AIM frequently asked questions

[DJHyperbyte]

This thread deals with the most commonly asked questions regarding AOL Instant Messenger.

Please, before asking any question, read this FAQ and search the forum to see if the answer is already out there. BigBlueBall has been providing answers to IM users for several years now; there's a good chance your question may have already been asked. If you cannot find the answer to your question anywhere on BigBlueBall, don't hesitate to post a new topic.

NAVIGATION:
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1. Installation/Screennames
   • Where can I sign up for an AIM screenname?
   • The screenname I want is already in use. What can I do?
   • I don't remember my password, and I can't get to the email my account is registered to. Can I still retrieve my password and get back into my account?
   • Can I completely delete my old AIM screenname?
   • I've a got screenname. Can I change it without signing up for a new one?
   • I'm unable to format my screen name through AIM. How can I format it?
   • How do I disable the AIM Today window?
   • Where can I get old versions of AIM?
   • What is the difference between AIM 5.x (also called "AIM Classic") and Triton/6.0/AIM Pro?
2. Buddylist
   • How many buddies can I have on my buddy list?
   • Is there a way to see who has added me to their AIM buddylist?
3. Messaging
   • Can you send messages to an offline user, so they'll receive it when they go online?
   • Is there a way to retrieve messages I sent or received earlier?
   • FIX: Slow IM / IM delay on Send Message
4. Profiles
   • Can I see who views my profile?
   • Some weird text keeps appearing in my profile and I can't remove it. How do I get rid of this?
   • One of my friends had a message in his profile saying "Press F2" - when I did, a new line appeared... how do I do that?
5. Add-ons
   • Where can I get a free version of DeadAIM?
6. Smileys
   • What actually happened to the BigBlueBall Smiler?
   • How can I replace the default AIM smiley faces with a different set, like the monkey faces?
7. Expressions
   • How can I create my own AIM expressions?
8. Other
   • I have signed on in multiple locations, but I need to kick them off, how can I do this?
   • Some people on my list have a lock icon next to their name, what is it and how do I get one?
   • I have more than one Windows Session Logoff away message, how can I get rid of them?
9. AIM URL commands

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We will attempt to keep this FAQ as up-to-date as possible. If you think there is an error with any of these answers, or if information here becomes outdated, please contact Jon8RFC and let him know!

Keep in mind that any questions or answers are subject to the Forum Policies.

[Tigerblade]

Q: Where can I sign up for an AIM screenname?
A: From the official website for AIM, located at AIM.com. Currently (at the time of this edit, 13 July 2006) the actual screenname registration form is located here.

Q: The screenname I want is already in use. What can I do?
A: The short answer is, you can't do anything. Most obvious screennames are already in use. But, since AIM recently added a rule to it's TOS that says that screennames expire after 90 days of inactivity, you could simply keep checking. However, it is important to note that this "rule" doesn't seem to be entirely in effect, at least not yet.
You may want to try as many different variations on your chosen screenname as you can... use different letters, spellings, add numbers, whatever you can do to make your screenname as distinctive as you can.

Q: I'm unable to format my screen name through AIM. How can I format it?
A:

Originally Posted by Someguy03

I know that alot of people are having that problem where when you try to format your screen on AIM, it gives you an error and won't let you. So I've developed a work around:

1. Download MiniFormat here and save it to your desktop (This link is clean, I uploaded it myself):
MiniFormat 1.2

2. Download these files and put them in C:\Windows\System32 (Miniformat will give you errors if you don't do this)
TABCTL32.OCX
TOC2SOCK.OCX
MSWINSCK.OCX

2. Enter your screename and password and click "Login" (Don't worry, this has been checked and is completely safe):


2. Wait for the "Stats: Idle...". to change to "Stats: Online!", and then click the "Formatter" tab at the top

3. Once your in the formatter tab, Click the "Options" button and then go down to "Format your screename (one time only)" and click on that. Then enter your screename with the formatting you want, and click OK. It should change your screename after a couple minutes. If it doesn't, try doing it several more times. If that doesn't work, try signing off and on and doing it again.



4. Your done. If you get any errors, tell me.

Q: I don't remember my password, and I can't get to the email my account is registered to. Can I still retrieve my password and get back into my account?
A: The short, usual answer is--no. You can try to retrieve your password using this page; sometimes the option to enter in alternate information is given. The alternate fields are usually only offered if all of that information (zip code, birthdate, gender) was attached to your screen name upon creation, and is still stored on the AIM servers.

Q: Can I completely delete my old AIM screenname?
A: Short answer is that no, you can't. As stated above, AIM's Terms of Service supposedly deactivate accounts that have been inactive for a certain period of time, but this is apparently seldom enacted.

Q: I've already got a screenname. Can I change it without signing up for a completely new one?
A: Only partly. You can only change the spacing and case of your screenname. Go to your 'My AIM' menu, then navigate down to 'Preferences' > 'Format screen name' and format your screenname as you wish. Keep in mind that you cannot go over 16 characters, spaces included, and that the "new" one cannot be spelled differently.

Q: How do I disable the AIM Today window?
A: In AIM v5.2 and below go to your 'My AIM' menu, then 'Preferences' > 'Sign On/Off' and remove the checkmark from 'Show AIM Today window at Sign On'. In AIM v5.5 you need to use RegEdit to navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\America Online\AOL Instant Messenger (TM)\CurrentVersion\Users\SCREEN-NAME\Misc and modify 'ShowAimTodayWindow' to 'DWORD:00000000'. If you're not familiar with editing the registry, this step is not recommended.

Q: Where can I get old versions of AIM?
A: There are two AOL sites where you can download a lot of old AIM installers: AIMgen folder 73010 & AIMgen folder 380462. There is also a large database located here: Jon8RFC's database

Q: What is the difference between AIM 5.x (also called "AIM Classic") and Triton/6.0/AIM Pro?*1
A: Triton was an entirely new program made to provide the most popular requests of AIM users. Triton was renamed to AIM 6.0 in late 2006. AIM Pro is based off of the Triton coding, but aimed at corporations.

*1 Addons/plugins and other programs that worked with AIM Classic are not compatible with Triton/6.0/AIM Pro.

[Tigerblade]

Q: How many buddies can I have on my buddy list?
A: (as of February 28, 2007) You can have a maximum of 1,500 buddies on your buddy list.

Q: Is there a way to see who has added me to their AIM buddylist?
A: Not unless others have submitted their buddylists to BuddyTree.com. If they have not done so, then you cannot see their buddylists.

[Tigerblade]

Q: Can you send messages to an offline user, so they'll receive it when they go online?
A1: If you're using AIM 6 (AIM 5.9 and prior do not have this built-in), you can send messages to an offline user. To ensure you have this feature enabled--as well as being able to receive IMs when you're offline--you need to sign on to AIM, go into the settings for that screen name (on buddy list click on menu EDIT, then SETTINGS), click on the "Offline IM" button on the left, then put checkmarks beside options you want enabled.
A2: In the past, services such as DoorManBot and MessageServer allowed anyone with any version of AIM to do this. See the update below.
Update (13 July 2006): It appears DoorManBot will no longer be available. See this thread for the news announcement.

Q: Is there a way to retrieve messages I sent or received earlier?
A: There is no way to automatically retrieve old messages unless you have an appropriate program installed to do so. You can install an AIM add-on that supports logging to record your messages from now on if you haven't already done so. You can find one in this topic on the Latest & Most Useful AIM Programs.

FIX: Slow IM / IM delay on Send Message
If when you send a message with AIM, there is a delay where the program freezes -- see this topic.

[Tigerblade]

Q: Can I see who views my profile?
A: No, you cannot track profile views automatically. However, you can include a link for them to click which will provide you with a list of viewers. For this, you can try IMchaos. Without the user clicking a link such as this, there is currently no way to track who is viewing your profile.

Q: Some weird text keeps appearing in my profile and I can't remove it. How do I get rid of this?
A: You are infected with a virus. Don't worry though, here are some guidelines on removing the virus.

Q: One of my friends had a message in his profile saying "Press F2" - when I did, a new line appeared... how do I do that?
A: This is the classic "F2 Trick." To do this, open up a text editor like Notepad and type something like <!--Secret Message--> (italics are just for emphasis). Then copy that text and paste it into your profile. You now have the invisible F2 message.

[Tigerblade]

Q: Where can I get a free version of DeadAIM?
A: If you want DeadAIM 4.0 or above, you will have to buy it from JDennis. You can the older, free version of DeadAIM from BetaNews for free, but you will be missing some great features. NOTE: Do not ask us to provide you with free copies of software that you would otherwise have to buy.

You may want to check out the Latest and Most Useful AIM Programs thread for alternatives.

[Tigerblade]

Q: What actually happened to the BigBlueBall Smiler?
A: AOL decided that our smiley reference for AIM infringed upon their intellectual property. The old smiley codes are still around; we also have the extended smileys code list but without images of the actual smileys.

Q: How can I replace the default AIM smiley faces with a different set, like the monkey faces?
A1: Freeezer created his program, Smilez, specifically for this. The most recent build, 3.0 b.15, can be downloaded from Jon8RFC, here. This program is designed for AIM 5.1 - 5.9, and also adds the feature of tabbed IM windows. To access the settings for Smilez, click on your buddy list menu My AIM> Smilez.
A2: Alternatively, you can use the smiley codes to copy and paste the codes into the AIM window, but you can't replace the defaults.

[Tigerblade]

Q: How can I create my own AIM expressions?
A: Brady Vercher wrote a great tutorial about creating AIM expressions. In addition, you can get more help in this thread.

[Tigerblade]

Q: I have signed on in multiple locations, but I need to kick them off, how can I do this?
A: Send "1" (Without quotes) to the AOL System Msg to sign off all other sessions, except the current one. Clicking this link will create the message for you, providing that you're currently signed into AIM on the computer and account you want to stay signed in: log off other locations

Q: Some people on my list have a lock icon next to their name, what is it and how do I get one?
A: The lock icon means that the user has encryption enabled for higher security in their IMs. You can get an encryption certificate at this site.

Q: I have more than one Windows Session Logoff away message, how can I get rid of them?
A: This topic explains how to remove the extra ones.

[Tigerblade]

Send a Message
aim:goim
aim:goim?screenname=screen+name
aim:goim?screenname=screen+name&message=message

Adding Buddies
aim:addbuddy
aim:addbuddy?screenname=screen+name
aim:addbuddy?screenname=screen+name&groupname=grou p+name

Buddyicons
aim:buddyicon
aim:buddyicon?src=image_source
aim:buddyicon?screename=screen+name
aim:buddyicon?src=image_source&screename=screen+na me

Check Email
aim:CheckEmail
aim:CheckEmail?Address=what@what.com

Away Messages
aim:goaway?message=Message+Here

Send a chat Invitation
aim:gochat
aim:gochat?roomname=room
aim:gochat?roomname=room&exchange=4
aim:gochat?roomname=room&exchange=4&instance=1

Chatroom
aim:GoChat?RoomName=A&Exchange=4

Get Files
aim:getfile
aim:getfile?screenname=screen+name

Send Files
aim:sendfile
aim:sendfile?screenname=screen+name

Register Users
aim:registeruser
aim:registeruser?screenname=screen+name
aim:registeruser?screenname=screen+name&password=p assword
aim:registeruser?screenname=screen+name&password=p assword&signonnow=true

Adding Games
aim:addgame
aim:addgame?name=Game
aim:addgame?name=Game&hideIMs=true
aim:addgame?name=Game&hideIMs=true&multiplayer=tru e
aim:addgame?name=Game&hideIMs=true&multiplayer=tru e&url=www.url.com

Roll Dice
//roll-dice 15-sides 222

AIM Today
aim:aimtoday?url=http://www.google.com