Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1 for Windows Vista
Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (previously known as MSN Messenger) has been officially released from beta phase to final version. WLM 8.1 is the latest instant messaging (IM) client from Microsoft that is optimized for Windows Vista, and is the second major release after the IM client officially changing its name from MSN Messenger (last stable version been 7.5) to Windows Live Messenger with initial final release at version 8.0, and ahead of Yahoo! Messenger for Windows Vista which only has preview available.
According to Inside Windows Live Messenger, new features, enhancements and improvements in WLM 8.1 include:
- Roaming Identity - Your display name follows you any place you sign into. Now your display picture and personal message will follow you too. If you would prefer they stayed in place you can turn this off (Tools->Options->General -> Sign In -> “Use the same display picture….”)
- Contact Card - The contact card has gotten a updated look. Instead of a flip it does a slide to toggle between the Spaces and Contact information. Also no more squinting at an icon and trying to figure out what it means the actions on the card are now listed out plain and simple.
- Emoticons, Winks, Backgrounds, Display Pictures - The menus have gotten an updated look. They include a recently used list and easy access to featured content so you can get new emoticons, winks, background and display pictures to use. hint: typcially in the featured section the first 4 are free.
- SMS Phone Book - You now have a quick way to send SMS to a phone number or add phone numbers for your contacts. Just click the cell phone icon in them main window for a good time.
- New Contact Emotion - In 8.0 all our icons got an update but we forgot a very important one. The contact emoticon. Type (M) to send it.
- Status Menu includes Sign Out - We noticed people look in the status menu to sign out and so ta-da now you can sign out from the status menu.
- Report abuse - Here is something you will hopefully never need to use, but it is there just in case in the help menus.
- Vista Presentation Mode - When you are in Presentation Mode on Vista Messenger will change your status to busy so you can avoid the embarrassing situation of everyone reading your IMs! Don’t worry if you want to show Messenger in your presentation you can turn this off (Tools->Options-> Personal-> My Status -> Show me as “Busy”…).
- Behind the scenes changes - This release also includes changes to the “guts” of some of the features. The goal is for these changes to improve your experience. Please let us know if that is not the case.
- Personal Invitation - When you add a new contact you can add a message so they know who you are. Especially helpful if your email address is something like ILoveMessenger(at)emaildomain.com - since there are so many of us out there.
- WLM client now available in Messenger is available in 8 new languages, namely Bulgarian, Estonian, Croatian, Latvian, Romanian, Serbian Latin, Thai and Ukrainian.
- Better handling of incompatibility of older version of Flash with WLM 8.1 in Windows Vista.
- E-mail invitation when adding a new contact.
UPDATE: Windows Live Messenger 8.5 is released, however Windows Live Messenger 8.1 still useful for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x64 edition that does not officially support 8.5 and beyond.
Download Windows Live Messenger 8.1 (or latest version) from here. If you’re running WLM 8.1 beta, you will be prompted to upgrade your WLM client automatically.
Share and contribute or get technical support and help at My Digital Life Forums.
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Entries (RSS)
September 24th, 2008 22:48
thix
September 24th, 2008 17:17
Hi i have windows vista and i am trying to download messenger to it. It will download the sign in assisstant no problem but then it downloads the messenger gets to 99% and stops. i have tried several times and the same thing happens can u help?
September 14th, 2008 16:46
hi, thank you.
September 11th, 2008 10:04
hey every budy my messenger is also not working sinc 2 months ago n fortunately i am having vista might b thts y any budy plz help me out
September 6th, 2008 14:10
hey there ,
The whole day today i tryed to downlode the NEW MSN MESENGER but then my friends said that windows vista was good so i tryed to donlode that but it woodn’t downblode…
way the way wats the NEW MESSENGER??????????????????/
September 4th, 2008 10:11
If I download and install it and I have a previous version of Messenger, will I lose all my contacts? Because I can’t have that happen.
September 4th, 2008 06:15
hi, i have windows XP (i’m pretty sure its not SP2) and everytime i try to download msn messenger 8.5 i can download the installer but when i run the installer it just takes me to the msn page and doesn’t install anything…can someone help me?
September 3rd, 2008 15:54
I have a new laptop with Vista installed.
Live Messenger does not work… can anybody help me with this?
error code: 80070005
Thank you
August 20th, 2008 19:00
hi every time i try to download windows live it starts downloading and then it logs my off the laptop and shuts the laptop down can any one help ?
August 17th, 2008 14:42
aaaaaaaaaaaa lo pido porfavor!!
algun tecniko o alguna wea k me de
la solucion de el msn live con el error k sale
80070005 aaaaaaaa me tiene aburridoooo!!
August 12th, 2008 14:48
Same problem for me. This page helped me solve the problem!
In my situation I did not have a password for the account. After setting the password (it was the first time) messenger was able to log on.
August 5th, 2008 05:36
hey. i have windows vista, and i cant install any kind of messenger on it, help me
July 16th, 2008 21:47
ok look eres my problem….. i can log in sometimes to wlm but theres this girl who messaged me one day when i was asleep so its an instant message/offline message IDK but if I DO log in and it let me then i try to close that window it get an error that say wlm unexpectedly has to close or something like that but if i ignore the chat message it works just fine but i want to get it out of there it get annoying and i simply click on it BOOM!!! the chat messener has to close down and i get annoyed and AFTER that! every time i try to log in it automatically says it has to close down what do i do!?!?!!?!?! im running vista!
July 15th, 2008 05:13
thanks alot you solved my problem
July 4th, 2008 18:21
I have Windows Vista, and every time I log on, its fine until a chat window opens up.
Then it shuts itself down.
It came with the computer, so I don’t really think its incompatible.
Does anyone else have this problem ?
June 29th, 2008 01:45
thxx
June 7th, 2008 07:43
WINDOWS VISTA SUCKS! windows messenger and yahoo messenger doesn’t work with vista, you’ll keep having conflicts with Vista
June 6th, 2008 18:07
i can’t run the stupid windows live!!! HELP ME T_T
April 22nd, 2008 05:37
cute
February 26th, 2008 23:13
I’ve had messenger on my lappie with Vista and I’ve had the same thing happen - can’t log in and i’m getting the exact error. i’ve spent half the day trying to re-download the thing!
February 26th, 2008 05:29
a little confusing
August 7th, 2007 17:12
did i
August 7th, 2007 15:43
i want to use live messanger to contact all my freinds and relative and other nations
July 28th, 2007 18:19
I’ve loaded Vista Business on my pc and since then I cannot log into my messenger. It gives me an error code 81000306. What can I do?
July 8th, 2007 12:19
i got vista az well and my msn live workz but just a few day ago it just stop workin and it sayz that msn live iz unavable and givez me un error code 80070005 aand im so mad can ne 1 help me?