For problems connecting to MSN Messenger please try the following:

1. If the computer runs third-party or firewall software like Zone Alarm, make sure the software is set to allow Messenger to operate, and then try to sign in to MSN Messenger again. For additional information, refer to your third-party software manual or online help.

2. If the previous step did not resolve the issue, update Internet Explorer to the latest version which is Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0. Visit »microsoft.com/windows/ie/, and then click Download now.

3. If the previous step did not resolve the issue, adjust your Internet Explorer security settings:

a. Start Internet Explorer.
b. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
c. Click the Advanced tab.
d. Under Security, do the following:
1. Clear the Check for server certificate revocation (requires restart) check box.
2. Select the Use SSL 2.0 check box.
3. Select the Use SSL 3.0 check box.
e. Click OK.

4. If the previous step did not resolve the issue, adjust the proxy settings in Internet Explorer:

a. Start Internet Explorer.
b. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
c. Click the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.
d. Clear the Automatically detect settings check box.
e. Click OK, and then click OK again.

5. If the previous step did not resolve the issue, adjust the proxy settings in MSN Messenger:

a. Start MSN Messenger.
b. On the Tools menu, click Options.
c. On the Connection tab, clear the I use a proxy server check box. Do not select this option unless your network administrator advises you to.
d. Click OK, and then click OK again.

6. If you receive an "invalid" or "unrecognized" user name or password error, make sure the user name is correct on the Messenger sign-in screen. If your password is saved in the Messenger sign-in screen, clear the password from the Password box, and then retype the password.

Notes Some passwords are case-sensitive. Use only letters and numbers in your password and avoid special characters such as "+,$,&.*.@". Your password must be 6 to 16 characters long.

7. If your Microsoft .NET Passport is not recognized, visit http://messenger.msn.com/Status.aspx.

8. If the previous steps did not resolve the issue, determine if you can sign in to your Hotmail account at http://www.hotmail.com/ or http://www.msn.com/. If you cannot sign in to Hotmail or MSN, your account may be deactivated. Hotmail and MSN cannot reactivate deleted accounts. Do the following:

a. Register for a new Hotmail or MSN account, and then sign in to Messenger with your e-mail address. Hotmail and MSN consider activity on Messenger to be account activity. Your account will be active unless you do not use Hotmail or MSN or sign in to Messenger 10 days after registering your account or 30 consecutive days thereafter. To register for a new Hotmail account, visit http://hotmail.com/cgi-bin/register.

b. Create a Microsoft .NET Passport account using any e-mail address, and then sign in to Messenger with your new .NET Passport sign-in name and password. To register a new .NET Passport, visit http://register.passport.net/.

To assist us in making MSN Messenger better for our next release, please reply to this email and let us know which (if any) of the above options resolved your sign in issue. Just choose Reply in your email client and enter the number the option that worked for you.

For additional online help, please go to: http://messenger.msn.com/help.

Here's an alternative method:

The possible reasons for this issue may include the following:

A. A congestion of expired cookies in the browser's cache
B. Disabled SSL (standard protocols to access secure sites)
C. The Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 has not been installed - It has been found out that there is an incompatibility issue with the MSN Client and Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer.
D. Corrupted Windows Registry - Sometimes, updates affect the browser's ability to get into websites and corrupt your registry.

To resolve this, let us work on the following:

Note: The following troubleshooting steps are independent of each other. Please proceed to the next procedure should the previous steps fail to resolve your issue.

A. Optimize Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer (the program represented by the blue 'e' icon).
2. Click on Tools, and then Internet Options'.
3. Under the 'General tab', click 'Delete Cookies' in the Temporary Internet Files section.
4. When asked to confirm, click 'OK'.
5. Click 'Clear History'.
6. When asked to confirm, click 'OK'.
7. Click 'Delete Files'.
8. Select the Delete all offline content' check box, and then click 'OK'.
9. Click 'Settings'.
10. Adjust the amount of disk space to use to '10 MB'.
11. Click 'View Files'.
12. When the View Files window appears, press CTRL+A to select all files, and then press 'DELETE'.
13. When asked to confirm, click 'Yes', and then close the window.
14. Click 'OK' to close the Settings dialog box.
15. Click the 'Security' tab.
16. Click the 'Internet' icon.
17. Click the 'Default Level' button if available, and then click 'Apply'.
18. Click the 'Privacy' tab.
19. Click the 'Default' button if available, and then click 'Apply'.
20. Click the 'Connections' tab.
21. For each item listed under 'Dial-up and Virtual Private Network settings', do the following:

a. Select the item (connection), and then click 'Settings'.
b. Clear all of the checkboxes, and then click 'OK'.

22. Click 'LAN Settings'.
23. Clear all of the checkboxes, and then click 'OK'.
24. Click the 'Advanced' tab.
25. Click 'Restore Default', and then click 'OK'.

B. Enable your SSL

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
2. Click on 'Tools' and then' Internet Options'.
3. Click on the 'Advanced' tab.
4. Scroll down to 'Security'.
5. Make sure that 'Use SSL 2.0' and 'Use SSL 3.0' are both marked. If they are, please uncheck and then re-check.
6. Click 'Apply' and then 'OK'.

C. Install the Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1

If the above procedure did not resolve your issue, please install the Update for Internet Explorer 6 SP1 (813951) which can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/813951/... This update fixes an issue caused by the February 2003, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer (810847) where users could potentially be unable to log into MSN mail accounts or authenticate with a web site in various programs. For more information, please see Knowledge Base article http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813951.

D. Refresh your Windows Registry

1. Click on the 'Start' button located at the lower left hand corner of your screen.
2. Click 'Run'.
3. Type 'regsvr32 softpub.dll' (without the quotes) and click 'OK'.
4. Click 'OK' to the message stating that the .dll files have been registered.