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Thread: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    40

    Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Hi all,
    I use windows live messenger 8. Whenever i sign in to messenger, all contacts in my list appear offline, even if they are online. Why is this happening? Anyone have any idea?

    All suggestions are welcome.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    4,642

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Try to reinstall and update messenger. Get a packet logger like Ethereal and examine the get buddies protocol message. Re-add all the contacts. Add more contacts (who are not there in your list) and check weather they are appearing online.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    2,139

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Delete them off your contact list and have them remove you off theirs. Then press the Alt key on the keyboard, choose the Tools menu, then Options, and then choose the Privacy category on the side of the options screen.
    Then find your contact on either the Allow or Block list, right-click them and choose Delete. If the Delete option is not available, then they haven't removed you off their main contact list yet. Go back to the main Messenger window and add the contact to your contact list again.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    4,345

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Try this:
    Delete you handshaking policy cache:
    Exit Messenger completely (right click the Messenger tray icon and choose Exit).

    Open your registry editor (Start => Run => regedit.exe) and navigate to:
    for Messenger 8.0: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger
    for Messenger 8.1: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\WindowsLive\Communications Client

    Remove the following subkeys:
    for Messenger 8.0: Policies
    for Messenger 8.1: Shared

    Close your registry editor and restart Messenger.

  5. #5
    devnullius Guest

    Exclamation Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    For the last two weeks, my Windows Live Messenger Beta 2011 has problems.

    I can sign in and put my status on online, but still all my contacts (including my own msn account) appear offline.

    I tried the registry-trick, but this did not solve it. I'll repost here if I find a solution, any feedback greatly appreciated : )

    Peace!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    3

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Hi, devnullius. I m having the same problem as you. And I googled for solutions and only could find your thread. Have you found the solution yet?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    589

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    For the last two weeks, my Windows Live Messenger Beta 2011 has problems.

    I can sign in and put my status on online, but still all my contacts (including my own msn account) appear offline.

    I tried the registry-trick, but this did not solve it. I'll repost here if I find a solution, any feedback greatly appreciated : )
    There is several testing going on for this application; this testing is causing all and sundry using the Windows Live Messenger client to emerge offline for now, when they’re actually online. This doesn’t stop you from chatting, apart from you don’t know if they’re online or not. The following are some steps that can be helpful for you:
    1. Sign Into Windows Live Messenger as normal. It will say online, but you’ll appear offline. (usual in your case)
    2. Open Internet Explorer (don’t think this works on Firefox, undeniably doesn’t work on Chrome) and goto the normal Windows Live Hotmail website (either www.hotmail.com or mail.live.com) and sign in to your Hotmail.
    3. In the Top Right Corner, there’s a Messenger menu which will almost certainly say Available. Click it and pick Sign in from This Location. Once you do this, you’ll appear online to your contacts and they might chat to you.
    4. This works for the reason that, other web messengers like Ebuddy and Web Messenger etc are working appropriately, but the Windows Live Messenger program isn’t. Web Messenger is the only one which lets you sign in to both Windows Live Messenger and the web version at the equivalent time. So the Web Messenger is making you come out online, and then you can use Windows Live Messenger in general.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    3

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Quote Originally Posted by Laramie View Post
    There is several testing going on for this application; this testing is causing all and sundry using the Windows Live Messenger client to emerge offline for now, when they’re actually online. This doesn’t stop you from chatting, apart from you don’t know if they’re online or not. The following are some steps that can be helpful for you:
    1. Sign Into Windows Live Messenger as normal. It will say online, but you’ll appear offline. (usual in your case)
    2. Open Internet Explorer (don’t think this works on Firefox, undeniably doesn’t work on Chrome) and goto the normal Windows Live Hotmail website (either www.hotmail.com or mail.live.com) and sign in to your Hotmail.
    3. In the Top Right Corner, there’s a Messenger menu which will almost certainly say Available. Click it and pick Sign in from This Location. Once you do this, you’ll appear online to your contacts and they might chat to you.
    4. This works for the reason that, other web messengers like Ebuddy and Web Messenger etc are working appropriately, but the Windows Live Messenger program isn’t. Web Messenger is the only one which lets you sign in to both Windows Live Messenger and the web version at the equivalent time. So the Web Messenger is making you come out online, and then you can use Windows Live Messenger in general.

    Thanks for your solution.. but my one works properly after i reinstalled it. weird..

  9. #9
    devnullius Guest

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    I do not use hotmail...

    I will do some further research on the "contacts are unable to see if you are online".

    For now, this is what I found out
    * social updates work just fine
    * messenger is convinced it successfully logged in but sometimes there is a red remark, stating that due to a connection problem, changes might not be saved.
    * NO contact from ANY network appear online, including my own account
    * removing these folders:
    C:\Documents and Settings\\Contacts\*
    C:\Users\John\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\*
    C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\MSN Messenger\*
    does not change anything.
    * other messenger accounts are able to successfully log in. Only my primary messenger account fails.
    * removing all live components (add/remove programs), and then installing the latest version of live 2011 does not solve it either.

    Any ideas GREATLY appreciated!

    Devnullius
    Last edited by devnullius; 04-10-2010 at 10:58 PM.

  10. #10
    devnullius Guest

    star Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    I looked into the tip posted by Laramie. There seems to be a server problem that indeed causes all contacts to appear offline, no matter their actual status. But this is an 'old' problem, and should self-solve? If so, I've been waiting waaay to long to believe this auto-fix going to occur real soon.

    DETAILS
    Indeed messenger is online. I appear offline with my troiubled account on aMsn with another messenger account I have. When I send a message, the message is received on live messenger 2011.

    BUT sending / replying will give an error (message cannot be sent to all addressed).

    So... It's working half.

    Peace!
    Last edited by devnullius; 04-10-2010 at 11:10 PM.

  11. #11
    devnullius Guest

    angry Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    Further testing on what Laramie said...

    Go to messenger.live.com (Chrome compatible!; )

    Above, after signing in, you will see a link to messenger. You will have to sign that in too.

    Then, live messenger 2011 will give a remarkt about multiple logins.

    The web live messenger shows all my contacts online, including my own account.

    But this does not change anything on the Live messenger client on my computer there, still all contacts are offline and I cannot send / reply messages.

    Help? :)

    Devnullius

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    2,792

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    I am also having the same issue with the Live messenger which is always displaying the contact in offline. To work with the same i have followed the below given instruction. If you can then go through the same and see whether it is working or not.

    • Log in to hotmail.com
    • Go to inbox
    • Click on Arrow button on next to your profile picture
    • Go to Accounts
    • Now click Delete Account (Don't worry your account will not be deleted for 276 days.)
    • Now sign in Again to your account.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    3

    Re: Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    I have reinstalled the live messenger components.. then it works. anyway, here is the reply from MSN live solution centre. i hope this could help .

    Hi,

    You may have a corrupted contacts cache. Please try to refresh your contacts cache and see if issue persist. Here are the steps:

    1. Close Windows Live Messenger. Beside the time and date of your computer, right-click the Windows Live Messenger icon, and then click Exit.

    2. Click Start, copy and paste this message in the Start Search box %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\ and then press Enter. Delete the Windows Live Contacts folder.

    3. Click Start, copy and paste this message in the Start Search box %userprofile%\ and the press Enter. Delete the Contacts folder.

    4. Try to sign in and verify if the issue is resolved. If issue persist, then try to re-add your contact via http://people.live.com

    Here are the steps:

    To export or save a copy of your contacts:

    a. Go to http://people.live.com/
    b. Login using your Email address and Password.
    c. In the Contacts page on the left pane, click on Messenger under All Contacts.
    d. Click Manage and click Export from the drop down list.
    e. Fill in the HIP challenge and then click Export.
    f. On the File Download window that pops-up, click Save.
    g. Save the file (WLMContacts.csv) on the computer Desktop for quick reference.

    Delete all the contacts from your Windows Live Messenger list. Right-click the contact, and then click Delete contact. Do not select any option in the delete confirmation window. Click OK to confirm the deletion.

    Import your contacts:

    a. Go to http://people.live.com/
    b. Login using the Email address you would like to import the contacts to
    c. In the Contacts page, click Manage and click Import from the drop down list
    d. Click on Another Windows Live account
    e. Click Browse to find the .csv file you saved on the computer f. Click on Import Contacts.

    You may ask how the contacts will be added to your Messenger account. Once you import them, they will automatically be added as Messenger contacts but the limit for a day is 20 - 30 contacts to prevent spamming. Therefore, you may notice that not all contacts will be added immediately.

    Note: Each user who is listed in the Contacts file may be prompted to add you to their contacts list.

    If the contacts do not receive an invitation in Messenger, please ask your contacts to accept the invite on their account profile page: http://profile.live.com Look for any pending invitation.

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks,

    John D.

  14. #14
    devnullius Guest

    idea Solved : Contacts always appear offline on windows live messenger

    I finally cracked it.

    Re-installing microsoft live 2011 did not work, not even with full offline installer (download all languages)

    So I decided to go back to the previous version of microsoft live 2009. I found an installer (gives: Windows Live Messenger 2009 Build 14.0.8117.416). BE WARNED! softonic uses a custom download manager. You can trust it, BUT you shouldn't install the toolbar. So disable that option during setup!

    I logged on with live messenger 2009 client. All contacts, including me, were online.

    Then I downloaded the offline installer for live messenger 2011. Installed it, without removing the old version. Let the live installer figure it all out.

    Then, the newly re-installed live messenger 2011 logs on without any problems and again, all my contacts including myself, were online!

    So thank you all for helping, thinking and posting.

    Peace!

    Devnullius
    Last edited by devnullius; 10-10-2010 at 03:31 AM.

  15. #15
    devnullius Guest

    Post PS: can anyone explain the microsoft philosophy

    What kind of solution is it to export all your contacts, delete them and then re-import them? My bet is you shouldn't do it, if only for it might wake up old contacts that you (or they) don't want to be awaken... Social networks grow with you through the years ; )

    And even further; re-inviting all your contacts (if they are the correct one)... Come on, that's no service!

    You might just as well take a complete new messenger account altogether. Or just use a different computer : )

    So... I had to say this. Have fun!

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