Chatting

To chat with a Messenger user, double-click the user’s entry in the Online list, or right-click the user’s entry in the Online list and choose Send an Instant Message from the context menu. Messenger opens a conversation window for chatting with the user.

Adding More People to a Conversation

To add another person to your current conversation, click the Invite Someone to This Conversation button, or click the Show Menu button and then choose Actions Invite a Contact to This Conversation. Messenger displays the Select Contacts dialog box showing your contacts who are online. Select the person, and then click the OK button.

Including Emoticons in Your Messages

To include emoticons also called smileys or glyphs in your messages, click the Emoticons button and click the appropriate button on the grid. If you use emoticons frequently, you may prefer to type them so that you don’t need to remove your hands from the keyboard. To see the keystrokes for an emoticon, hover the mouse pointer over the emoticon and read the tooltip that appears. To see more emoticons, click the More link on the Emoticons grid. Messenger displays the My Emoticons dialog box , which allows you to change the emoticons that appear on the grid. You can also create custom emoticons from your own graphics files by clicking the Create button and working in the Add a Custom Emoticon dialog box. You can buy more emoticons from the Kiwee site by clicking the Get More Emoticons link in the My Emoticons dialog box. When you send a sequence that contains the text sequence for an emoticon, Messenger converts the text sequence and displays the emoticon on both your screen and that of the person or people you’re chatting with. If you turn off the display of emoticons on the Messages page of the Options dialog box, you see the characters that represent the emoticon instead.

Setting Font, Style, and Color for Text You Send

If you want to be distinctive, you can change the font, style, and color for text you send to others and that you see on your screen. For the text you see in the Messenger windows, you can change the size as well. You can’t change the size of the text others see, and they can’t change the size you see. To set the font, style, color, and size, click the Change Your Font or Text Color button. Messenger displays the Change My Message Font dialog box. Choose settings you like, and then click the OK button to apply them.

Adding Voice to a Conversation

If both participants have functioning audio hardware, you can add voice to a Messenger conversation between two people. You can’t use voice in a conversation that has three or more people. To add voice to your current conversation, click the Call a Contact button in the conversation window, and then click Call Computer on the drop-down menu. Messenger displays a Speakers volume control and a Microphone Mute check box and notifies the person you’re chatting with that you want to have a voice conversation. They get to accept this or decline it. If they accept, Messenger establishes the connection. To hang up the voice portion of the call, click the Hang Up link or press Alt+Q.

Adding Video to a Conversation

If one or both participants have video hardware installed, you can add video to a Messenger conversation between two people. As with voice, you can’t use video in a conversation that has three or more people. To add video to a conversation, click the Start or Stop a Video Call button. Messenger invites your contact to take part in the video conversation. If they accept, Messenger displays the video picture and extra controls . To change the size of the incoming video, click the upper Options button, choose Size from the menu, and then choose the size you want from the submenu. To stop transmitting or receiving video, click the Start or Stop a Video Call button.

Blocking and Unblocking Contacts

To block somebody from chatting with you, take one of the following actions:

• In a conversation window with the contact you want to block, click the Block This Contact button.

• In a conversation window with multiple people, click the Block button and choose the contact from the pop-up menu.

• From the main Messenger window, right-click the contact and choose Block Contact from the context menu.

When you block a user from a conversation window, Messenger displays a dialog box telling you that the blocked user will not be able to contact you or see your online status. When you unblock a user, Messenger displays a similar dialog box telling you that the other user will be able to do these things. In either case, you get an OK button to proceed with the blocking or unblocking, a Cancel button to cancel it, and a Don’t Show Me This Message Again check box that you can select to suppress this message in the future. To unblock a user, take one of the following actions:

• In a conversation window, click the Unblock button.

• In a conversation window with multiple participants, click the Block or Unblock button, and then select the blocked contact from the submenu.

• In the Windows Live Messenger window, right-click the blocked contact and choose Unblock Contact from the context menu.

Changing Your Status

To let people know what you’re up to, you can change the status that Messenger displays for you. To do so, click your name in the main Messenger window and then choose Online, Busy, Be Right Back, Away, On the Phone, Out to Lunch, or Appear Offline from the pop-up menu. You can also set your status by clicking the Show Menu button, choosing File My Status, and then selecting the status from the submenu. When you change your status to Appear Offline, Messenger displays a dialog box warning you that all windows will be closed. Click the OK button if this is okay, or click the Cancel button to cancel the status change.

Transferring Files

Messenger lets you transfer a single file at a time during a conversation, but it also provides the sharing folders feature for effortlessly sharing multiple files.

Sending a File

To send a file to someone via Messenger, take the following steps:

1. You can send a file either from the main Messenger window or from a conversation window: • In the main Messenger window, right-click the contact and choose Send Other Send a Single File from the context menu. Messenger displays the Send a File To dialog box, which is a renamed version of the standard Open dialog box. • In a conversation window, click the Share Files button, and then choose Send a Single File from the drop-down menu.

2. Navigate to the file, select it, and click the Open button. Messenger contacts the user, asking them if they want to accept or decline the file. You can cancel the transfer by pressing Alt+Q or clicking the Cancel link.

3. If the user accepts the file, Messenger displays a progress readout in the conversation window. When the file transfer is complete, Messenger tells you so.

If the user doesn’t accept the transfer, or if it fails, Messenger tells you that the user declined the file or the file could not be sent.

Sending Files via Sharing Folders

Instead of sending a single file, you can use Messenger’s sharing folders feature to share files. A sharing folder is a folder shared with a particular contact. To share files via sharing folders, follow these steps:

1. Set up a sharing folder for the contact. The easiest way to do this is to right-click the contact in the main Messenger window, and then choose Create a Sharing Folder from the shortcut menu. You can also create sharing folders on the Sharing Folders page of the Options dialog box.

2. Open the sharing folder either from the main Messenger window or from a conversation window:

• In the main Messenger window, right-click the contact, and then choose Open Your Sharing Folder from the shortcut menu.

• In a conversation window, click the Share Files button, and then choose Open Your Sharing Folder from the drop-down menu.

3. The first time you open a sharing folder, Messenger displays a message box urging you not to share unauthorized materials. You can select the Don’t Show Me This Again check box to suppress these messages in the future. The sharing folder then appears .

4. Add files to the sharing folder. Either drag files to it from a Windows Explorer window, or click the Add Files button, use the resulting Send a File To dialog box to select the files, and then click the Open button.

5. When your contact is online, Messenger automatically synchronizes the files in the sharing folder, and then informs your contact via a pop-up message or if they’re in a conversation with you via a link in the conversation window.

Receiving a File

Receiving a file via Messenger is even easier than sending one. Here’s what happens:

1. If you’re using pop-ups, Messenger displays a pop-up telling you that someone is trying to send you a file. Messenger identifies the user and the file by name.

2. Click the pop-up to display the conversation window. If you’re already in a

3.To accept the file and put it in your Received Files folder, click the Accept link or press Alt+C.To put the file in another folder, click the Save As link or press Alt+S, use the Save Incoming File As dialog box to specify the folder, and then click the Save button. To decline the file, click the Decline link or press Alt+D.

4. If you choose to accept the file, Messenger displays a Windows Messenger dialog box warning you that files may contain harmful viruses or scripts and advising you to make sure that the file you’re receiving is from a trustworthy source. Click the OK button to dismiss this dialog box. You can select the Don’t Show Me This Message Again check box before dismissing the dialog box, if you’re fully aware of malware tricks and you carefully check every file you receive before running it.

5. Messenger transfers the file and then displays a link that you can click to open the file. To access your received files folder, click the Show Menu button, and then choose File Open Received Files.

Receiving Files via Sharing Folders

When a contact sends you files via a sharing folder, Messenger displays a pop-up message or a link in a conversation window with that contact. Click the pop-up message or the link to open the sharing folder and see the files. You can then copy or move the files to other folders as needed.

Get and install Windows Live Messenger Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger by choosing Start All Programs Windows Live Messenger Download or opening Internet Explorer and then going to http://get.live.com/messenger/overview. Run the file to install it. You must accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Statement, which are worth reading carefully.

Start Messenger for the first time Choose Start All Programs Windows Live Messenger to start Messenger. Thereafter, you can launch Messenger from its icon in the notification area.

Configure Messenger to suit your needs Messenger has a wide variety of settings that you should explore to get the most use out of Messenger with the greatest security and convenience. To open the Options dialog box, click your name when signed in, and then choose Personal Settings from the menu.

Add and remove contacts If you know a contact’s IM address, add the contact by clicking the Add a Contact button in the Messenger window and then working in the Add a Contact dialog box. You can also add a contact when someone adds you to their contact list.

Chat with your contacts To chat with a contact, double-click the contact’s name in the main Messenger window. Type a message in the conversation window that Messenger opens, and then click the Send button or press Enter. If the contact accepts the invitation to the conversation, the chat begins. You can add voice to a conversation by clicking the Call a Contact button in the conversation window and then clicking Call Computer. To add video to a conversation, click the Start or Stop a Video Call button.

Block and unblock contacts To prevent a contact from chatting with you, click the Block This Contact button in a conversation window, or right-click the contact in the main Messenger window and choose Block Contact. To allow the contact to chat with you again, unblock the contact.

Change your online status To change your online status, click your name in the main Messenger window and then choose Online, Busy, Be Right Back, Away, On the Phone, Out to Lunch, or Appear Offline.

Transfer files to and from your contacts To send a file to a contact in a conversation, click the Share Files button, and then choose Send a Single File. Select the file, and then click the Open button. Your contact then has the option to accept or decline the file. To send multiple files, set up a sharing folder for the contact by right-clicking the contact in the main Messenger window, and then choosing Create a Sharing Folder. You can then place files in that folder, and Messenger automatically shares them with your contact when the contact is online.