Members;
The latest (as of the edited time) is 7.5.0311. These release notes are for the 7.5.0299 release.
The 7.5 series of MSN Messenger only work on Windows XP - unless you follow the Windows 2000 instructions posted here - Windows 2000 work-around.You can find out what Messenger you are running by opening it up and clicking on
Help and then
About MSN Messenger.
Installing the
latest Messenger should be your first step in troubleshooting any issue. Please be sure to install it
before posting a question. That way you can be sure that the problem you are experiencing has not already been resolved by Microsoft.
You can find the latest MSN Messenger
Here. That location will always have the latest release so even if you view this post some time from now - go there first and make sure you have the
latest & greatest. :)
If you have problems installing a new version you can completely remove the old version by following these steps;
[1] Go to Add/Remove Programs and remove MSN Messenger
[2] Go to C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger and delete the entire folder
[3] Start up Registry editor by going to
Start Menu ->
Run->Typing in
regedit and hitting
OKNavigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger key and
delete the entire MSNMessenger KeyNote: This will remove all custom settings from MSN Messenger and you will have to re-select all the options you want when you install the new version. This can be a valuable method to troubleshooting MSN Messenger issues. Many times I've seen problems solved by corrupt entries remaining after MSN Messenger has been removed by using Add/Remove Programs by itself. :)
Release Notes for 7.5.0299A new MSN Messenger has just been released - not Beta - a public release.
It can be found here. Below is the fixlist and new feature list :)
PLEASE NOTE: This (and all newer releases) will only be supported on the Windows XP platform - so says Microsoft :)
What's New in the Public Release of MSN Messenger 7.50299The Features Dynamic Backgrounds:
Backgrounds that subtly animate in cool ways. In the Backgrounds Menu there are four brand new Dynamic Backgrounds and you can buy more from the "What's Hot" link in the drop down. Cool things: 1) you can share any that you own with your friends, 2) some of them respond in interesting ways to receiving a nudge.
Voice ClipPress and hold the Voice Clip button (or F2) and record up to 15 seconds of your voice or anything. When you release, it goes to your buddies just like an IM, and they can hear it instantly upon receipt. Its designed to feel exactly like an Instant Message, except you trade in your hands and eyes for your voice and ears. It adds a personalized and emotional dimension to IM.
Freaking Awesome Audio Quality ImprovementsYes, thats the technical name. Our new audio technology makes free Voice (Voip) calls super-clear. Mostly thanks to much improved echo-cancellation. Its now just like using a phone except: Look ma! No hands!
Add a Contact linkAdd a link/URL on a web page, MSN Spaces list, e-mail, MSN Alert, etc., or type/paste it into an Explorer address window, and you can do the following:
- Add a contact to your contact list:
msnim:add?contact=<emailaddress>@hotmail.com
- Start a conversation with a contact:
msnim:chat?contact=<emailaddress>@hotmail.com
- Send an invitation to start a voice conversation:
msnim:voice?contact=<emailaddress>@hotmail.com
- Send an invitation to start a video conversation:
msnim:video?contact=<emailaddress>@hotmail.com
Expanded Security Settings We have the new option in the Security options to;
1) stop the send of hotlinks in conversation window &
2) disable File Transfer in the client.
These can also be set by IT admins in Companies with SMS via registry policies. These could single handedly almost stop the transmission of current IM link virus sends between users.
Audio and Video Setup (used to be AV Tuning Wizard)New fast and easy way to pick the right devices for audio and video conversations. Used to be a windows component, now ships with MSN Messenger (tools à Audio and Video Setup)
Transient Personal Messages from Device ClientsUsers can now broadcast presence messages from any device running a Messenger client.
Voice Entry Point Improvements- one-click entry to video conversation
- webcam capability icons in the user tiles
- tips to encourage webcam use (its cool!)
- A Ring on the receivers side of a voice conversation
New Login UI and Platform:
The Identity Services team (passport) has created a client library called the Identity Client Run Time Library (or IDCRL for short). It provides a richer programming model and easier integration of passport authentication services into messenger. In other words: Improved Login functionality including reliability, auto-complete in the login address well; ability to save login information.
Patching
Due to the plethora of features in the Messenger client the download size has grown. In the future, instead of having to download the entire client each time an particular release is updated, we can download a small patch, on the order of 100K on to the users machine instead.
Setup Changes
It wasn't easy, but Messenger had to make the painful decision to only support Windows XP gold and above users on this new version since the majority of our customers are running newer systems If you are running an older OS you'll have to stick with Messenger 7. Lucky for you that was a good product too. For the people running XP and above, thanks to this change we were able to clean up and get rid of a bunch of the bulk, which will result in a smaller setup package.
Pre-installed Theme packs:
allows the user to install a version of messenger that already has a particular theme applied to it, rather than having to install messenger, and then add a desired theme. So a partner, Coke, for example, can offer up a Coke-themed Messenger for Coke lovers out there.
Some General Bug fixes
- The height of the text-entry box is now untied from the height of the display picture so you can make more room to type
- You can no longer send incessant nudges while someones status is set to busy.
Major Accessibility fixes - Our screenreader will now tell sight-impared users when a group is expanded or collapsed, what a users' status is, and will read users' Personal Messages.
- The send & search button are combined to take up less space
- The dialogue for backgrounds now shows thumbnails like the other content dialogues
- See your buddies Dynamic Display Picture in the main window! (not just regular display pictures anymore)
- Add a contact is now at the top of the list more intuitive and farther from the search well, where users thought they were supposed to enter an email address.
- The content buttons (winks, emoticons, packs, etc.) in the conversation window have been reordered for usability and appearance sake.
- Will no longer start and stop a Voice conversation and Video Conversation by accidentally double-clicking the buttons in the conversation window.
- We fixed a bug that was causing some clients to see erratic behavior like IM, Voice Clips or file transfer not working suddenly.
- Content dropdowns now change color when the converstaion window background changes.
- "Always sign in as:" is now honored when auto-reconnecting after resuming from hibernation. Also - if a user loses a connection more than once, "Always Sign in as:" will no longer reset itself to "Online.
- If a shared search result returns text that happens to be the same as an emoticon shortcut, we are no longer showing the emoticon, but rather the correct characters
- IF MSN Today is minimized, the button on the main window will now bring it back up to previous size rather than do nothing.
NOTE: This excerpt was taken from a MSN team member's
Blog and was edited for readability. :) Please let me know if this information was useful by voting in the poll at the bottom left. It's important feedback. This post has been edited by Marvin Miller on November 04, 2005 05:48 pm 
New Messenger Just Released..., Version 7.5.0299 Release Notes / Removal
