Ever since I changed from dial up to broadband a few days ago MSN messenger 7.5 will not sign in.
Oddly Windows messenger will sign me in.
Does anyone know why this is and what I can do about it?

Cheers
Kris

Dani AI

Generated

Summary and quick diagnosis: after the broadband change can sign in with Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger 6.2 but not 7.5. Since ’s basic checks didn’t help, this pattern usually indicates a client-specific networking/configuration problem (local hosts/proxy, Winsock/TCP stack, or router/ISP filtering) rather than an account/password issue.

Common causes and practical checks

  • Hosts/proxy interference: inspect the hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for any lines that redirect msn/hotmail/passport/messenger names to localhost and remove them (keep a backup copy first). Also verify Internet Explorer → Connections → LAN settings for a proxy; some proxies or transparent ISP proxies break Messenger 7.x while older clients appear to work.
  • Winsock / DNS / TCP stack corruption: switching connection types can leave a broken LSP or stale DNS cache. From an elevated command prompt run the following, then reboot and retest:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
  • Router / NAT / port filtering: MSN Messenger uses TCP port 1863 for sign-in/traffic. A quick isolation test is to bypass the router and connect the PC directly to the modem—if 7.5 signs in then, enable/allow outbound TCP 1863 or disable any application/port filtering on the router. Some ISP-provided gateways also perform filtering; check that device’s settings.

If those checks still fail, perform a clean uninstall of Messenger 7.5 (remove leftover Program Files and user caches), reboot, and reinstall the official 7.5 package. The exact client error code reported by the program is very helpful for narrowing the root cause.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Have you gone through the network troubleshooter of MSN? (tools Menu, options, connection tab or area, and then start the troubleshooter) it should try to get an IP address, and some other stuff, and it should go through all the steps and then log you in....

Yes I've tried the troubleshooter several times but it doesn't seem to help.

Ok, are you running a firewall, such as norton (if so, try disabling this, by right clicking it's icon in the system tray and choosing disable).

Also, go to start, run type in: regsvr32 MSXML3.dll
you should a confirmation box telling you the register has succeeded.

Then, make sure the data and time on your computer are set correctly (don't ask me why, msn messenger is real stupid about that).

Let me know if that fixes it.

Tell Me It Worked!!!

Hehe sorry but no it didn't work.
Only firewall I have is the Windows one.

However, I've downloaded msn messenger 6.2 and that seems to work ok. But anything newer and I can't sign in. Very odd.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.