Solution: MSN Messenger through a firewall

[DrJ]

This solution should work for most firewalls, provided the access is not restricted by domain name, and access to regedit is possible.

Click on Start --> Run
Type in "regedit" and then click OK (without the " )

Navigate through the registry editor to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger

Select the "Server" key, Right click, and select "Modify"

Change the value data to:
gateway.messenger.hotmail.com:80

This will connect MSN on port 80, the http port, is working perfectly for me behind a draconian ISP firewall.

Enjoy...

Just an addendum...

I discovered this after about a month of trying to get MSN to work at my office here, where port 1863 is blocked.

I had tried all sorts of cumbersome alternatives such as SSH tunnels, proxy clients and servers, some of the "web-based" versions (which are all extremely difficult to operate, and very unreliable), even using VNC sessions to my home machine.

This simple fix has saved all of that...

[shifter]

Thanks for the great info!

[He-Man]

You are a genious! Pray the lord

I had tried all too

quote:as SSH tunnels, proxy clients and servers, some of the "web-based" versions (which are all extremely difficult to operate, and very unreliable), even using VNC sessions to my home machine

But nothing worked. Error 0x81000363 and 0x8100036f

The simple fix is a miracle

[DrJ]

Hmm... am still finding elements of using the gateway.messenger.hotmail.com:80 fix intermittent - it seems to disappear for a few days then come back for a while... sporadic.

[He-Man]

It works great for me. Every day

Maybe you can try other servers. Something like this.

Change the key in:

gateway.messenger.hotmail.com:80;http1.msgr.hotmail.com:80;64.4.13.1:80

I don't know if these servers are good

[kisanjo]

Hi DrJ... I tried the suggestion but it doesn't work...
I have a YAHOO chat and it uses proxy . I typed the proxy and it work for YAHOO but It doesn't for MSN. Can you tell me how can I go around it? or why am I not getting connected to MSN when I can connect to YAHOO?>

[Britarchivist]

too bad that idea does not work. I cant use Yahoo, AOL, MSN in any manner.

[Tweety]

I tried this solution but then I couldnt connect to MSN so I Had to go back to the original settings in the registry

[cmaxim]

Hy everyone,

I'm under Win2K and I'm using the latest version of MSN, when I launch regedit and look at the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger directory I don't see the "Server" Key ... What should I do ?

THank U

[He-Man]

quote:Originally posted by cmaxim

I'm under Win2K and I'm using the latest version of MSN, when I launch regedit and look at the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger directory I don't see the "Server" Key ... What should I do ?

You have to update to > MSN Messenger 6.

That is the reason why I can't use Messenger in NT4, because you can't install Messenger 6 on NT4. I don't know how to configurate Messenger 5. Any clues?

--

If the gateway.messenger.hotmail.com:80 isn't working (Tweety, Britarchivist, kisanjo) then it's probably blocked by your network administrator. He's smarter then my network admin