If you're having trouble connecting with Windows Live Messenger (WLM, or formerly called MSN Messenger), it could be a firewall or proxy has not been configured to let it through. Refer to this MS article for the ports and URLS used by WLM:
Network ports and URLs that are used by Windows Live Messenger
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927847
The list cuts both ways, of course. Syadmins can also use the info to block WLM, or block certain WLM features such as File Transfers.
Previously:
Direct link to Windows Live Messenger
Block Ads in Windows Live Messenger
Showing posts with label Windows Live Messenger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows Live Messenger. Show all posts
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Direct link to Windows Live Messenger
Lately, Microsoft has gone the way of Adobe, and has implemented annoying installer stubs for their downloads. For example, if you want to obtain Windows Live Messenger 8.5 aka WLM 2008, there is no direct download link from Microsoft. Instead, you first need to download something called Windows Live Installer, which will attempt to install toolbars and enable other "please send me spam" options.
I really don't understand why companies try to alienate users like this. It's such a clear indication that they want to serve the interests of their advertisers, and their own interests before yours. Plus, it is also a waste of bandwidth and time.
But fear not, I'm going to show you how to bypass this Windows Live Installer rubbish, and get your own standalone WLM installer:
1. Download the WLM .exe file from Microsoft's Windows Update servers via this link. The version listed here is Windows Live Messenger (8.5.1302.1018). You can save it with any name you like, but retain the .Exe extension. This Exe file does not work; if you launch it, nothing will happen.
2. You will now need to extract the MSI (Microsoft Installer) file from that Exe file. You can do this with XN Resource Editor, a free program. It's just a quick download, about 1.2MB. You can either choose the installer version, or not. The program doesn't care where it is installed, and it can just be run as is.
3. Launch XN, and load the .Exe file using File->Open . Expand the BootStrapPayload tree, then expand the MSNMsg.Msi tree. You should see only one entry - Language Neutral. Right-click on Language Neutral and click on "Export Resource". XN will ask you for a filename. On my system, it suggested "MSNMSGS.MSI", which was fine by me. You can save it with any name you like, but retain the .MSI extension.
4. And voila! you now have your very own WLM 8.5 standalone installer. Just double-click on the MSI file to launch, and it'll work just like earlier installer versions. If you have problems launching MSI files, you may need to download and install Windows Installer 3.1 first.
Raymond.cc lists a slightly different method for getting a standalone installer. Basically, it's the time-honoured tactic of fishing out .Msi files from the Common Files folder. However, his method involves running Windows Live Installer, which I am trying to avoid. On the other hand, Raymond's method saves you from mucking around with XN Resource Editor, or any other util. But I like mucking around with XN Resource Editor.
Anyway, there you have it, not one, but two methods for obtaining a standalone installer for WLM.
Note: I got the direct WLM link from another site, but the page has been listed by TrendProtect as "may be unsafe", so I'm not going to link to it.
Update, Aug 18, 2008: In certain cases under Windows Vista, the installer does not display any dialog boxes or provide any other indication that it has worked properly. Don't worry though, WLM has probably been installed correctly. Just check under Start->All Programs->Windows Live.
Previously:
Direct link to Adobe Reader (Acrobat Reader)
Block Ads in Windows Live Messenger
See also:
Windows Live Messenger ports and URLS
I really don't understand why companies try to alienate users like this. It's such a clear indication that they want to serve the interests of their advertisers, and their own interests before yours. Plus, it is also a waste of bandwidth and time.
But fear not, I'm going to show you how to bypass this Windows Live Installer rubbish, and get your own standalone WLM installer:
1. Download the WLM .exe file from Microsoft's Windows Update servers via this link. The version listed here is Windows Live Messenger (8.5.1302.1018). You can save it with any name you like, but retain the .Exe extension. This Exe file does not work; if you launch it, nothing will happen.
2. You will now need to extract the MSI (Microsoft Installer) file from that Exe file. You can do this with XN Resource Editor, a free program. It's just a quick download, about 1.2MB. You can either choose the installer version, or not. The program doesn't care where it is installed, and it can just be run as is.
3. Launch XN, and load the .Exe file using File->Open . Expand the BootStrapPayload tree, then expand the MSNMsg.Msi tree. You should see only one entry - Language Neutral. Right-click on Language Neutral and click on "Export Resource". XN will ask you for a filename. On my system, it suggested "MSNMSGS.MSI", which was fine by me. You can save it with any name you like, but retain the .MSI extension.
4. And voila! you now have your very own WLM 8.5 standalone installer. Just double-click on the MSI file to launch, and it'll work just like earlier installer versions. If you have problems launching MSI files, you may need to download and install Windows Installer 3.1 first.Raymond.cc lists a slightly different method for getting a standalone installer. Basically, it's the time-honoured tactic of fishing out .Msi files from the Common Files folder. However, his method involves running Windows Live Installer, which I am trying to avoid. On the other hand, Raymond's method saves you from mucking around with XN Resource Editor, or any other util. But I like mucking around with XN Resource Editor.
Anyway, there you have it, not one, but two methods for obtaining a standalone installer for WLM.
Note: I got the direct WLM link from another site, but the page has been listed by TrendProtect as "may be unsafe", so I'm not going to link to it.
Update, Aug 18, 2008: In certain cases under Windows Vista, the installer does not display any dialog boxes or provide any other indication that it has worked properly. Don't worry though, WLM has probably been installed correctly. Just check under Start->All Programs->Windows Live.
Previously:
Direct link to Adobe Reader (Acrobat Reader)
Block Ads in Windows Live Messenger
See also:
Windows Live Messenger ports and URLS
Monday, January 28, 2008
Block Ads in Windows Live Messenger
After holding out for years, I've finally installed Windows Live Messenger (formerly called MSN Messenger). Now, I've always been a big fan of Pidgin, an open-source chat client, but it turns out Pidgin may not be fully compatible with the MSN chat network.
In the past few weeks, I've missed a quite few MSN messages while using Pidgin, without even realising it. Some people thought I was ignoring them, or was staying silent. And apparently, Pidgin either does not, or cannot access stored (missed) messages from MSN's servers.
I'm sure Microsoft is to blame for this (see below), but sorry to say, my need for reliable communications overrides my support for FOSS (free and open source software). But I'll continue to use Pidgin for all the other chat networks.
One reason I've put off using MSN, I mean, WLM is because it is a closed-source program, like most other MS products. It's not even one of those so-called Microsoft Open Source products.
Another big turnoff for me is the MSN chat network itself, because it uses the Microsoft Notification Protocol (MSNP), a closed protocol. In fact, just creating a 3rd-party app which works using the MSNP is a notable achievement, because it requires reverse-engineering and packet-sniffing. Kudos to the developers of Pidgin, et al for coming this far, but again, sorry to say, my priority is reliable communications. It appears no 3rd party has fully deciphered the latest version of MSNP, now at version 15.
Anyway, back to WLM. After the download (about 18MB) and installation, I fired up the program. Right away, I was assaulted by ads and a cluttered interface full of tabs and icons. *Sigh* Pretty much what I expected from Microsoft. I would note that the Pidgin installer is only 11MB, and the program contains no ads, has a clean interface, and supports all the major chat networks, not just MSN.
Certainly a stark reminder of why I like Pidgin. Jeez, what the hell is all this crap on my screen? So of course, I immediately googled for tips on blocking WLM ads. My options were mostly patches and ad blocker programs. A closed-source patch for a closed-source program? No thanks.
Then I remembered the old trick with the HOSTS file, which involves redirecting ad server addresses to 127.0.0.1, i.e. your own PC. This results in the program or web browser not being able to load ads.
What you need now is a list of Microsoft's ad servers, and conveniently, someone has already compiled one at the TrustedReviews forum. So all you have to do is add the following lines to the bottom of your HOSTS file:
Once you've added the MS ad servers, you can see the results almost immediately. Just minimise and restore the main WLM window (contact list). WLM may throw up an error message about being "unable to execute script", and may ask you whether you want to run any more scripts in the future. Just click No. All the ads should disappear.
BTW, the HOSTS file can also be used to block other Net annoyances. From the MVPS website:
"You can use a HOSTS file to block ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and even most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the connections that supplies these little gems."
Next, I wanted to get rid of useless tabs, popups and other "MS partner" crap. I quickly disabled something called "Windows Live Today"; its only purpose seems to be to generate popup ads. You can turn it off in Options->General->Show Windows Live Today...
And finally, I didn't like all the useless tabs and icons that were polluting my contact list. You can turn these off in Options->Tabs, then check the "Hide tabs" box.
So here's the final result. As you can see, WLM just displays a generic WLM banner if it cannot connect to its ad servers. No more pop-ups, and no more scrolling, blinking, flying crap:
In the past few weeks, I've missed a quite few MSN messages while using Pidgin, without even realising it. Some people thought I was ignoring them, or was staying silent. And apparently, Pidgin either does not, or cannot access stored (missed) messages from MSN's servers.
I'm sure Microsoft is to blame for this (see below), but sorry to say, my need for reliable communications overrides my support for FOSS (free and open source software). But I'll continue to use Pidgin for all the other chat networks.
One reason I've put off using MSN, I mean, WLM is because it is a closed-source program, like most other MS products. It's not even one of those so-called Microsoft Open Source products.
Another big turnoff for me is the MSN chat network itself, because it uses the Microsoft Notification Protocol (MSNP), a closed protocol. In fact, just creating a 3rd-party app which works using the MSNP is a notable achievement, because it requires reverse-engineering and packet-sniffing. Kudos to the developers of Pidgin, et al for coming this far, but again, sorry to say, my priority is reliable communications. It appears no 3rd party has fully deciphered the latest version of MSNP, now at version 15.
Anyway, back to WLM. After the download (about 18MB) and installation, I fired up the program. Right away, I was assaulted by ads and a cluttered interface full of tabs and icons. *Sigh* Pretty much what I expected from Microsoft. I would note that the Pidgin installer is only 11MB, and the program contains no ads, has a clean interface, and supports all the major chat networks, not just MSN.
Certainly a stark reminder of why I like Pidgin. Jeez, what the hell is all this crap on my screen? So of course, I immediately googled for tips on blocking WLM ads. My options were mostly patches and ad blocker programs. A closed-source patch for a closed-source program? No thanks.
Then I remembered the old trick with the HOSTS file, which involves redirecting ad server addresses to 127.0.0.1, i.e. your own PC. This results in the program or web browser not being able to load ads.
What you need now is a list of Microsoft's ad servers, and conveniently, someone has already compiled one at the TrustedReviews forum. So all you have to do is add the following lines to the bottom of your HOSTS file:
# Windows Live Messenger ad serversThe HOSTS file actually just a text file, so you can open it with Notepad or any other text editor. Yes, the file is just called HOSTS, with no extension. In XP and Vista, it is normally located in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc. You should create a backup first, in case something goes wrong.
127.0.0.1 rad.msn.com
127.0.0.1 global.msads.net
127.0.0.1 rss.video.msn.com
127.0.0.1 ads1.msn.com
127.0.0.1 rad.live.com
127.0.0.1 specials.uk.msn.com
Once you've added the MS ad servers, you can see the results almost immediately. Just minimise and restore the main WLM window (contact list). WLM may throw up an error message about being "unable to execute script", and may ask you whether you want to run any more scripts in the future. Just click No. All the ads should disappear.
BTW, the HOSTS file can also be used to block other Net annoyances. From the MVPS website:
"You can use a HOSTS file to block ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and even most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the connections that supplies these little gems."
Next, I wanted to get rid of useless tabs, popups and other "MS partner" crap. I quickly disabled something called "Windows Live Today"; its only purpose seems to be to generate popup ads. You can turn it off in Options->General->Show Windows Live Today...
And finally, I didn't like all the useless tabs and icons that were polluting my contact list. You can turn these off in Options->Tabs, then check the "Hide tabs" box.
So here's the final result. As you can see, WLM just displays a generic WLM banner if it cannot connect to its ad servers. No more pop-ups, and no more scrolling, blinking, flying crap:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)