But from there when I finally found where
I can check my mail, it does the same thing, redirects to a blank page with
only the banner advertisement for that day from MSN.. the rest is blank.

I've checked this out a little more.... when I login to hotmail using
Firefox, this is what goes down:

Open Firefox, type in www.hotmail.com in URL bar - which takes me to the
Windows live login page with this url:

http://login.live.com/login.srf?wa=...ly=http://mail.live.com/default.aspx&id=64855

So I login. After I select sign in, it quickly flashes an https url and
then comes to rest at this URL:
http://by102w.bay102.mail.live.com/mail/TodayLight.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0&n=456574276&gs=true

Which shows me the main page for my email. And everything is fine.

When I do this in IE7, here is how it goes down:

I type www.hotmail.com in the URL locator and it takes me here to the login
screen:

http://login.live.com/login.srf?wa=...ly=http://mail.live.com/default.aspx&id=64855

When I click signin I get this showing up in the url:

https://login.live.com/ppsecure/sha1auth.srf?lc=1033

This is the point where it refreshes (takes like ten seconds) and it shows
this url:


http://by102w.bay102.mail.live.com/mail/InboxLight.aspx?n=714272890

But the only thing on the page today is a University of Phoenix Online
banner at the top.. the rest is blank white.

I have no idea if we are allowed to post source code in here so I won't.
But basically when I look at the source code in Mozilla on the main homtail
account page.. there's a lot. lol

When I look at the source for the IE7 redirect thing all I get is the
javascript that tells it to display the ad.

Also... in IE7 I still cannot go to windows update... it thinks my computer
is a mac.

Now... I have done everything you suggested. I painstakingly have gone over
my secure settings and etc in IE7. I have read and read and done what all
the Microsoft Support documents in the Knowledgebase have told me to check
and change in IE both for security settings and for the windows update.

I have made sure my messenger is updated and I don't know anyone else with
this problem.

Is my only next choice to reinstall the o/s and start over yet again?
Because reinstalling IE7 doesn't work.

I am more than willing to post screen shots of settings and exactly what I
am seeing, I have my own server so I would not have to do attachments or
something, I can post then on a webpage or whatever else anyone may need to
figure this out instead of a complete and total reinstall again...it's a pain
in the butt.

Currently I'm not so concerned with IE7 not being able to go to email, it's
annoying that I cannot use the mail button in Messenger or click on the popup
notifications (I use messenger for business so it's not like I barely use
it...it's almost a 24 hour thing)

The thing that really bothers me is not being able to get windows updates
and it interferes with me getting around on the knowledgebase which I use
frequently in my work.

I am also concerned, though it has not happened yet, that me using Firefox
is going to interfere more with the other Microsoft services and programs I
use such as the partner program. Though that is quite new and like I said,
there only seems to be an issue with hotmail/live mail at the moment.

Thanks.