Page Navigation...
[Who has you as a buddy?]
[Change the Background Image]
[Typing Indicator..]
[Font Colours, Size etc...]
[Editing Font Colours (Registry)]
[Sounds, Std, Changing...]
[Profile Name Scripts..]


Who has you as a buddy?
Launch MSN Messenger
hit Tools
select Options
hit the Privacy tab
hit View
src="../archive/msn/msnview.jpg" width=375 height=59 border=0>
this will bring a up a sometimes fickle list of the people that you have on their buddies list
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Change the Background Image....
Stored in your Messenger folder is a file called lvback.gif

and it's this file that creates the background image of your messenger so if you want to replace it just create a new graphic, save it as lvback.gif and drop it in the messenger folder. I strongly suggest you rename the original msn graphic first in case you ever want to use it again... the best way to do this is to keep it in the folder but just rename from lvback.gif to lvback.OLD
Heres one we did..
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Typing Indicator....
You'll often hear me saying that I just LOVE the fact that MSN Messenger has a typing indicator.. and I honestly do! From our point of view when you're giving tech support via IM's it's the most useful feature you could ever have.. it allows the person your communicating with to know when your actually in the middle of typing something...Brilliant!

So why is the typing indicator a trick? Well it's not.. it's merely included in this section because it tricks a lot of you into thinking MSN Messenger doesn't have this feature (or that your version doesn't have it which is the most common complaint we get) by not being blatantly obvious. It's not a button that you turn on or off and it doesn't show in the body of active IM window... it's tucked right down the bottom....

It will only show up if something is actually being typed by the person your communicating with... logical really ;-)
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Font Colours, Size etc....

Launch MSN Messenger
on the control menu select Tools
select Options
hit the Personal Tab
select Edit Font
src="../archive/msn/emoticonon.gif" width="378" height="87">
in Set My Message Font..
select the Font, Font Style, Size, Effect, Colour and Script....

hit Ok and your done :-)
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Editing Font Colours (Registry)....
submitted by Gollum
NOTE: this envolves delving into your registry.. DO NOT try it if you don't know what your doing.. you have been warned :-)

go to windows folder
then open REGEDIT.exe
then open the key:
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1214440339-113007714-1202660629-500\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService

(if this is different i apologise, and you'll have to search for the MSN
Messanger key for your system - i'm using Windoze 2000)

then go to the "IM color" key and open it...
you can then change your font color to whatever you like using HEX...for
example:
"FF 66 00 00"
would be orange.
Peace, Out
~Gollum

addition:
Windows ME users your key is located..
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService
colours...
use any hex colour code.. the last set of two numbers remains 00

or try [MSN Font Colours] (direct download) from [msnskins]

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Sounds, Std, Changing....
Changing sounds in MSN Messenger is a little different to most IM programs and you don't actually do it from MSN Messenger itself... that's Windows for you ;-)
open My Computer
then Control Panel
then Sounds and Multimedia

scroll down to MSN Messenger Service

the std sounds for are as follows...
Contact Online: online.wav
New Alert: newalert.wav
New Mail: newmail.wav
New Message: type.wav

these wav's are stored C:\Program Files\Messenger

you can change to sound files to any wav you like...
hit the name of the action (Contact Online, New Alert etc)
hit Browse
then navigate your way to sound file you wish to use, C:\Windows\Media is a good place to start for stock std windows sounds and it's also a convenient place to store your downloaded wavs.
when you've made your choice simply click once on the file, hit OK and your done. Do this for each action you wish to change.
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Profile Name Scripts....
everyone has no doubt seen profile names as shown below..


but what you might not have seen is how to do them..
First off you need to access My Display Name..
then hit Tools, Options, Personal Tab, once there just enter the script you wish to display
Here's a couple of examples for you..
this..

shows up as this...


this..

shows up as this (note how the script now takes up 3 lines!)...

[code available here] right click "Save target as.."

this..

shows up as this...


this..

shows up as this...


to access My Display Name..
Hit Tools, Options, Personal Tab
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