Music Mix and Games

Hello,
I'm using 8.1 and Vista. When my friend and I attempt to use Music Mix, it
loads and sometimes works for several minutes...and other times for several
seconds...and sometimes not at all. We wind up getting some sort of network
connection issue and it closes. Occasionally this causes Messenger to crash
completely. Now, a new issue....she can send me game invites...and I never
get them. I can send her invites and she DOES get them, and accepts, but
nothing happens on my end. No confirmation, no loading of the game.
Nothing. We've uninstalled, reinstalled, updated, you name it. No luck.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!!!