Live Messenger GUI doesnt show in Windows Vista Ultimate

This is what I have tried:

1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN Subscriber
downloads
2) Burned DVD and installed it
3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash Player
ActiveX control
4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger

In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is running
but I don't see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar notification
area. I have tried this several times. I know that there are issues with
Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I have also tried this with the
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista installation just to be
sure.

I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player ActiveX
control is from somewhere in November 2006 because they released a version
the 17th. So I hope that when this download is available that freakin'
Messenger will work.

As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand
Microsoft is telling people to comply with their guidelines when developing
software but at the same time their own software is not ready for Windows
Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio .NET 2003, Visual Studio 2005, SQL
Server and so on and so on).

Does anybody know how to solve this?

Thanks

Gabriel Lozano-Moran

Greetings Gabriel,

Actually you can't sign in on Windows Messenger 8.0 on Vista, it'll prompt you to upgrade to
8.1 immediately as 8.1 is considered "The Vista build".

I've run 8.0 throughout the Vista beta from the very beginning. With some minor exceptions,
the basic functionality has always worked so I assure you that this is not a widespread known
issue that you're seeing -- it's something specific to your installation/drivers.

There was an issue with Flash and Vista around RC2 timeframe which would case Messenger to
crash periodically but the version from November should correct that problem.

Have you tried upgrading the video drives to the latest versions? I believe both ATi and
nVidia have updated their drivers since RTM and/or tried turning Aero off temporarily to see
if that's part of the issue?

Also, Visual Studio has worked fine for me (yes I know it throws a compatibility dialog)
throughout the Vista betas and RTM.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--



"Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
news:9B406723-37DF-40F6-93AD-...
> This is what I have tried:
>
> 1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN Subscriber downloads
> 2) Burned DVD and installed it
> 3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash Player ActiveX control
> 4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger
>
> In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is running but I don't
> see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar notification area. I have tried this
> several times. I know that there are issues with Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I
> have also tried this with the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista
> installation just to be sure.
>
> I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player ActiveX control is from
> somewhere in November 2006 because they released a version the 17th. So I hope that when
> this download is available that freakin' Messenger will work.
>
> As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand Microsoft is
> telling people to comply with their guidelines when developing software but at the same
> time their own software is not ready for Windows Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio .NET
> 2003, Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server and so on and so on).
>
> Does anybody know how to solve this?
>
> Thanks
>
> Gabriel Lozano-Moran

I tried Messenger immediatly after the installation of Windows Vista, before
I installed any driver, if there were drivers installed they were installed
by Vista. I have a GeForce Go 7950 graphics card on my notebook. I also
tried installing the latest graphics drivers available for my notebook. I
have even tried the latest released Forceware drivers with a modded .inf so
that it supports my graphics card but still the same problem.

I will try again but then disable as much functionality as possible like
bluetooth, wifi and so on...

Thanks

Gabriel

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:E43232B8-193B-44E6-A9AB-...
> Greetings Gabriel,
>
> Actually you can't sign in on Windows Messenger 8.0 on Vista, it'll prompt
> you to upgrade to 8.1 immediately as 8.1 is considered "The Vista build".
>
> I've run 8.0 throughout the Vista beta from the very beginning. With some
> minor exceptions, the basic functionality has always worked so I assure
> you that this is not a widespread known issue that you're seeing -- it's
> something specific to your installation/drivers.
>
> There was an issue with Flash and Vista around RC2 timeframe which would
> case Messenger to crash periodically but the version from November should
> correct that problem.
>
> Have you tried upgrading the video drives to the latest versions? I
> believe both ATi and nVidia have updated their drivers since RTM and/or
> tried turning Aero off temporarily to see if that's part of the issue?
>
> Also, Visual Studio has worked fine for me (yes I know it throws a
> compatibility dialog) throughout the Vista betas and RTM.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
>
>
> "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
> news:9B406723-37DF-40F6-93AD-...
>> This is what I have tried:
>>
>> 1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN Subscriber
>> downloads
>> 2) Burned DVD and installed it
>> 3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash Player
>> ActiveX control
>> 4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger
>>
>> In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is
>> running but I don't see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar
>> notification area. I have tried this several times. I know that there are
>> issues with Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I have also tried this
>> with the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista installation
>> just to be sure.
>>
>> I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player
>> ActiveX control is from somewhere in November 2006 because they released
>> a version the 17th. So I hope that when this download is available that
>> freakin' Messenger will work.
>>
>> As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand
>> Microsoft is telling people to comply with their guidelines when
>> developing software but at the same time their own software is not ready
>> for Windows Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio .NET 2003, Visual Studio
>> 2005, SQL Server and so on and so on).
>>
>> Does anybody know how to solve this?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Gabriel Lozano-Moran
>
>

I was finally able to pinpoint the problem. My laptop has a built-in webcam.
When I install Vista, it will install drivers for the webcam but then
windows live messenger does not work. When I disable the device everything
works fine. Installing any latest driver does not resolve the issue propably
because the latest drivers for the webcam are Windows XP drivers. So I guess
I am going to have to wait for Vista drivers to be able to use my webcam and
Live Messenger at the same time.

Gabriel

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:E43232B8-193B-44E6-A9AB-...
> Greetings Gabriel,
>
> Actually you can't sign in on Windows Messenger 8.0 on Vista, it'll prompt
> you to upgrade to 8.1 immediately as 8.1 is considered "The Vista build".
>
> I've run 8.0 throughout the Vista beta from the very beginning. With some
> minor exceptions, the basic functionality has always worked so I assure
> you that this is not a widespread known issue that you're seeing -- it's
> something specific to your installation/drivers.
>
> There was an issue with Flash and Vista around RC2 timeframe which would
> case Messenger to crash periodically but the version from November should
> correct that problem.
>
> Have you tried upgrading the video drives to the latest versions? I
> believe both ATi and nVidia have updated their drivers since RTM and/or
> tried turning Aero off temporarily to see if that's part of the issue?
>
> Also, Visual Studio has worked fine for me (yes I know it throws a
> compatibility dialog) throughout the Vista betas and RTM.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
>
>
> "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
> news:9B406723-37DF-40F6-93AD-...
>> This is what I have tried:
>>
>> 1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN Subscriber
>> downloads
>> 2) Burned DVD and installed it
>> 3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash Player
>> ActiveX control
>> 4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger
>>
>> In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is
>> running but I don't see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar
>> notification area. I have tried this several times. I know that there are
>> issues with Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I have also tried this
>> with the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista installation
>> just to be sure.
>>
>> I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player
>> ActiveX control is from somewhere in November 2006 because they released
>> a version the 17th. So I hope that when this download is available that
>> freakin' Messenger will work.
>>
>> As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand
>> Microsoft is telling people to comply with their guidelines when
>> developing software but at the same time their own software is not ready
>> for Windows Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio .NET 2003, Visual Studio
>> 2005, SQL Server and so on and so on).
>>
>> Does anybody know how to solve this?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Gabriel Lozano-Moran
>
>

Hi Gabriel,

What kind of laptop is it? Out of curiosity.

--
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
--

"Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
news:FDE9C07C-7209-4FB0-B89C-...
>I was finally able to pinpoint the problem. My laptop has a built-in webcam. When I install
>Vista, it will install drivers for the webcam but then windows live messenger does not work.
>When I disable the device everything works fine. Installing any latest driver does not
>resolve the issue propably because the latest drivers for the webcam are Windows XP drivers.
>So I guess I am going to have to wait for Vista drivers to be able to use my webcam and Live
>Messenger at the same time.
>
> Gabriel
>
> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
> news:E43232B8-193B-44E6-A9AB-...
>> Greetings Gabriel,
>>
>> Actually you can't sign in on Windows Messenger 8.0 on Vista, it'll prompt you to upgrade
>> to 8.1 immediately as 8.1 is considered "The Vista build".
>>
>> I've run 8.0 throughout the Vista beta from the very beginning. With some minor
>> exceptions, the basic functionality has always worked so I assure you that this is not a
>> widespread known issue that you're seeing -- it's something specific to your
>> installation/drivers.
>>
>> There was an issue with Flash and Vista around RC2 timeframe which would case Messenger to
>> crash periodically but the version from November should correct that problem.
>>
>> Have you tried upgrading the video drives to the latest versions? I believe both ATi and
>> nVidia have updated their drivers since RTM and/or tried turning Aero off temporarily to
>> see if that's part of the issue?
>>
>> Also, Visual Studio has worked fine for me (yes I know it throws a compatibility dialog)
>> throughout the Vista betas and RTM.
>>
>> --
>> Jonathan Kay
>> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
>> Associate Expert
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
>> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
>> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
>> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
>> news:9B406723-37DF-40F6-93AD-...
>>> This is what I have tried:
>>>
>>> 1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN Subscriber downloads
>>> 2) Burned DVD and installed it
>>> 3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash Player ActiveX control
>>> 4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger
>>>
>>> In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is running but I don't
>>> see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar notification area. I have tried this
>>> several times. I know that there are issues with Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I
>>> have also tried this with the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista
>>> installation just to be sure.
>>>
>>> I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player ActiveX control is
>>> from somewhere in November 2006 because they released a version the 17th. So I hope that
>>> when this download is available that freakin' Messenger will work.
>>>
>>> As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand Microsoft is
>>> telling people to comply with their guidelines when developing software but at the same
>>> time their own software is not ready for Windows Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio
>>> .NET 2003, Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server and so on and so on).
>>>
>>> Does anybody know how to solve this?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> Gabriel Lozano-Moran
>>
>>
>

It is a XXODD XNi 570u3 laptop. It is a customized Clevo notebook. The
built-in cam is correctly detected as BisonCam, I believe from the Sertek
brand.

http://www.xxodd.nl/producten/notebo...70u3/specs.php

It is in Dutch but the specs are self explanatory. And here are the specs
for the Clevo default:

http://www.clevo.com.tw/products/M570U.asp

The drivers for the built-in came are installed through the Windows Update,
so to be clear I did not install the drivers manually. When I install
Windows Vista he will detect the cam and try to find drivers for it. When I
don't install them everything works fine but after installing all the
updates available through the Windows Update, that's when the problems
start.

Cheers

Gabriel Lozano-Moran

"Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
news:3D4A8C9C-C5EB-48C1-8C8E-...
> Hi Gabriel,
>
> What kind of laptop is it? Out of curiosity.
>
> --
> Jonathan Kay
> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> Associate Expert
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> --
>
> "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
> news:FDE9C07C-7209-4FB0-B89C-...
>>I was finally able to pinpoint the problem. My laptop has a built-in
>>webcam. When I install Vista, it will install drivers for the webcam but
>>then windows live messenger does not work. When I disable the device
>>everything works fine. Installing any latest driver does not resolve the
>>issue propably because the latest drivers for the webcam are Windows XP
>>drivers. So I guess I am going to have to wait for Vista drivers to be
>>able to use my webcam and Live Messenger at the same time.
>>
>> Gabriel
>>
>> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
>> news:E43232B8-193B-44E6-A9AB-...
>>> Greetings Gabriel,
>>>
>>> Actually you can't sign in on Windows Messenger 8.0 on Vista, it'll
>>> prompt you to upgrade to 8.1 immediately as 8.1 is considered "The Vista
>>> build".
>>>
>>> I've run 8.0 throughout the Vista beta from the very beginning. With
>>> some minor exceptions, the basic functionality has always worked so I
>>> assure you that this is not a widespread known issue that you're
>>> seeing -- it's something specific to your installation/drivers.
>>>
>>> There was an issue with Flash and Vista around RC2 timeframe which would
>>> case Messenger to crash periodically but the version from November
>>> should correct that problem.
>>>
>>> Have you tried upgrading the video drives to the latest versions? I
>>> believe both ATi and nVidia have updated their drivers since RTM and/or
>>> tried turning Aero off temporarily to see if that's part of the issue?
>>>
>>> Also, Visual Studio has worked fine for me (yes I know it throws a
>>> compatibility dialog) throughout the Vista betas and RTM.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jonathan Kay
>>> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
>>> Associate Expert
>>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
>>> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
>>> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
>>> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
>>> --
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
>>> news:9B406723-37DF-40F6-93AD-...
>>>> This is what I have tried:
>>>>
>>>> 1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN
>>>> Subscriber downloads
>>>> 2) Burned DVD and installed it
>>>> 3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash
>>>> Player ActiveX control
>>>> 4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger
>>>>
>>>> In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is
>>>> running but I don't see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar
>>>> notification area. I have tried this several times. I know that there
>>>> are issues with Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I have also tried
>>>> this with the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista
>>>> installation just to be sure.
>>>>
>>>> I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player
>>>> ActiveX control is from somewhere in November 2006 because they
>>>> released a version the 17th. So I hope that when this download is
>>>> available that freakin' Messenger will work.
>>>>
>>>> As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand
>>>> Microsoft is telling people to comply with their guidelines when
>>>> developing software but at the same time their own software is not
>>>> ready for Windows Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio .NET 2003,
>>>> Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server and so on and so on).
>>>>
>>>> Does anybody know how to solve this?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks
>>>>
>>>> Gabriel Lozano-Moran
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>

I am experiencing the same issue as you with WLM GUI not appearing under
Vista. I also possess a built-in BisonCam webcam in my Alienware m9700 laptop.

I am attempting to uninstall/disable the device as we speak to see if this
rectifies the issue.

This issue has caused me nothing but grief since I installed Vista and am
severely hoping that things will improve rapidly as nothing appears to work!

"Gabriel Lozano-Moran" wrote:

> It is a XXODD XNi 570u3 laptop. It is a customized Clevo notebook. The
> built-in cam is correctly detected as BisonCam, I believe from the Sertek
> brand.
>
> http://www.xxodd.nl/producten/notebo...70u3/specs.php
>
> It is in Dutch but the specs are self explanatory. And here are the specs
> for the Clevo default:
>
> http://www.clevo.com.tw/products/M570U.asp
>
> The drivers for the built-in came are installed through the Windows Update,
> so to be clear I did not install the drivers manually. When I install
> Windows Vista he will detect the cam and try to find drivers for it. When I
> don't install them everything works fine but after installing all the
> updates available through the Windows Update, that's when the problems
> start.
>
> Cheers
>
> Gabriel Lozano-Moran
>
> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
> news:3D4A8C9C-C5EB-48C1-8C8E-...
> > Hi Gabriel,
> >
> > What kind of laptop is it? Out of curiosity.
> >
> > --
> > Jonathan Kay
> > Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> > Associate Expert
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> > Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> > All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> > You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> > --
> >
> > "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
> > news:FDE9C07C-7209-4FB0-B89C-...
> >>I was finally able to pinpoint the problem. My laptop has a built-in
> >>webcam. When I install Vista, it will install drivers for the webcam but
> >>then windows live messenger does not work. When I disable the device
> >>everything works fine. Installing any latest driver does not resolve the
> >>issue propably because the latest drivers for the webcam are Windows XP
> >>drivers. So I guess I am going to have to wait for Vista drivers to be
> >>able to use my webcam and Live Messenger at the same time.
> >>
> >> Gabriel
> >>
> >> "Jonathan Kay [MVP]" <> wrote in message
> >> news:E43232B8-193B-44E6-A9AB-...
> >>> Greetings Gabriel,
> >>>
> >>> Actually you can't sign in on Windows Messenger 8.0 on Vista, it'll
> >>> prompt you to upgrade to 8.1 immediately as 8.1 is considered "The Vista
> >>> build".
> >>>
> >>> I've run 8.0 throughout the Vista beta from the very beginning. With
> >>> some minor exceptions, the basic functionality has always worked so I
> >>> assure you that this is not a widespread known issue that you're
> >>> seeing -- it's something specific to your installation/drivers.
> >>>
> >>> There was an issue with Flash and Vista around RC2 timeframe which would
> >>> case Messenger to crash periodically but the version from November
> >>> should correct that problem.
> >>>
> >>> Have you tried upgrading the video drives to the latest versions? I
> >>> believe both ATi and nVidia have updated their drivers since RTM and/or
> >>> tried turning Aero off temporarily to see if that's part of the issue?
> >>>
> >>> Also, Visual Studio has worked fine for me (yes I know it throws a
> >>> compatibility dialog) throughout the Vista betas and RTM.
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Jonathan Kay
> >>> Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger
> >>> Associate Expert
> >>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> >>> Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> >>> All posts unless otherwise specified are (c) 2007 Jonathan Kay.
> >>> You *must* contact me for redistribution rights.
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> "Gabriel Lozano-Moran" <> wrote in message
> >>> news:9B406723-37DF-40F6-93AD-...
> >>>> This is what I have tried:
> >>>>
> >>>> 1) Downloaded Windows Vista Ultimate English x86 from the MSDN
> >>>> Subscriber downloads
> >>>> 2) Burned DVD and installed it
> >>>> 3) The first thing I did was download and install the latest Flash
> >>>> Player ActiveX control
> >>>> 4) Then I downloaded and installed Windows Live Messenger
> >>>>
> >>>> In Task Manager I can see that the Windows Live Messenger process is
> >>>> running but I don't see the GUI nor can I see the icon in the taskbar
> >>>> notification area. I have tried this several times. I know that there
> >>>> are issues with Vista but this is ridiculous. And yes I have also tried
> >>>> this with the Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta after a clean Vista
> >>>> installation just to be sure.
> >>>>
> >>>> I also find it strange that the latest version of the Flash Player
> >>>> ActiveX control is from somewhere in November 2006 because they
> >>>> released a version the 17th. So I hope that when this download is
> >>>> available that freakin' Messenger will work.
> >>>>
> >>>> As a Microsoft oriented developer I find it ridiculous that on one hand
> >>>> Microsoft is telling people to comply with their guidelines when
> >>>> developing software but at the same time their own software is not
> >>>> ready for Windows Vista (Live Messenger, Visual Studio .NET 2003,
> >>>> Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server and so on and so on).
> >>>>
> >>>> Does anybody know how to solve this?
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks
> >>>>
> >>>> Gabriel Lozano-Moran
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >
> >
>