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Known Issues

Last updated

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

This document provides information about special situations currently experienced in MSN® Messenger.


How do you configure a firewall to work with Messenger?
What self-help resources are there for Messenger?

MSN Messenger has several self-help resources to help you find the answer to problem you may be encountering. You may be able to find a resolution to your issue by using the steps provided below:

Step 1: Upgrade to latest Messenger Version

Upgrading to the latest version of MSN Messenger may resolve the issue you are having. Please visit the following link to download the latest version of MSN Messenger:

http://messenger.msn.com

Step 2: Verify .NET Messenger Service is available

There are times when the .NET Messenger Service may be temporarily unavailable and you may be unable to use MSN Messenger. Please visit the .NET Messenger Service Status page at the following link:

http://messenger.msn.com/status.aspx

If the .NET Messenger Server Status page indicates that the service is not available, then you may not be able to log onto the service. Continue checking the .NET Messenger Service Status every 15 minutes until the Status page indicates the .NET Messenger Service is available. Try to use MSN Messenger once the Service Status page indicates that Service is available.

Step 3: Frequently Asked Questions

Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for a list of commonly asked questions that may apply to your issue. The link below will take you to the MSN Messenger page for Frequently Asked Questions:

http://messenger.msn.com/help/

Step 4: MSN Messenger Help

From within MSN Messenger you can choose the Help menu, and then click Help Topics. If you are not able to access the Help menu then you can go to the following link and then click MSN Messenger to access the help topics:

http://help.msn.com/

Step 5: Known Issues

This web page contains a list of known issues for MSN Messenger. Please review the list of known issues below to determine if there are any issues that may apply to your issue:

Cannot sign into Messenger when you have a firewall running on your computer

MSN Messenger may experince difficulties signing into the .NET Messenger service when your firewall is blocking it. In order to resolve the issue ensure MSN Messenger is among the list of applications that your firewall allows to connect to the Internet. The sections below provide the steps for the most common firewalls in the market. However, if you have any other firewall that is not listed here, please refer to the last section for additional instructions.

Windows Firewall:

  1. Click Start, click Run, type FIREWALL.CPL , and then press ENTER.
  2. On the General tab, if the On check box is selected, the Windows Firewall is enabled. If this option is not selected, then ignore the rest of the steps below.
  3. Click the Exceptions tab.
  4. Under Programs and Services, select MSN Messenger if it appears in the list, and then click Delete.
  5. Click Add Program, click Browse, and then locate the C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger folder.
  6. Double-click the Msnmsgr file. Note: The computer settings determine whether the file name is followed by the extension ".exe."
  7. Make sure that the Msnmsgr file is added to the Programs and Services list and that MSN Messenger is selected.
  8. Click OK to save the changes.

Norton Internet Security 2003 or later and Norton Personal Firewall 2003 or later:

  1. Start the Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall program.
  2. Click Personal Firewall, and then click Configure.
  3. Click the Programs tab.
  4. Remove all the instances of Msnmsgr.exe from the Manual Program Control List.
  5. To add MSN Messenger to the list, click Add.
  6. Double-click the Msnmsgr file.
  7. Make sure that the Msnmsgr file is added to the Programs and Services list and that MSN Messenger is selected.
  8. Make sure that the file is added to the Manual Program Control List
  9. In the Internet Access column, make sure that MSN Messenger is set to Permit All
  10. For more information, refer to the Norton knowledge base , select the version of the product that you are using, and then search for “Changing Internet Access Control settings” or “Changing firewall rule settings“ in the product manuals.

All other versions of Norton:

  1. Visit the Norton knowledge base , and then look for “Changing Internet Access Control settings” or “Changing firewall rule settings “ in the product manuals.

McAfee Personal Firewall version 5 or later and McAfee Internet Security version 6 or later:

  1. Right-click the McAfee icon in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar.
  2. Open the McAfee Personal Firewall Plus console.
  3. On the left navigation bar, select Internet Applications.
  4. If Msnmsgr.exe is already on the list, delete it, by selecting Msnmsgr.exe from the list, and then click "Delete Application Rule" under "Change Permission To"..
  5. Add MSN Messenger to the list:
    • Click New Allowed Application.
    • Click Browse, locate the C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger folder, and then double-click the Msnmsgr file. Note: The computer settings determine whether the file name is followed by the extension ".exe."
  6. Make sure that Allow Full Access is indicated under Permissions for MSN Messenger. If MSN Messenger is not set to "Allow Full Access", select MSN Messenger in the "Internet Applications list", and then click "Allowed Full Access" under "Change Permission To"
  7. Refer to McAfeee Help for more information about any version of McAfee. Choose a product and a category, and then look for information about how to configure Personal Firewall to allow an application to access the Internet.

ZoneAlarm Pro 3.1 or later and ZoneAlarm Security Suite 5.0 or later:

  1. Start ZoneAlarm, click "Program Control" in the left navigation list, and then click the "Programs" tab on the right.
  2. If Msnmsgr.exe is already on the list, delete it by right-clicking on "MSN Messenger", in the "Programs" list and then click "Remove".
  3. Add MSN Messenger to the list:
    • Click "Add"
    • Click "Browse", locate the C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger folder, and then double-click the Msnmsgr file to add the latest version of Msnmsgr.exe to the "Programs" list. Note The computer settings determine whether the file name is followed by the extension ".exe."
  4. After you add Msnmsgr.exe to the "Programs" list, click the Access and Server entries for MSN Messenger, and then click Allow.

PC-Cillin Internet Security 2004 and 2005:

  1. Launch the PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 console. To do this, click Start Programs Trend Micro PC-cillinTrend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2005
  2. Click on "Network Security".
  3. Click on "Personal Firewall". Make sure the "Enable Personal Firewall" checkbox is selected.
  4. Under "Edit Profile", choose the currently selected profile on the list and then click on Edit.
  5. Click on the "Exception List" tab.
  6. Delete all entries for MSN Messenger by selecting each entry and click on "DELETE".
  7. In the "Add/Edit Personal Firewall Exception" enter the following:
    • Click on "Add" and enter the rule name "MSN Messenger IN" and chose "Specified Application" under "Target"
    • Select "incoming", "Allow","TCP/UDP","All Ports" and under IP Setting choose "All IP addresses"
    • Click OK.
    • Click on "Add" and enter the rule name" MSN Messenger OUT" and chose "Specified Application" under "Target"
    • Select "Outgoing", "Allow","TCP/UDP","All Ports" and under IP Setting choose “All IP addresses”
    • Click OK.
  8. Close OK and close the "Personal Firewall" settings window.
  9. For additional information, please refer to PC-Cillian Internet Security documentaton.

Black Ice:

  1. Rebaseline the computer after installing MSN Messenger:
    • Go to BlackIce Knowledge base and search on How to rebaseline my computer
    • Note: It is best to do fresh baseline in order to ensure MSN Messneger is allowed through the firewall.
  2. After rebaselining ensure that msnmsgr exists in the Known Applications list in Advanced Application Protection settings window. Do this by launching Blackice and clicking Tools followed by Advanced Application Protection Settings

    All other firewalls:

    1. For information about how to allow full access to the Internet through the firewall for MSN Messenger, see the firewall manufacturer’s documentation. You can find the MSN Messenger executable file on C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger. Double-click the "Msnmsgr" file. Note:The computer settings determine whether the file name is followed by the extension ".exe." .
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