This problem occurs because one of the following conditions are true:
• A firewall is blocking connectivity of Messenger to the Internet.
• Security libraries are corrupted.
• Proxy settings are incorrect.
• Spyware is blocking connection to the Messenger service.
TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS
Note: Verify that you can connect to the Internet before you follow these steps.
1.a. Verify that the computer requires updates, and then install the updates if necessary.
1.b. Restart the computer after you apply the updates.
2. Verify that Messenger is enabled through the firewall:
2.b. If you are using Windows Live Messenger, visit the following Web site, locate the FAQ section, and then click the How to enable Windows Live Messenger through a Firewall . This topic describes how to enable Windows Live Messenger through the most common firewalls.
2.c. If
you disabled the firewall in the past, it still may be blocking
Messenger, try to restart the firewall. After the firewall software is
running, follow the steps in 1.a to make sure that Messenger is enabled
through the firewall. Also try removing the firewall program that is
installed to verify that it is not causing a problem even if it is
disabled.
Note: This is only a temporary workaround and you may have to reinstall the firewall software again.
2.d. If
you are not sure which firewalls you have installed on the computer,
click Add Or Remove Programs in Control Panel, and then scroll through
the list of installed programs. Some popular firewall vendors include
Norton, McAfee, and Zone Alarm.
3. Clear the Domain Name System (DNS) Cache:
3.a. Click
Start, click Run, type cmd , and then click OK. For Windows Vista,
click Start, and then type cmd in the Search box. This command will
open the command window.
3.b. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then click OK:
ipconfig /flushdns
Note This command flushes all the DNS entries that have been cached.
3.c. Type exit , and then press ENTER to close the command window.
4. Clear the proxy settings in MSN Messenger to establish a direct connection to the Messenger service.
Note
If you are connecting from a private network either from a school or a
company, ask the network administrator about the settings that are
appropriate for the proxy settings in MSN Messenger.
• MSN Messenger version 7.0:
a. Delete the entries under SOCKS Version 4.
b. Delete the entries under SOCKS Version 5.
c. Delete the entries under HTTP Proxy Server.
d. Click OK two times to save the settings.
e. Try to sign in to Messenger again.
• Windows Live Messenger:
a. On the Tools menu, click Options.
b. In the left Navigation Pane, click Connection.
c. In the Connection Settings section, click Advanced Settings.
d. Delete the content in the SOCKS field.
e. Click OK two times to save the settings.
5. Reset the proxy server settings for Microsoft Internet Explorer:
a. Start Internet Explorer.
b. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
c. Click the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.
d. Clear the Automatically detect settings check box.
e. Click OK, and then click OK again.
6. Reregister
the security .dll files that may be conflicting with Messenger. To do
this, click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then
press ENTER:
REGSVR32 softpub.dll initpki.dll wintrust.dll
Wait until you see three pop-up windows that state that the files were successfully registered.
7. We
are aware that some spyware such as IMPlus may affect your connectivity
to the Messenger service. To determine whether you have IMPlus
installed on the computer, open Control Panel, and then select Add or
Remove Programs. Scroll through the list of installed programs to find
whether IMPlus is installed. If you find it, click Remove to remove the
program.
8. If you cannot find an entry in Add Or Remove Programs, determine whether the IMPlus program is running on the computer:
8.a. Click
Start, click Run, type taskmgr , and then press ENTER. For Windows
Vista, click Start, and then type taskmgr in the Search box.
8.b. In the Task Manager window , click the Processes tab.
8.c. Click the Image Name column header to order the list of program names.
8.d. Scroll
through the list to determine whether IMPlus.exe is running on the
computer. If you find the process, select the entry, and then click End
Process.
8.e. Confirm that you want to stop the program.
9. Sign in to Messenger again.