Ever since the release of Live Messenger 8.0, we've received a lot of comments from users wishing to get back their trusty old MSN Messenger 7.5.

Things have changed quite a lot in the new Messenger 8.0, a lot of the interfaces are different and some tasks are now done in a different way. When upgrading from a previous version of Messenger (like MSN 7.5), Messenger 8.0 may be a little bit daunting and all of these changes can be overwhelming to some users. This is a very serious issue, and some users prefer to go back to the previous version of Messenger.

Luckily, there are 2 options if you want Messenger 7.5 back:

1. Install both Messenger 8.0 and 7.5 on your computer:
   You can do so by reading This Guide
   
   
2. Uninstall Live Messenger 8.0 and get MSN 7.5
   Find out how by reading This Article

The main issue that is causing grief for users is the fact that Microsoft no longer offers MSN Messenger 7.5 directly to users who are eligible for using Windows Live Messenger, and only displays this option on the official Messenger website.

With the recent launch of Live Messenger 8.0 and the overhaul of the old MSN Messenger websites, it has become slightly difficult to download a copy of the 'old' MSN Messenger 7.5 as all the websites and links are now pointing to the new Windows Live Messenger download.

It is possible to downgrade back to Messenger 7.5 if you have updated to Live Messenger 8.0 and aren't happy to stick with it. You can download the installer for MSN Messenger 7.5 (version 7.5.0324) from the link below.

> Download MSN 7.5 - Approx. 9MB - Microsoft Mirror

Continue to read the full article for more details on downgrading to MSN Messenger 7.5.

The official MSN Messenger website located at http://messenger.msn.com/ has been re-designed.

The address now redirects to "Microsoft Online Services" (located at http://join.msn.com/messenger/overview/). The new website provides a general overview of MSN Messenger and provides quick download links to the installer.

There is certainly a lot of new developments in the MSN Messenger realm these days! It will be interesting to see what direction the 'old' MSN Messenger 7.x website takes once Windows Live Messenger is released later this month.

>> Click Here to check out the new website

This is a question that we get often: How can I get rid of the MSN Messenger tabs?

To remove the tabs from MSN Messenger 7.5 (as well as MSN 7.0):

1. Click on the Tools menu and select Options..
2. In the options dialog, click on the Security tab
3. Now tick the checkbox that says 'This is a shared computer so don't display my tabs'
4. Close the Options dialog and you're done!

For MSN Messenger 8.0 aka Windows Live Messenger, follow these instructions:

1. Open the Options dialog (see instructions above)
2. Click on the tabs tab in the options dialog and turn them off from there.

More FAQs coming up shortly on Messenger Tools!

MSN Messenger team member Leah has posted a new fix for Error 80048883 which prevents MSN Messenger 7.5 users from signing-in.

Here are the details of the work around for MSN 7.5:

1. Download the following file: http://clientconfig.passport.net/ppcrlconfig.bin - If you can't access the file, try downloading it from http://www.messengertools.net/Files/ppcrlconfig.dll
2. Change the file extension to .DLL (if not download from our site)
3. Now place the file into C:\Documents and Settings\[Windows Username]\Application Data\Microsoft\IdentityCRL\ and overwite the existing file.
4. Optionally reboot your computer.
5. Attempt to sign-in again using MSN Messenger.

Hopefully this will fix the problem, otherwise try visiting http://support.msn.com/eform.aspx?productKey=messenger&page=support_home_options_form_byemail&ct=eformts.

A new post has appeared on the Messenger Support Space which states that MSN Messenger 7.5.0322 (the build designed to fix sign-in errors) has been pulled down and reverted back to MSN Messenger 7.5.0311 due to Error 80048883 which prevents users from logging into Messenger.

The post also states that they are working to analyze the cause of Error 80048883 in order to find a solution that can successfully Fix the problem.

A lot of MSN Messenger user have been complaining about receiving errors such as Error 1601 and Error 1635 from the Microsoft Windows Installer while attempting to install MSN Messenger on their computer.

In a recent thread on the MSN Messenger section of the MSDN forums, there has been some discussion on how the errors can be fixed. You can read the thread by going to http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=186911&SiteID=1.

In short, the solution seems to lie in running the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility which is available for free download from Microsoft. Several users have already posted to confirm that the solution has fixed the error for them.

Another update to MSN Messenger 7.5 has been released by Microsoft.

MSN Messenger 7.5.0320 addresses the numerous errors and problems user's have been experiencing when trying to simply sign-in. This patch should fix most of these issues and allow users to sign-in without any errors and problems!

The QFE Patch is aimed at MSN Messenger 7.5.0311, while the main download from the official MSN Messenger website should also be updated to this latest build.

The MSN Messenger 7.5 QFE patch we reported about earlier has been released (7.5.0316).

This patch is supposed to fix MSN Messenger's sign-in errors and problems.

You can download this MSN 7.5 patch from Here.

A new QFE Patch (Quick Fix Engineering) should be available shortly for MSN Messenger 7.5 to update it to build 7.5.0316.

This upgrade is expected to deal with the massive amount of sign-in problems users have been experiencing with the MSN Messenger 7 client since it's debut (such as Error 80048820).

As usual, you can get the latest news on MSN Messenger 7.5, including QFE patches and sign-in error problem fixes, from our MSN 7.5 Section!

If you are running Windows 98 or even Windows 2000 you may be wondering why you are not able to download or install the latest MSN Messenger 7.5.

This is due to the fact that MSN 7.5 only runs on Windows XP or newer (such as Windows XP Pro, Windows Server 2003, and even Windows Vista). Users of previous Windows versions will be prompted to download MSN Messenger 7.0 when they visit the official MSN Messenger website (messenger.msn.com).

This is not a mistake on your part or and error from Microsoft (Although Microsoft has not clearly explained this on their website to avoid this confusion).

If you are running an older system such as Windows 98, it might be time to upgrade.

It is also quite likely that MSN Messenger 8.0 will also require Windows XP or newer to run, but there is no way to currently confirm this.

Amid recent reports that MSN Messenger has recently started serving contextual ads based on user's conversation, an MSN executive has spoken out about the situation.

"Customer confidentiality and privacy is MSN's number one priority. MSN Messenger advertisements are based on demographic information the user provides when creating their Passport account, such as age, gender, language, zip code and country," said David Jakubowski.

MSN Messenger has been serving text ads at the bottom of chat windows since the launch of MSN Messenger 7.0 in April this year.

A new worm/virus is currently spreading via MSN Messenger.

You may receive a message from a contact similar to the following format:

wow, this is you? http://www.messengerstats.net/profile.php?msn=email@hotmail.com

Update:
Although the threat seems to have been resolved, you should still not click on similar messages through MSN Messenger as other variants may be released.

We have updated our MSN Messenger 7.5 coverage page today. The changes include updates to the releases timeline and other changes and corrections across the page text.

Our MSN Messenger 7.5 coverage page includes lots of details regarding the current release of MSN 7.5, outlined from the very beginning of the BETA testing process.

MSN Messenger Fanatics can visit the MSN 7.5 page Here!

Here are the winners of the MSN Messenger World's Best App bonus contest!

These are the first 5 developers to complete their applications/activities and are awarded a $200 Amazon.com Gift Certificate! Check out their MSN Messenger activities here:

1. Hangman
2. Tankwars
3. Cards exchange
4. Chingo
5. T4IM

To start the above MSN Messenger activities you need to be running Internet Explorer and signed into MSN Messenger!

The MSN Messenger World's Best App contest ends on December 31, 2005 and the winner will receive a Laptop Computer!