Today when logging into my Windows Live Messenger 8.1,  I received a message forcing me to upgrade to the latest Windows Live Messenger (2009).  This was discussed on their blog less than 1 month ago (thanks for the short heads-up).  However, like many others, upgrading to the 2009 version was not ideal. That is:  it just doesn’t work at all.

For me, I ran into problems logging in (via my workplace), as I kept getting the error: “Signing in to Windows Live Messenger failed because the authentication service is not compatible with this version of the program.
Error code: 8100030f”. And NOTHING in the online help provided any clues with this message!

So the only resolution for me was to find a way to continue using the old version.  Here I found a workaround to skip the mandatory upgrade (I’m on XP, however Vista should work also).

1.) Exit your Live Messenger, then locate the messenger executable file, where-ever you’ve installed it.

2.) Right click on its properties.

3.) Under Compatibility tab, change the compatibility mode for Windows 2000.  This is because Live Messenger 8.1/8.5 is still compatible on an older version of Windows, and this version will not enforce a mandatory upgrade.

4.) Press OK and start Live Messenger.  It will repair itself for the first time it starts.

5.) Login should be back to normal afterwards!

Do you know any other workarounds?

Related Posts:

1. Winamp – Live Messenger (MSN) ‘Now Playing’ Updates
2. Windows Vista – Change Sleep Button to Shutdown Button

The Windows Live Messenger (MSN) has a feature to “Show what I’m listening to” on Windows Media Player.  But what if you want to show titles for your favourite music player like Winamp?

The solution is very simple.  Just install the right Winamp plugin, and you’re done.  The one i’m using is the now playing plugin (gen_msn).  I am using Winamp 5.52 and Live Messenger 8.5.1

For power users, you can check out the advanced title formatting reference to allow you to fully customize the line display to any string value you like.

Another alternative is the toaster plugin for Winamp that does the same things, with other song notification features and customizable skinning.  I had some problems with this one displaying the unicoded values such as Japanese and Chinese characters, so i opted to switch to gen_msn instead.

MessengerAmp does the same thing also.  I havent tried this one, but it looks alright.

Related Posts:

1. Live Messenger 8.1/8.5 Bypass Mandatory Upgrade