How can I change tabbed chat display in Windows Live Messenger. I want to stop new chat tab notification when a new friend begins to chat with me.

Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger has been through numerous incarnations, so depending on which version you're using, the tabbed chat notifications may be slightly different. In general, whenever you want to change a preference in Windows Live Messenger, you'll want to go to the Options dialog box.

Windows Live Messenger Options

To go to options, either look for the tiny "gear" icon and click it or go to Tools > Options. This will open a dialog box containing various options for: Personal, Sign In, Contacts, Messages, History, Notifications, Sounds, Mobile Phone, Privacy, and Connection.

First, let's start with Messages. Here you'll see a section labeled Conversations. Find the "Enable tabbed conversations" and remove the checkmark from the box. Click OK. If you're using Windows Plus! Live, click on Plus! and then select "Preferences and Options." From there, go to the Conversations tab followed by Tabbed Chat. Choose disable and click OK.

Windows Live Messenger Notifications

In addition to disabling tabbed conversations, you may want to tweak your notifications. This is done in Tools > Options > Notifications. Depending on what you have in mind, you can enable or disable notifications for a variety of circumstances including: when a favorite signs in, when a friend signs in, when you receive an IM, when you receive an email with a social update, when you receive an email, when you sign into Messenger from multiple locations, when you receive a group IM, and more.

Hopefully by disabling tabbed chats and tweaking your notification settings, you'll be able to use Windows Live Messenger in a manner that works best for you.

It seems as though the problem of online buddies showing as being offline is a bug experienced by many mobile users. Later versions of the software have been modified to address this issue. You can look through the solutions suggested here and see if completing them resolves the problem for you.

Update Your MSN Software

Make sure that you have the latest version for your MSN software. While you are at it, check to make sure that you have properly installed the correct version.

Update Your eBuddy Software

Make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of the eBuddy Software on your Samsung G600. If you aren't using the most current version, you could experience problems.

Update Your Browser Software

Check to see if you are using the latest version of your browser. If you are not, update it to use the most current version and see if that resolves the issue for you. You can also try using a different browser as they vary in their functionality with issues such as the one you are describing.

Recreate Your Friends List

One of the options you have is to remove all of your contacts and recreate the list. This solution seems to work for some mobile users, but not for others. You must delete all contacts though and start completely over.

Sign Out of MSN Messenger on the Computer

Try signing out of MSN Messenger on your computer and checking on your Samsung G600 again to see if your contacts are showing as online. It is possible that you are simply not able to be signed into MSN Messenger in two places at the same time.

Status on MSN Messenger on the Computer

If you have MSN Messenger opened on the computer but have selected the offline status, you could be creating the problem on your mobile device. Either maintain your status as online on the computer or sign out of it completely to see if that works for you.

Sign into Hotmail

Some users have success simply by signing into their Windows Live Hotmail account  and clicking on the option "available."

Summary: Recent problems with the listing of MSN online friends by listing them as offline on eBuddy seem to be commonplace. Troubleshooting tips might help.

AOL AIM Versions

AOL's instant messaging product, AIM, is currently offered in version 7.0. Depending on which version and edition your contacts are using, they may be able to adjust the font size on their end. For example, in AIM PRO, a user can highlight the text and choose the "Set font size" option in the formatting menu's dropdown box.

Changing Font Size in AIM 7.0

AIM 7.0 offers an option to increase the font size. If you haven't upgraded to 7.0, you might want to consider doing it so that you can take advantage of this new feature. Once upgraded and when you are participating in a chat, click the icon with the letter A on it. This opens a menu of different text options including options for changing the font, the font size, text color, background color, and so on. You'll want to click the icon with a two T's on it (on little, the other large). This icon gives you different size options.

You can also change the font size and style for specific buddies in your buddy list in AIM 7.0. However, it's unclear whether these font changes affect incoming or outgoing instant messages.

Enlarging AIM Messages

Another option is to enlarge the AIM messaging window. Depending on the version of AIM you are running, you may see a magnifying glass in the lower right portion of the screen with 100% displayed next to it. Click this icon and to toggle through different magnification levels.

Windows Magnifier

Finally, you can also use the Windows Magnifier to increase specific areas of your computer's display. This tool is located in the Windows Control Panel under the Ease of Access (or Accessibility) section. This tool can be a little tricky to get used to. However, with a little tweaking and experimentation, it may be just right for the job.

Your problem could be occurring for a number of reasons. Read through the suggestions here and try the ones that seem to offer the best advice for your particular scenario.

Troubleshooting Missing Offline Instant Messages on Yahoo Messenger

It is important to note that you MUST read your offline messages as soon as you log back on Yahoo after being away. Look for the orange alert tab that lets you know you have received texts while you were offline. If you don't read these right away, you lose the opportunity to do so.

Troubleshooting Not Being Able to Receive Texts on Yahoo Messenger

Unfortunately, this glitch appears to be somewhat common. The best way to resolve this issue of not being able to receive texts while you are offline is to uninstall Yahoo Messenger and reinstall it.

How to Retrieve Instant Messages on Yahoo Messenger

Yahoo Messenger has a bit of a trick to retrieving instant messages. Follow these steps to see if you can receive instant messages that arrived while you were offline.

1.    Click the "Contacts" option from your Yahoo Messenger menu.

2.    Search through the left-hand side of the pane in the folders for the contact whose messages you wish to view.

3.    Double click on the name of the contact. This action opens a conversation window.

4.    Select the option "Show Recent Messages." The first entry that you see will be the latest message the individual sent to you.

5.    To look at an older conversation for this contact, look above the conversation that is showing and select the option "View Full Archive."

Setting Your Preferences to Save IMs

If you haven't yet set your preferences to archive your instant messages, then you won't be able to review past conversations. To set your preferences to save (archive) messages, follow these steps:

1.    Click the "Preferences" option from your Yahoo Messenger menu.

2.    Select "Archive."

3.    Select the button that offers the option to archive your text messages.

4.    Select "Apply,"

5.    Click "OK."

Lost Stored Passwords after Internet Explorer Updates

After updating Internet Explorer or clearing your Web history, it's not uncommon to lose your stored passwords. If you suspect this may have happened, try signing in to MSN manually.

Windows Live Messenger

Another possibility is that the update itself has changed your settings. The latest incarnation of MSN Messenger is Windows Live Messenger. You might double check to see if your computer now has Windows Live Messenger installed. If it does not, you will need to install it. In fact, the following message appears on Microsoft's Windows Live Help page:

"Starting September 15, 2009, users are required to have the latest version of Messenger installed on their computer in order to sign in and continue using the Messenger service. To download the latest version of Messenger, go to the Windows Live Messenger website."

This message leads me to believe that your older version of MSN Messenger has been disabled by Microsoft either through the update or through Microsoft discontinuing support for that version. You can download the new version of Windows Live Messenger at: http://download.live.com/?sku=messenger

Windows Live programs include Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety, Toolbar, Silverlight, Office Live Add-in, and Microsoft Office Outlook Connector. You can download all of the programs at once or choose individual programs to download. All are free. If you do not have a Windows Live ID, signing up for one is easy.

Messenger Sign-in Errors

Other common causes of Messenger sign-in errors include firewall blocking access, incorrect computer date settings, or a clogged Internet cache. If you have already switched to Windows Live Messenger, you might want to clear your temporary Internet files and double check to be sure that your firewall is not blocking access to the Windows Live servers.

Let us know if you are receiving a specific error message as well as the version of Messenger you are using.

With so many different versions and different instant messaging programs out there, there are quite a few variables. While instant messaging has its place, constant alerts, especially when they hijack your screen, can be extremely annoying and disruptive. Let's use Windows Live Messenger as an example.

Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger is the latest incarnation of Microsoft's MSN Messenger. Like its predecessors, Windows Live Messenger lets you interact with others by sending and receiving instant messages.

Windows Live Messenger Settings

Though the initial screen that appears is relatively small, there are a number of menu options hidden within. If you look along the top right next to the "Search Contacts" bar, you'll see several icons. Click the one on the far right, the Show Menu icon. Click on Tools and another menu will appear. First, check and see if Always on Top is displayed. If so, remove the check mark by that if you do not want to always see Messenger displayed on screen. If you do want to see Messenger displayed on your computer screen, then leave it marked. This is a personal preference, so choose the option that appeals to you.

Next, click on Options. Once in Options, click on Layout option. Is "Show the Tab bar" selected? Make sure that it is so that any new alerts can show up there. Next, go into Messages and select the options that you want such as "Allow me to send and receive nudges." If it's currently selected, try deselecting it. Nudges usually result in a sound or window shake, but perhaps in the newer version, this setting also pop-ups the message?  

Next, go to Alerts and adjust your alert settings. For example, if you don't want to be alerted every time one of your contacts comes online, remove that option. In fact, you may want to restrict alerts to when a message is received.

It may take a bit of trial and error to get Windows Live Messenger to fully cooperate.

Saving MSN Histories

MSN Messenger, now known as Windows Live Messenger, has a feature for saving message histories. This feature is not turned on by default. If you want to save your histories, you must go into the Tools > Options menu and click on the Messages option. Once in the Messages section, find the Message History section and place a mark in "Automatically keep a history of my conversations." Just below that, you'll see an option labeled "Save my conversations in this folder." Typically, you would browse to a location on your C drive and select it as the storage folder for your MSN histories. However, you want an online storage folder, so we'll need to get creative.

Creating an Online Storage Drive

Several online storage and backup services allow you to map your online storage account as a network drive on your computer. You will need to sign up for an account with one of these services that feature "virtual network drives." A virtual network drive appears on your computer as a drive letter just like your regular hard drive and CD drives. For example, if you had an OnlineStorageSolutions account, your computer would have a local drive letter, let's say the "H" drive, that is mapped to your online storage account. So, instead of choosing the C drive and a subfolder to store your MSN history, you would instead choose the drive letter for your online storage account, in this example the "H" drive.

You will first need to find an online storage account that allows drive letter access. While a number of online storage services offer free personal accounts, finding one that allows uploading of files via a drive letter for free is tougher. OnlineStorageSolutions charges $19 per year for this service.

Another option is to try the free account offered at DropBox.com. DropBox offers 2 GB of free online storage. It works by synchronizing the local "DropBox" folder with your online account. In this case, you would instruct MSN Messenger to save the history file in your DropBox folder. From there, Dropbox would upload it to your online DropBox account.  

Accessing Your Saved MSN Histories

Once set up with an online virtual drive, your MSN histories will automatically be stored online where you can access them from any computer. Accessing the MSN histories will depend on the online account that you have set up for this purpose. For example, if you use DropBox, you'll need to sign in to the DropBox.com Web site with your user name and password where you can then access your files.

Many users have had issues with Windows Live Messenger and its predecessor MSN Messenger failing to load properly. One of the most common issues is with the router though it's also possible that you have a bad installation on your computer. Let's take a look at some steps you can try.

Reset the Router

The first step is to reset the router. Your router should have a reset button on it. If not an actual button, there may be a tiny hole in the back where you can insert an unbent paperclip. If your router does not have a manual way to reset it, simply unplug it from the power source and let it sit for a minute or two. Plug it back in and see if the problem resolves itself. Resetting the router has solved this issue for many Windows Live Messenger users.

Repair Windows Live Messenger

You can also try repairing your installation of Windows Live Messenger. Go to Start and type "Programs and Features" into the Search bar and then click its link under Programs (or go to Control Panel > Programs and Features). Find Windows Live Essentials in the list of installed programs and click on Uninstall/Change. Choose the Repair option and click Continue. This will repair your installation of all Windows Live Essentials programs, including Windows Live Messenger.

Update Windows

Whenever a program fails to respond as expected, it's not a bad idea to update your operating system to take advantage of any potential "fixes" that may have been issued by Microsoft. For example, if an external program or device is known to interfere with Windows Live Messenger and Microsoft has created a patch that fixes the issue, the patch will be released as an Update. Go to Control Panel > Windows Update and check to see if any updates exist addressing this issue.

Use the System File Checker Utility

You can also try running the System File Checker which will scan your operating system for file corruption which could be interfering with your computer's performance. Press the Windows Flag key and the ‘R' key at the same time to open the Run dialog and then type in: sfc /scannow

Follow the prompts to allow the System File Checker to scan your computer for missing or damaged operating system files. You may need your original installation discs to replace these damaged files.

Uninstall and Reinstall Windows Live Messenger

Another option is to try uninstalling and reinstalling Windows Live Messenger.

MSN Messenger Symptoms

In further conversations with the questioner, it turns out that this computer is used by several users, all of whom sign into the computer using the same user account. All of the users except for one can sign into Messenger without a problem, but one user consistently receives this error message. Another interesting symptom is that when signed into this particular MSN Messenger account, the CPU usage spikes to over 100 percent.

MSN Messenger vs. Windows Live Messenger

MSN Messenger has since been replaced by Windows Live Messenger. If you haven't already, upgrade to the latest version of Windows Live Messenger. While this may not solve the individual user's error message, it might. Plus, you'll have the latest fixes and all the bells and whistles offered by Windows Live Messenger.

Troubleshooting the Host Files Error

Since this error is specific to a single user account, it's not likely an issue with the computer's set up. While many MSN Messenger users have solved a similar error by rebooting their routers, this didn't work in this situation. Most likely, something is going on with this one user's MSN Messenger settings. Once you upgrade to Windows Live Messenger, you can run the built-in Connection Troubleshooter to see if it can solve the problem for you automatically. Do this by clicking on the Show Menu button, then click on Tools followed by Options.

Now, click on the Connection link in the left side pane and then click on the Connection Troubleshooter's Start button. You can also click on Connection Settings > Advanced Settings to run a few diagnostic tests.

Comparing Settings

If the Connection Troubleshooter doesn't solve the problem, consider comparing every single user setting in the Options dialog with those of another user. Which settings are different? Perhaps the user's display photo is oversized and gobbling up system resources as Messenger tries to display it? Maybe the other users' Connection Settings are set up to use a proxy server and this user's account is not set up that way (or vice versa). Look for anomalies.

For example, Microsoft recommends deleting the entries under SOCKS in the Connection > Advanced Settings section as a troubleshooting step when you can't connect to Messenger.

Clear DNS Cache

Finally, try "flushing the DNS cache." Go to Start > Run and type in: cmd

Press Enter and then type: ipconfig /flushdns

Press Enter one more time.

Work Restrictions

Since this is your wife's work computer, it is possible that the IT department may have restricted access to MSN or even disabled the webcam. Because of this possibility, your wife may want to read up on the company's computer usage policy to make sure that this isn't by design. If there are no restrictions, then let's look at other possibilities.

MSN Messenger Settings

Assuming your wife's MSN Messenger is set up with a list of contacts, the first thing to do is look at your wife's MSN Messenger's settings. Launch MSN Messenger and then click the "Change Contact Layout List Layout icon. It's the second icon next to the "Search Contacts" bar. This opens the Options screen. Once the Options screen is opened, you can change a variety of settings including alerts and nudges. First, click on Personal and make sure that "Allow others to see that I have a webcam" is marked.

Next, click on Alerts. Make sure that the option for "Display alerts when contacts come online" is marked. Once that's selected, click on Sounds and choose a sound for "nudge" that will get your wife's attention.

Now, click on Privacy and add yourself to the list of allowed contacts. If the box that says "Only people in my Allow List can see my status and send me messages" is marked, then you must be listed in this area or else you will automatically be blocked and your wife will never know that you are trying to contact her.

Finally, close this options box and then click on the next icon which is the "Show Menu" icon. Click Tools > Audio and Video setup. Here, you will set up the webcam. The first screen tests the speaker and microphone settings. Go ahead and click Next to open the webcam. You should see the default webcam's image on screen. If not, click the dropdown box to find the laptop's webcam. Click Finish once it's set up.

Webcam Troubleshooting

Most likely, one of the above settings will do the trick and allow you and your wife to communicate via MSN and your webcams. If you think the webcam is not functioning, you may need to check it out in the Device Manager. Go to the Control Panel, click on System followed by Device Manager. Go to the Imaging Devices category and expand it. Double-click the webcam and see if any error messages show up. If you want to try updating its device driver, click the Driver tab followed by Update Driver. Follow the prompts.