Enable Sharing and Transfering of Potentially Unsafe Files in Windows Live Messenger

The sending and receiving of potentially unsafe files such as executables and JavaScript is disabled by default in Windows Live Messenger, as some file types may contain viruses, spywares or other potential security risks to the computer.

Whenver you try to send or receive a file that has the file extension of what Messenger assumes is potentially unsafe file and thus banned, an exclamation point appears over the icon for the file, and the tooltip for the icon explains that the file has been blocked for security reasons. The file is not tranferred.

By default, Messenger blocks files that have the following file extensions:

.ade .adp .app .asp .bas
.bat .cer .chm .cmd .com
.cpl .crt .csh .exe .fxp
.hlp .hta .inf .ins .isp
.its .js .jse .ksh .lnk
.mad .maf .mag .mam .maq
.mar .mas .mat .mau .mav
.maw .mda .mdb .mde .mdt
.mdw .mdz .msc .msi .msp
.mst .ops .pcd .pif .pl
.prf .prg .pst .reg .scf
.scr .sct .shb .shs .tmp
.url .vbs .vsd .vb .vbe
.vsmacros .vss .vst .vsw
.ws .wsc .wsf .wsh

To enable and allow potentially unsafe file types to be shared, transferred, sent or received with Windows Live Messenger:

  1. Go to Tools menu, click Options. (If the menu bar doesn’t appear at the top of the window, click the Show menu button in the upper-right corner to show the menus)
  2. Click File Transfer, and then check (click and select) the Enable file transfer for potentially unsafe file types, or clear the Automatically reject file transfers for known unsafe file types check box.
  3. For Windows Live Messenger, click on Install for free virus scanning for Messenger.
  4. Click Continue to install Safety scanner.
  5. Click Done.
  6. Check (click and select) Scan files for viruses using:.

5 Responses to “Enable Sharing and Transfering of Potentially Unsafe Files in Windows Live Messenger”

  1. Irfan
    March 17th, 2009 07:21
    5

    just remove the file extension, and tell the person you are sending the file to, to add a dot!

  2. mike
    September 20th, 2007 05:34
    4

    I recive this msg after i recive zip file that contains exe file using the Messenger in Vista.

    Is the solution with the registry works on Vista !?

  3. Dokodemo Gaijin
    August 17th, 2007 18:18
    3

    This does not help anything.

    You need to modify the following REG_SZ value to prevent this: LowRiskFileTypes
    It can be found under:
    HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Associations

    Each and every file extension needs to be separated by “;” (omit the quotes).
    Example: .AIF;.TIF;.TGA;.IFF;.SID;.MP3;

  4. tre
    July 25th, 2007 12:21
    2

    this little tutorial doesnt prevent the removal of .mp3 files.

    MS thinks theyre high and mighty by blocking those secretly.

  5. asadf
    April 28th, 2007 05:36
    1

    fucking useless

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