Mac Forum / Applications / Other MS Products / July 2006

Thank goodness someone is having the same problem - It's driving me
mad. I just can't understand it. There is no logic. My nease can sign
in fine using my Messenger but not me!

Please do let me know if you manage to solve it or if it suddenly
starts working. As of yet I still don't have a solution and I am just
trying to sign in every now and again... Good luck!
Jules

Hello All,

If you are having issues using MAC Messenger, please try the following
solutions below:

1. Make sure you are connected to the Internet. If you are and you still
cannot connect to MSN Messenger, the .NET Messenger Service might be
temporarily unavailable. Determine the .NET Messenger Service status. Visit
http://messenger.msn.com/Status.aspx.

2. If you are on a corporate network, make sure that the MSN Messenger
Service is permitted to access. Contact your network administrator for more
information.

3. Your computer's proxy settings may be incorrect. Proxy settings allow
your computer to communicate with the Internet. Adjust your proxy settings
by:

  a. Sign out of MSN Messenger for Mac. If you are signed in automatically,
click "Cancel Sign in' on the "Network" menu.
  b. Click "Preferences" on the MSN Messenger menu.
  c. Click the "Connection" tab.
  d. Select "SOCKS Version 4.0a" or "SOCKS Version 5.0" in the "Type" list.
  e. Enter the server name and port. For SOCKS proxy, the port is typically
port 1080.

  Note: Please contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or your network
administrator for the correct proxy server and port numbers.

  f.  Click "OK".
  g. Click "Sign in" on the "Network" menu.
  h. Type your username and password in the appropriate boxes, and then
click "OK".

4. Make sure you sign in to MSN Messenger using the user name and password
you registered with Microsoft .NET Passport.

I have a few reminders about passwords for your reference:

   -  Passwords are case-sensitive. Please use the same spelling and
capitalization you used when you signed up for your Microsoft .NET Passport.
   -  Passwords should only have letters and numbers.
   -  Passwords should not have special characters, such as +, $, &, *, or
@.
   -  Passwords should not be less than 6 characters long.
   -  Passwords should not be longer than 16 characters.
   -  To change your password, please go to
http://memberservices.passport.net/default.srf/.

5. If you still cannot connect, try going to a .NET Passport site
(www.passport.com). Sign in, and make sure you are recognized there. If your
.NET Passport is recognized at one of these sites, the messaging servers
could be down temporarily.

6. If you are not behind a firewall but use an Internet Service Provider
instead, make sure that the "I use a proxy server" check box is clear on the
Connection tab (MSN Messenger menu, Preferences command).

  If you are behind a firewall, verify with your network administrator that
the information you have on the Connection tab of the Preferences dialog box
is correct (MSN Messenger menu, Preferences command).

7. Try removing then reinstalling MSN Messenger.

To remove MSN Messenger for Mac:

1. Quit Messenger for Mac if it is running.
2. On your hard disk, locate the Microsoft Messenger application.
3. Drag the Microsoft Messenger application to the Trash, and then empty the
Trash.
4. To remove your existing Messenger for Mac preferences, delete the
following files in the correct User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft folder:

- com.microsoft.Messenger.plist
- com.microsoft.MessengerDaemon.plist
- Microsoft Messenger User Cache

5. To remove all Messenger for Mac files completely from your computer,
delete the following folders in the Documents/Microsoft User Data folder:

- MSN Messenger History
- Messenger Corporate History
- Microsoft Messenger Data
- Messenger Corporate Data

To reinstall MSN Messenger for Mac:

 a. Visit the site below depending on your Mac OS:

     MSN Messenger for Mac version 3.5 (Mac OS X version 10.1.3 or later.)
     http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/DOWNLOAD/
MISC/msn_messenger3.xml&secid=35&ssid=2&flgnosysreq=True

     MSN Messenger version 4.0.1 for Mac (Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later
(10.3.3 recommended))
     http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/download/
misc/msn_401.xml&secid=35&ssid=4&flgnosysreq=True

     Microsoft Messenger for Mac 5.1.1 (Mac OS X version 10.3 or later)
     http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/download/
misc/messenger511_download.xml

 b. Follow the instructions on the site to save the file to your hard disk.

     If you are using Internet Explorer, the Download Manager saves the
file to the desktop unless you specified a different download folder in the
Internet Explorer Preferences dialog box (Download Options panel).

 c. On your hard disk, double-click the file that you downloaded in step b
to expand it. Depending on the Web browser that you are currently using,
this step might be performed for you automatically.

 d. Copy MSN Messenger to your hard drive by dragging the MSN Messenger
icon to the location where you would like to save it. Then, double-click the
MSN Messenger icon to start the installer.

 e. Click "Next".

 f. Read the Microsoft End-User License Agreement (EULA) and, if you accept
these terms, click "Next", and then click "Accept".

 g. To continue your installation, click "Next".

 h. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish installation.

Thanks,

-tech_guy101-