[BobJam]

WLM 8.5:

I've posted this on a few other forums dedicated to WLM (MSN Geeks here and BigBlueBall.com here), but I thought maybe someone here might answer this.

When I add a certain contact (I've only added this one person, so I don't know if this would happen for other contacts), it doesn't even show the IM selection when I right click the contact, only the email selection shows . . . and this contact is a .NET/hotmail person with WLM 8.5 also. And the contact logo stays grey instead of turning green WHEN I KNOW THAT PERSON IS ON LINE IN WLM.
Additionally, the Edit Contact window shows "Status: Pending", and it has done so for the past couple of days.

That person can add me just fine, and the IM selection is there. And that person has sent me an IM, but I never get it. They tried sending me an IM with 5.1 (native to Windows), but that didn't work either.

I checked my "Privacy" option and indeed that person is listed as "Allow".

I looked at the FAQ solution at BigBlueBall.com here about hacking the registry (see no. 17, the very last one), but interestingly it only applies to versions previous to 8.5. I do have the "Share" item in the registry, deleted it, but still no joy.

I even tried the solution to delete the Contacts cache folders in Documents and Settings referenced in a post here.
Still no joy. I even rebooted after applying both the registry hack and that Documents and Settings deletion, and still nothing.

I've searched all over those WLM forums and Googled, and this issue seems like a pretty common problem, but I've been unable to see a solution for it besides the two that I referenced above . . . and as I've said, they didn't work for me.

I've also tried uninstalling (and it was complete, using RevoUnistaller to remove registry remnants too) and reinstalling, but no joy there either.

Any other solutions out there I can try??

[LauraMJ]

Do you have a firewall? Is the program on the firewall's allow list?

[BobJam]

Stay with me on this, because this is going to be a lengthy and convoluted explanation.

Yes, I have ZA, but WLM IS on the allow list.

Well . . . there's another nuance here, that may give you a clue. The instance for her is actually the same WLM that I sign in to on MY machine except I sign in for her . . . so that I can send her screenshots on how to set messenger up. She actually doesn't have it on her system. So I sign in with my ID and start another iteration and sign in with her ID.

So, lem'me state the problem as distinctly as I can: I do not get the instant messaging selection on MY contact in HER WLM . . . nor can I get the instant messaging selection for HER contact in MY WLM.

I can "see" her in my iteration, but my contact in her iteration does not have the send an IM option on right clicking my contact name. Maybe some screenshots will clear it up (her name is "Johnnie" btw):



Dual sign in.




"Her" logon, right clicking MY contact




MY logon, right clicking "HER" contact


So, that's the problem.

Since Windows Live ID is a single-sign-on (SSO) ID, you may be wondering how I started two instances. I just went to the start menu and started another iteration. I have no idea why it did that, but I did have two "twisties" down in my systray.

However, just to make sure it wasn't an uninstall/reinstall issue, and to have ZA redo the permission, I did uninstall WLM (with RevoUninstaller, so I got out the registry remnants too), and after that I was no longer able to start two instances (the way it should be since, as I said, Windows Live ID is a single-sign-on (SSO) ID). Again, I have no idea why I was able to start two instances at first before I uninstalled/reinstalled WLM . . . it just "happened".

So, I created a separate Windows logon account for her with which to run WLM on her account. Indeed, both those screenshots were taken in these logons (fast user switching) WITH BOTH ON LINE. So I should have showed up on line in HERS and she should have showed up on line in MINE.

I would have surmised that perhaps the same machine does not facilitate this WLM different account stuff even with separate logons, but a friend did that experiment on his machine that has two logon accounts, and he switched to his wife's logon and said he was "having a conversation with himself", so it DOES in fact work.

I also checked the "Contact list" in her WLM, and this time it had not listed me (one time it did):



Contact list


One other time that I had looked at it I was listed as a contact, but not this time. I have gotten several different indications . . . like at one time I was able to send her a message from mine but not vice-versa, and that contributed to my "fatigue" (information overload, an identity crisis, and too-many-clicks-here-and-there-itis). I figured I couldn't even remember what I had done five minutes ago ("How did I do that??), so even if I stumbled on a solution I likely wouldn't be able to duplicate it anyway. I took a break to refresh my mind.

Now when I created her account, I at first did her as limited. When I still had the problem with WLM, I changed her to another Administrator wondering if that would do it (though I can't imagine the type of account has anything to do with it). I continued to have the same problem with WLM, so I changed her account type back to limited.

When I was able to do the two iterations a few days ago by starting two instances on WLM (two twisties in the systray), I think it may have had something to do with two WLM's listed as allowed in ZA. Then sometime yesterday I was going through my ZA allowed programs (which I do from time to time), and when I saw two instances of WLM, I removed one . . . hadn't made any connection at that time, but I think it was after that that I no longer was able to start the two instances. My reasoning is probably backwards . . . ZA allowing two instances of WLM likely isn't the cause, rather ZA was just responding to those two instances.

So I'm at a loss trying to figure out why I was able to do it, but as I said I can no longer do so. Mysterious anomaly.

This is really no big deal since my friend indeed was able to chat with "HER" account, so I suspect it will work on her machine when I guide her through installing and using it. But a computer issue that is trivial and meaningless always has a hold on me, and I lay awake in bed thinking about it 'till I solve it. Some sort of severe character and behavior disorder I guess, but I can't rest 'till I resolve it.

I say this is trivial because I can still show her with screenshots how to send an IM by just showing her a screenshot of right clicking another contact in my WLM, but I like to do screenshots that show the way it would actually be on their system (but not always possible).

Anyway, do you have any other ideas??

[BobJam]

Update:

Problem solved!!!

I installed Messenger 5.1, and then I was able to contact (WITHOUT LOGGING ON TO ANOTHER ACCOUNT IN WINDOWS) and chat with "myself" (Johnnie) on 8.5.

My guess is that with both of us signed into an iteration of 8.5, it was the same program we were using on the machine, hence the inability of 8.5 to maintain a contact that was the same as the person who was signed on in that program. And the contacts kept disappearing . . . which should have been a clue.

Since 5.1 is a different client, it was able to "see" the contact in 8.5.