Category: Geeks r Us
everything was working fine until I opened windows live mail by accident. now when i use messenger, i can't read text i enter in my typing window, i can't review the history list by shift tabbing it (it just says blank), and when going into options, i can't read the page i selected. i can tab around the dialog and check boxes but reading what page i'm on such as layout, when down arrowing it just says selected blank 1 of 11.
what did i do to screw it up and how can i fix it?
I updated flash IE, and jaws 14 under XP here.
dont have problems in other windows reading so i'm sure its not a display setting. the options under messenger appear to be set okay, and i dont havethings like the favorites bar checked.
Thanks!
If you know how to go in to options on messenger and make the settings I have posted try that. I'd just go to add and remove programs. Go to windows live and remove the mail. Then I'd repair all the others.
After that you'll need to do the settings. I posted it here, so try a search. After that you are ready to rumble.
Wayne
I uninstalled and reinstalled it. same problem.
i did a search and can't find the settings you posted, can you repost, please?
Thanks!
It remember my settings from before. strange.
No, not strange. Actually good. If you don't do a clean install, but say accidently delete it, or are needing to refresh it for some reason you don't have to put your settings back each time you remove it.
Now, are you saying it is now fixed, or do you still have the problem?
If you have the problem I'll repost the settings I feel must be set to make messenger work.
I have not had any luck using it without doing so.
Last, Skype now can be messenger if you sign on under your Microsoft account providing you have one.
All your messenger and Skype contacts come to Skype.
Only drawback, as far as I'm concerned is messenger has better alert sounds, but I suppose that can be fixed too.
I am saying i stil have the problem. it isn't fixed.
Its odd, cause I used Revo uninstaller and uninstalled all the windows live stuff, removed all that from the registrey. Then I went to ninite and downloaded the install and had it do its thing.
Please post the settings and I'll double check to make sure something didn't get changed somehow.
Are they gonna kill Windows Live Messenger soon? I heard something about that.
Probably not.
My reason for saying this is everyone doesn't have or want a Microsoft account, so if you don't, but desire to use both you'll want both.
Some people, even though they have a Microsoft account don't want them mixed.
I'll post. I'll need to rewrite it, because I didn't save it, so give me a bit.
Here are how my settings are set.
Show my display picture and let others see it not checked.
sho me as busy and block my alertts when running a full-screene program not checked
next page:
Show Favorits not checked
Show groups not checked.
Show tab bar not checked.
Show what's new list not checked.
Label contacts by: display name
Show status information in labels checked
Organize contacts by: online status
Next Page:
Show Windows Live Today after I sign in not checked.
Use ssame name and display picture where ever I sign in not checked
Sign me out of all other places when I sign into messenger not checked
Show me all other places ware I'm signed in at when i sign in checked
next Page
Show emoticans checked
show custem emoticans checked
Show timestamps on messages not checked
group saquencal messages from contacts together not checked
show the handwrite tab in converssation windows not checked.
a few pages down:
allow links in conversations window and my contact list not checked
these are the settings that i think would need to be adjusted.
do these match your settings ?
Thanks!
No all you have you can set as you like. Here are mine.
Here are the settings I feel make messenger accessible.
1. Start at alt T for tools. Arrow up to options and hit enter. You will be in general. Set these as you like. Use tab and shift tab to move to the different settings.
2. In the second set of settings Check the second setting “open the main window when I sign on to messenger.” The rest set as you wish.
3. In the third set if using Jaws you want to check medium icons or smaller. Jaws does not see well with the large icon setting for me.
4. In the next set Uncheck “enable tab conversations. This allows me to use my screen reader controls for reading.
5. In the next section set as you wish
6. This section set as you wish.
7. Next set as you wish.
8. Next set as you wish.
9. Next set as you like.
10. This one as well.
In writing this I noted that with Jaws 14 the group names do not announce as with earlier versions of Jaws, but you can see more setting titles as you are doing you’re customizing. These settings also work well with NVDA, but I do not know about other screen readers.
Last in your main window tab until you locate toggle layout view. You’ll want it set to compact for best arrow reading.
Enjoy.
to answer the question of whether microsoft will get rid of windows live messenger at some point, I say they will. I've read a few articles about it, in addition to speaking with people in the IT field.
as was said, though, skype does allow one to sign in with a microsoft account, so there's indeed an easy fix.
hmm wayne, my options are diferent than yours.
I'm useing Windows XP so am using Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
i also did a lil lookin around and see they're gonna kill it.
well I'm gonna use Windows Live as long as I can.
I htought of somethinv very bad with the advent of Skype being used to sign into messenger.I send SMS text messages thru messenger. its free, as you just enter the phone number.. i'm gona have to pay for it to do that if I use skype I think.
Talked to FS today. there's no fix, and even the guy that uses Windows Live under 8 has problems. he said he doesn't know how many people have said anything about it, and that it could be a thing that messenger is moving away from skype.
basicly i'm stuck for now, unless i decide to use Skype.
I came up with a fix, sorta.
I installed Windows Messenger (not the live version.)
in order to sign in, i had to sign into live first, then sign into windows messenger.
I closed live and windows messengers reads fine.
I can read the page names and the history works fine. i can also read what i'm typing and it works fine as well. i can't send text messages to a cell phone though.
You can only send text to people that have text messaging set up. With Skype, and yes it cost, you can send them to anyone with a major carrier.
I'd love to see your computer. I don't know anyone near me that is using XP, so I can play.
Yes, my settings are probably different, because I was using Windows 7 to post my settings and did the first time I posted my fix. It worked for people having issues with Vista and 7.
I have Windows 8 and haven't installed messenger at all, just use Skype. I like it except for the things I talked about.
I still don't think they'll close messenger, but we'll see.
my GF tried to fix it, but no go. she did a system restore, installed Jaws 14 and no go. i have her number in my messenger, so just text her when i wana and she'll get the message and message me back. the messages go to her phone. she suggested i try to go back to an older version of windows live messenger. the version before 14 wouldn't install (think perhaps a incomplete download from OldApp? i tried to install MSN 8 and 7. they didn't like me either. i went so far as to uninstall windows live to try to get msn 7 to instal and it said i had a newer version of live on my puter. i was just with her in her town. next time i see her myt guess is that MSN wil be gone.
a very strange thing and she is as stumped as I am.
Did you try using a program like Revo Uninstall to completely wipe all traces of Windows Live from your computer? The standard add and remove won't do that, even if you go into wherever Windows Live is stored and delete the files that are left over after installing. I would think that since it comes with all computers nowadays, it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of, so you might want to try something like that. It sounds like there are still remnants of it left on your system, and that's why it's not allowing you to install something older over it.
I don't use Windows Live, so I'm not exactly sure how that will work. But you can try it and see if anything changes, because at this point the only other thing I can think of to make sure you get a clean start is to reformat, and I'm sure it wouldn't be worth it just to get an older version of Messenger installed.
I used Revo uninstaller yes.
when i figured out it wasn't gona let me install the older version, i went to Ninite.com and installed WLM.
when i do use Revo, i u use the advance messid to remove all traces from t the registrey.
And i'm not reformating just for this. besides, if i did that and it didn't fix it, i'd really be pissed off.
Well if you reformat you might not get it back at all being there getting rid of it, or so it seems.
How about just switching up to Skype? When you want to text her phone use your ceel or a service called bulletin.net. I use this, because Cricket phones would not get in messenger, or Yahoo, or even AOL, so I switched. www.bulletin.net
It cost a little, but is worth it if you want to text directly from your computer. You can text from the site or from outlook. If you do from Outlook the answers come back like email. Install the message client from them and it comes back as a message.
If you can't read the temp password they send to your cell, simply call them and ask that they email it. There helpful.
the way we text, its bettter if its something like WLm that it comes back, instant and i reply instant.
she has the skype app on her phone now though, so we may do it that way.
Cricket phones don't support Aim? That's good to know. My boyfriend was about to get that set up on his phone, I'll tell him not to bother.
yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to reformat. That would be kind of stupid. I guess you might have to go with Skype, or hope that GW Connect releases an update that goes with this change. You probably wouldn't be able to get messages on your phone, but at least they should fix it so that all the contacts are merged like in the regular Skype version.
i still use aim, and I don't intend to switch. I hope they never take that away.
She said something about not useing aim in ages, and that you can't create new accounts anymore, at least she couldn't when she tried.
the Skype API which is what GW uses aren't at the ssame place that regular skype is at (the skype API lags behind some.) i'm sure it'll be in there at some point.
she got an MSN app for her android phone too, but it has issues.
so did skype (she had it set at one point that she could log onto skype on her phone and i could se her MSN name on my WLM.
Read the other post on this JH. I'm going to post something that might help.
You said she has the Skype App, does she have an iPhone, or what?
The texting to your computer to her phone can be handled with Skype, and I believe you use Jaws, so should go back to the Jaws Scripts, and Skype 6, even with XP.
If I'm wrong about the screen reader you use say.
Skype is to expensive to send text and she can't answer back easy in my opinion. I'd not use Skype for straight texting, but the service I talked about or Skype to Skype.
With the service I talked about the messages come to you instantly, just like talking, and the cost is about a peny per text, replies are free, so a good alternative.
Read my post, and maybe we'll have your fix?
Wayne thanks for all your help man.
i think we're gonna wind up doing skype to skype.
she logs onto skype and so do I, its free to send messages back and forth that way.
I like the jaws scripts but haven't tried skype 6 with them yet.
hmm oh! i get it now, the nmessage client would be the thing you'd use so that it would be instant and then you wouldnt' have to open your email.
wel she got it fixed the reason her net was bein so issueful is cause she didn't have a butten set right on her phone. now she can use EDGE to talk to me if she wantst too. yay!
Wooot woooot woooot! New Jaws build fixed my WLM issues! go figgure, with less than a week of WLM being around.....
the tagbs in the options now read perfect ! and i can now read my typing edit box and it doesn't say "Blank, blank blank."
the history window read fine now too! yay!
So it was a Jaws issue with XP then. Might be because 14 is trying to be most compatible with Windows 7 and 8.
Teasing you some. Maybe you'll get 2 weeks, due to the girls at Microsoft being lazy?
lol. unless its a guy shuttin it down....
i think you may be right. i remember calling F FS about it and them saying that while jaws14 works with XP, they are really focused more on Win7 and 8.