Member Avatar for Spook

Can someone tell me whether MSN Messenger can only be used with Internet Explorer or can you use another browser, say Opera?

I have IE and Opera on my pc (Opera is set as default) but am unable to use MSN Messenger.

Am running XP v5.1 Serv. Pk 1. I am currently unable to access my hotmail account or msn messenger or secure sites e.g. my bank accounts using IE so have downloaded Opera. (am awaiting a response to my previous post) This does allow access to all but msn messenger and am wondering if Messenger will only use IE as the browser or whether I could use another like Netscape

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Dani AI

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As noted, MSN Messenger is a separate application from Internet Explorer, so setting Opera as the default browser does not inherently block Messenger. That said, Messenger relies on several Windows/IE networking and rendering components (WinINet, the Trident/MSHTML renderer and the system crypto store) for sign‑in pages and embedded HTML. That dependency explains why a broken IE environment can still stop Messenger from signing in even when Opera is the default browser.

The fix reported by (repairing IE-related components and crypto services) matches the common pattern: when those shared components are damaged or misconfigured, both secure web access and Messenger sign‑in fail. Other frequent root causes to consider are incorrect system time (certificate failures), proxy settings or a misconfigured hosts file, firewall/antivirus SSL interception, or a corrupted Winsock/LSP chain.

Practical checklist (high‑impact, non‑duplicative steps):

  • Verify system date/time and certificate store updates.
  • Check Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings for an unwanted proxy.
  • Inspect the hosts file at C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts for blocked domains.
  • Temporarily disable third‑party security software to test whether it intercepts SSL.
  • From an elevated command prompt, reset core networking and verify system files:
netsh winsock reset
sfc /scannow

Run the commands, then reboot.

A historic note: MSN/Windows Live Messenger was retired and Microsoft migrated users to Skype in 2013; also, modern Hotmail/Outlook.com and many bank sites require newer TLS versions that very old Windows/IE builds (like XP SP1) cannot support. Long‑term fixes are to apply supported OS/IE updates or move to a modern, supported system. For background, see Windows Live Messenger - Wikipedia.

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Member Avatar for JR85023

MSN Mesenger and Internet Explorer are 2 different things they are only made by the same company. So in other words yes, but you sound like you have other issues. I would uninstall MSN Messenger and reinstall with the latest available version.

Member Avatar for Spook

MSN Mesenger and Internet Explorer are 2 different things they are only made by the same company. So in other words yes, but you sound like you have other issues. I would uninstall MSN Messenger and reinstall with the latest available version.

Thank you - I have uninstalled and reinstalled MSN Messenger . Without any luck. However I have now resolved my other issues by deleting Temporary files, reconfiguring security settings for trusted sites, content and advance settings, clearing SSL and autocomplete and passwords, Verifying Cryptographic Services is started, Re-registering .Dll files

Anyways works a treat now and seems to run more quickly.

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