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General discussion

Windows 4.7 and MSN 6.1

Feb 18, 2004 7:00AM PST

Can someone please explain the diference between the two?

I have just updated the XP Service Pack, now I have these two devices sitting on my task bar and they can only be alternated to use one at a time. It seems redundant to me, the question is which one shall I keep?

Thanks all in advance for those who contributed the replies!

Discussion is locked

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Title Correction: Windows Messenger 4.7 and MSN Messenger 6.1
Feb 18, 2004 8:06AM PST

.

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Re:Title Correction: Windows Messenger 4.7 and MSN Messenger 6.1
Feb 18, 2004 8:35AM PST

They both perform the same Instant Messaging service.

If you prefer to use the newer MSN 6.1 you can deactivate Windows Messenger 4.7.
Open Windows Messenger.
Go to Tools | Options | Preferences and uncheck the following:
* Run this program when Windows starts.
* Allow this program to run in the background.

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(NT) Sorry David, I did not mean to walk on you... Had not seen your post. :(
Feb 18, 2004 8:45AM PST
Sad
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Re:Windows 4.7 and MSN 6.1
Feb 18, 2004 8:40AM PST

Strad,
Like you I am puzzled by these two and will follow your thread for explanations. It seems Windows Messenger 4.7 is a part of Win XP and difficult to separate. I like what I see of MSN Messenger 6.1 and would like to use it. Both of these sit there competing for .NET Passport on my system. In addition MSN 6.1 does not work well with Outlook Express and among other thing does not allow one to see who is online in the left sidebar.

I hope you will find a solution and answers.

Happy

Glenn

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Re:Re:Windows 4.7 and MSN 6.1
Feb 18, 2004 9:05AM PST

Glenn,

You can actually run both MSN & Windows Messenger simultaneously.

All you need is to have different email accounts to log on.

If you have two Hotmail accounts or one Hotmail and one from your ISP that'll do the trick.

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Re:Re:Re:Windows 4.7 and MSN 6.1
Feb 18, 2004 9:28AM PST

David,

That is interesting and I will try it. I assume the two mail accounts are to be used for two .NET Passports which allows both to run simultaneous.

Thanks!

Glenn

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Re:Windows 4.7 and MSN 6.1
Feb 18, 2004 9:20AM PST

I noticed you asked for the difference between the two, well here it is.

On Windows XP, and presumably later, "Windows Messenger" is another instant messaging client, very much like MSN Messenger. It is installed when you install Windows XP, and runs only on Windows XP.

While Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger look very similar, they are, in fact, two separate applications. The good news is that either can be used to access the same .NET Messaging Service contacts. That's the default instant messaging service for both, and the one you'll use on the internet. What that really means is that if all you're doing is instant messaging your friends and family on the internet, it doesn't matter which one you use, and changing from one to the other is not a problem.

Unfortunately, as I said, they are two different programs. They have slightly different feature sets, and release on different schedules. In particular, Windows Messenger is more tightly integrated with applications such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, or the Remote Assistance feature of Windows XP. The differences, and the confusion, don't end there, though. Microsoft has a Knowledgebase article that touches on more of the technical differences, and provides instructions for installing and running both on the same machine. The good news is that chances are, you'll never need to know how, or why, you would want to.

Also check out these two links for more detail.

http://ask-leo.com/archives/000017.html (taken form this site)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330117