Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

photonboy reviewed v5.1.0701 on Oct 27, 2005

Should read this, it is the difference between MSN Messenger and Messenger:
http://www.microsoft.com...CA9E&displaylang=en
It says Messenger is for the Business environment and that consumers (most of us) should use MSN Messenger. However, it is fully compatible with MSN's server as well as it's own so I think I'll use Messenger as I don't like all the extras. I just want a clean interface.

scriptee reviewed v5.1.0680 on May 15, 2005

Better than MSN Messenger by far, but I recommend using GAIM instead.

GoodThings2Life reviewed v5.1.0680 on May 15, 2005

New build provides fixes and enhancements to previous release... continues to work well and do what it's supposed to.

To Adriane79's comment... I suspect that it could be something to do with firewall configurations either on your end or your contact's end. You may want to check those things.

Adrian79 reviewed v5.1.0680 on May 15, 2005

I take back my last comment...since the install the first 5.1 build I have noticed that "appsharing" does not work no more :( I cant help my friends anymore...wtf!! i traced the prog back to this I cant reverse the effects..my only option is to re-install windows!! nooooo!!!

some guy reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 27, 2005

should be called msn light, but the feature to share the desktop, as the other guy stated is great for your friends and family members that need help with thir computers

alienvenom reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 27, 2005

Unfortunately, Windows Messenger still does not support logging of conversations! MSN Messenger does. I for one would like to see Windows Messenger support this feature because MSN is far too bloated and advertisement-riden for my tastes. However, the new features over the previous Windows Messenger are noticeable and would probaby suit a more corporate environment well, more than what I use it for... just chatting with friends.

GoodThings2Life reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 26, 2005

Windows Messenger is intended for use with corporate network communications using Exchange Server 2000's IM component or Live Communication Server, etc etc. It has basic functionality for instant messaging and video/voice, but that's it, because businesses don't need all the fancy icons, bells, whistles, and games that MSN Messenger provides.

Bottom line... it does its job and it does it well. It's a good product for its purpose. If you are a home user looking for a more entertaining client, you should use MSN Messenger 6.2 (or the up-and-coming 7.0)

Adrian79 reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 26, 2005

without this program msn messenger is useless, because I use the "app sharing" option....sharing desktops and being able to fix my brothers computer from my house is why "windows" messenger is essiental to your OS ;)

p.s. since betanews did not show us changes, I WILL ;)

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Overview
Windows Messenger allows real-time communication with other contacts who are using instant messaging (IM) services including those provided by the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as offered by Microsoft Office Live Communications Server. Windows Messenger also provides connectivity to the Microsoft .NET Messenger service and is the IM client of choice for businesses in managed environments.

Windows Messenger 5.1 has been updated with changes in the following areas:

* Improvements in file transfer functionality for users with multiple network connections (such as configurations involving both wired and wireless network connections or users of VPN connections).
* Improvements in Tablet PC and laptop support. Specifically, this includes improved support for ink as well as improved performance when using power saving features in portable computers such as standby or hibernation.
* Improvements to presence integration with applications, including better presence integration when applications are in full-screen mode (to avoid unwelcome IM interruptions) and also quicker refresh of presence information in applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Windows SharePoint services.
* Improvements to the sign-in process, enabling a quicker sign in.

psychoactive1 reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 26, 2005

Before the natives begin to pummel Messenger into the ground, consider what it is really for. MSN Messenger is a wonderful program, an independent program to communicate with friends, family and such. Windows Messenger is part of the XP operating system. Where it allows many of the same features of the MSN messenger, it's design is to be part of a network infrastructure, and allow communications between members of the same. Its design permits 3rd party modification for the same.

Think of it as Windows Messenger for work, MSN Messenger for play.

Make more sense now?

anti00Zero reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 26, 2005

where is my windows messanger in windows xp ?

strange!

oh. it's uninstalled :))))))))

windows messenger is a big s***, because the msn messanger is just better. and when the msn messenger is better then this, the product isn't good.

trillian or other produces are much better.

guevara reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 26, 2005

Some more messenger junk from Microsoft

gawd21 reviewed v5.1.0639 on Mar 26, 2005

Junk!!! Remove it from your computer and install MSN messanger 7 beta if you need to talk to your friends via the .net network.

Blackhole8746 reviewed v5.1 on Dec 19, 2004

Great improvement... No more spyware, audio and video chat is greatly improved, file sending is great... It's like a Mini-MSN Messenger but it's much better in transfer of data... And more compatible... Impressive

Zeeshaan reviewed v5.1 on Dec 3, 2004

Really great improvement, is good they have updated Windows Messenger, but i do like MSN Messenger v7.0 Beta better, it has some fun features such as nudge.

Fidelio reviewed v5.1 on Dec 3, 2004

MSN Messenger is targeted to consumers so it has all sort of features and a different UI more in line with MSN offerings.

Windows Messenger is a different product and it is targeted to the enterprise and those consumers that want a slimmer version of a Microsoft messenger.

Windows Messenger 5.1 has lots of improvements for enterprise customers and have improved file transfers when using different types of networks, VPN, RPC over HTTP, etc.

Good work!!!

chook reviewed v5.1 on Dec 2, 2004

Its great microsoft are still updating windows messenger, msn messenger 7 is so bloated. Although this isnt very different to windows messenger 4.7.

OCedHrt reviewed v5.1 on Dec 2, 2004

Yeah, this isn't MSN Messenger, it's Windows Messenger. Can almost say completely different. Personally, I like Windows Messenger, it's much slimmer.

ghammer reviewed v5.1 on Dec 2, 2004

MSN Messenger has v6 and v7. You'd think if people were going to 'review' something they'd at least have a little info about the subject...

krakokainer reviewed v5.1 on Dec 2, 2004

why bother with this dinosaur?

just kill it

micro$oft and bill'$ bright ideas

Wasted_Elmo reviewed v5.1 on Dec 2, 2004

why do they even bother with this version if they already got 6 and 7

Jeffsoft reviewed v5.0.0482 on Mar 22, 2004

yes, bug fixs

Scipio reviewed v5.0.0468 on Dec 17, 2003

I got 0468 OK. Did you reboot before checking Help/About?

tylerj99 reviewed v5.0.0468 on Oct 23, 2003

Does anyone know where I can download the actual version?? Everytime I download this file my windows messenger remains version 5.0.0381.

Alex T. reviewed v5.0.0468 on Oct 23, 2003

Anyone find a changelog for this?

ssb reviewed v5.0.0468 on Oct 23, 2003

I wonder when MS will upgrade it to v6

Jeffsoft reviewed v5.0.0468 on Oct 23, 2003

yahoo!!!
no.. i mean.. Yes!!!

nezermundy reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 17, 2003

Are got it fixed - dam windows xp. I think msn 6 is more fun windows messenger 5 is better for buissness work, what they both were designed to be used for.

miner03 reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 16, 2003

Does anyone know if the MSN add-in still exists? I liked being able to be notified when I got e-mail in my Hotmail account.

Pr0peLLer reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 16, 2003

i am windows messenger XP user.

i installed MSN messenger 6, and i must say
windows messenger is much besser, stable, faster.

msn has also some ads, banners, etc.

only thing i miss is personal picture.

pluizebol reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 16, 2003

Windows Messenger is good, very good.
But !!!!
It is impossible to login with the "appear offline" status.
If one has many contacts, this is sometimes very annoying : as soon as you login, everybody is jumping on you with a "hello how are you".
Until now, MS refuses to add that possibility, reason why my contacts and myself are still not using Messenger.

Aimo reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 16, 2003

version 5.0????? allready am using the official 6.0

Jeffsoft reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 15, 2003

the difference is easy..
use WindowsMessenger5 if u want to use Whiteboard/ Netmeeting/ Application sharing/ Remote Assistance

use MSN6 if u wanna have more fun....

use use both.... for the best of them all!!

geminiz reviewed v5.0.0381 on Aug 15, 2003

what the...
isn't there a MSN Messenger 6.0 already?
I don't get it
can someone clear me out here?
what's the difference between MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger

enonemoose reviewed v4.7.2009 on Apr 19, 2003

All of the IMs suffer from firewall issues, IMO. I've been through with it all with one friend in particular. She cannot send me a file in ICQ nor can I send one to her. She cannot send me anything in Yahoo nor can I send to her. MSN/Windows Messenger has no problems. I find this rather funny, personally, because it's the opposite of what I would expect. ICQ seems to have gotten worse with firewall support and frankly I have always detested Yahoo. Once installing an ATI TV Tuner broke my using Yahoo for webcam chat I stopped using it. Windows Messenger has nice webcam/voice support and has always worked like a charm for me as well as file sending and simple text-chat. I'd love to see MS add resuming capabilities and more information on current file sends like ICQ has. If you want a true webcam/voice program check out Eyeball Chat. Works like a charm but I hate the text-chat functionality. But, it is a great program for firewall issues especially sending files... So, I have to recommend Windows Messenger (nice and simple) and Eyeball Chat. Ah well, I've rambled enough.

tedbieri reviewed v4.7.2009 on Apr 17, 2003

I had 5.0 loaded this and could not stop it from loading and hiding itself. If you need to get rid of it and reinstall 5.0 heres how. http://messenger.jonathankay.com/step3.aspx?ID=7

mrmagoo reviewed v4.7.2009 on Apr 16, 2003

The big issue with this software is that it refuses to work with firewalls where ICQ usually work... Also it doesnt accept the resume of files, at all ! Which is very wierd and something I took for granted these days.. Hence I downgrade it :/

OrlandoTommy reviewed v4.7.2005 on Mar 25, 2003

I already have MSN Messenger 5.0, whats the purpose of this update, doesnt everyone have 5.0 by now???
ha
T.

ikss reviewed v4.7.0105 on Oct 24, 2002

Finally... gotta try this one.

lilmegz reviewed v4.7.0105 on Oct 22, 2002

Can't wait for v5.0 FINAL to come out!!!! Otherwise its all good up in tha hood!!!!!! :)

pc2_99 reviewed v4.7.0105 on Oct 21, 2002

Interesting how they show a screenshot of MSN Messenger instead of Windows Messenger...

GimieGimieGimie reviewed v4.6.0082 on Jun 12, 2002

CGEY i have exactly the same problem, ISP HomeChoice is one big pain in the ass, thank god for Yahoo Messenger and it's advanced NAT/Firewall support, or i wouldn't be able to send anyone files or voice chat or any other connections that isn't just text chat. I'm starting to hate Windows Messenger/MSN more and more as time goes by, finding out more and more annoying little things that really **** me off, such as the really low charactor limit to about 20 words compared to 60 seen else where, and with no NAT support, makes the product even more useless to me, because i can't use it's special features like WhiteBoard and Voicechat or App Sharing. What a shame, still great though!

CGEY reviewed v4.6.0082 on Jun 12, 2002

I love Windows Messenge. But!
Why doesnt it support NAT. I get pissed that i cant send files via msn and have to you programs like AIM.
You see my ISP block outbound on port 80... To stop us from hosting websites.

NTUSER reviewed v4.6.0079 on May 9, 2002

Trillian good for IRC only :-(

GimieGimieGimie reviewed v4.6.0079 on May 8, 2002

I totally agree with what toekneec67 said. I'm seeing this quite alot in the reviews of products, people forgetting or not realizing the original reason why reviews are here and what their suppose to do!. Sure it's great to recommend another product, but not to slam a product because of another, all reviews should be based on what the product offers, how well it does it, and your personal opinion on it that could help other's. I'm not seeing this much, and that's a shame.

toekneec67 reviewed v4.6.0079 on May 8, 2002

First thing, you have to review this product for what it does. You guys are giving it bad reviews because you like another product. As for as This product. It works and it works well. It's fast and simple and has more options (microsoft has built everything into it). I can IM, send files, desktop remote, web camera, phone calls and much more. And most importantly it's stable. The best feature though has to be the IM user name is my email address so family and friends can find me easy.

idawari reviewed v4.6.0078 on May 5, 2002

yeah i agree, it insists on running. hey tompagenet, to disable it on windowsXP, run the group policy editor as an administrator(easiest way is to use tweakui powertoy) and go to windows components under the administrative templates, and u can disable it.

kgruber reviewed v4.6.0078 on Apr 23, 2002

The best video conferencing program in my humble opinion. Small, lean, and fast!

m0gely reviewed v4.6.0078 on Apr 23, 2002

you know, i used trillian too for a while. until i got tired of the incompatibilities w/ other icq and licq clients that my friends used, as well as many annoying file xfer bugs. then i thought, whatever happened to miranda icq? so i checked it out once again. it actually works really well and has come a long way. it has been stable for me and can be configured to be just your userlist and 2 buttons (very compact look). and it has a plugin for msn now too :) i only use icq and msn networks so if thats all you use, check it out. it's even skinnable but the current skins kinda suck. and for bloat, it's only a 350k download. everything is a plugin so you can add just the fluff you want, and not everything under the sun. the base program is pretty much just the im w/ file transfer. it allows alot of control over the look too. other than that , you can add plug's for msn, advanced history, more icons, diff style msg'ing windows etc.

msn/xp messenger gets 3 stars, i like the features but hate not being able to control when it runs and that it has ad's.

tompagenet reviewed v4.6.0078 on Apr 23, 2002

The reason this program scores so poorly is that it insists on running. I have told it not to. I have told Outlook Express not to log onto it. I have found the registry key on the internet to stop outlook express from running it. And still, the damn thing pops up all the time if I go to www.hotmail.com and slows down the browser. It's just too assuming, and Trillian is so much more flexible.

soong reviewed v4.6.0078 on Apr 23, 2002

its a nice small program, and pretty stable. what annoys me is how it wont close when you tell it to if something like hotmail or outlook is open. the main reason i use it is so it can tell me when i get mail. i dont use this program as a messenger

scritch reviewed v4.6.0077 on Mar 12, 2002

I find Messenger to be the easiest to use for the non-technical user. Due to the (well) integrated nature of it with Windows XP, it is easy for me to chat with my parents, friends and colleagues.

Whilst I like Trillian, a feature it lacks is a capability to run in a multi-user (user switching) environment on a Windows XP machine properly. If my wife comes in and wants to check her email, I can switch to her account without having to logout first, and the best thing is I'm still logged in!

Support that feature Trillian and I will at least move my machine to using you.

Regards,
Shane.

Fidelio reviewed v4.6.0077 on Mar 12, 2002

I found MSN Messenger the best IM software out there. User interface from ICQ and Trillian really suck as they annoy the users with lots of not useful options. ICQ, specially, needs a good UI designer to take care of it.

soong reviewed v4.6.0077 on Mar 12, 2002

I've always liked MSN Messenger. Yahoo is too unstable and ICQ is bloated. With MSN i can do the two things i use it for - Checking email and talking to some mates. and it does both of those very well indeed.

xwtx reviewed v4.6.0076 on Feb 14, 2002

i wish it had the ability to dock to the side of the screen - like ICQ, trillian, AIM - well... all of the rest. that's one feature that i really am hoping they implement soon.

KAMiKAZOW reviewed v4.6.0076 on Feb 14, 2002

After IE and Outlook (Express), MSN-/Windows Messenger became the 3rd massive security hole.
Use Trillian - it's far better.

bobad reviewed v4.6.0073 on Jan 16, 2002

I like the program. It's light and quick compared to others, and has just the right set of features that are needed most. However, neither MS nor FileForum stated what is new in this version. That makes me a little paranoid, because it could be some additional invasion of privacy. One never knows! I hope it's an improvement in file transfer, which does not work half the time!(bobad@charter.net)

Mailman04 reviewed v4.6.0073 on Jan 15, 2002

I think messenger has become a good concurent for icq. But it still lacks some of the nice functionnalities of icq, like game plugins,send contacts, ...
Without naming one of the nicest functionnality by icq inc. the ability to check ur icq without installing any software with icqlite. a java based icq. That is so sweet.

dkratter reviewed v4.5.0127 on Nov 27, 2001

AOL Instant Messenger (easily the most popular IM client/service, although certainly not the best) does not have offline messages either. It would be a nice thing for Microsoft to add.

My only real complaint is the Actions Pane keeps coming back even if you turn it off. I've used the Plus! add-on but that only makes the problem a little better, it doesn't eliminate it altogether.

All in all, Windows/MSN Messenger is an excellent IM client/service.

nickpowers101 reviewed v4.5.0127 on Nov 11, 2001

Brilliant program. Too bad they removed the paging feature in the WinXP version - I found it to be really useful. Otherwise, it's lightweight and better-performing than ICQ (especially with the new version which seems to take an eternity to load), which I don't think I'll ever go back to.

cintel reviewed v4.5 Update on Oct 24, 2001

kickass! :)
the new groups finally give it the edge it needed so i can stop using icq.

Apple314 reviewed v4.5 Update on Oct 23, 2001

Having used ICQ since the 98 release, I always thought it was the best IM client available. Although large, the features made it very attractive and functional for simple chat and complex phone/video plus more. Skeptical about MSN's client and loathing AOL's, I wasn't expecting Messenger to win me over so quickly. It is certanly NOT full featured and I wouldn't recommend it to those who want those options that ICQ offers. I would recomend it to those who have a choice. The application, in my opinion, is solid, efficient, simple yet featured enough when used with Hotmail. Personally, I use Trillian because I have friends who use ICQ, family that uses AOL, and a few scattered groups that use MSN; the cross-compatibility makes it easy for me to chat with them all in one interface.

reidyn reviewed v4.5 Update on Oct 23, 2001

I disagree that ICQ is better. ICQ has gotten too big, unwieldy, and frankenstein-like. I have never particularly liked the way ICQ works anyway, and MSN Messenger is much cleaner and more simple. This release is pure improvement. If they would only make it so that the non-XP version would support the VIDEO interaction, all would be perfect.

sulk reviewed v4.5 Update on Oct 23, 2001

ban, icq is way better, more options, more confugurable and takes less ram/pagefile. I have to admit icq got many lame and useless options and dlls but in general, icq is way better than msn messenger