Contacts gone missing

[vt_2005]

Hi all,
I just installed and started using WLM 8.0 after using MSN 7.5 for a long time. To my great dismay all my contacts have gone missing since I started running WLM, and I have no clue as to how I can import them or re-add them etc. I have started re-adding some of my contacts manually (help, I can't remember any!) but they always appear offline and give me a message that I have not added them to my contact list. When trying to follow a link that is supposed to enable me to add the person to my contact list, nothing happens. On top of all of this, my icon in the bottom right area says "connection error" upon mouseover, and the main screen on my WLM window says "due to a connection problem" etc.
Can someone please help me, I do not know how to resolve this myself.
All help greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance!!

VT

[princeG]

If your contact list is empty or incomplete after you upgrade to Windows Live Messenger, the cached contact list may not have updated correctly. To update your contact list, follow these steps:
a. Sign out of Messenger.
b. Click "Start," click "Run," type the following command, and then click "OK":
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Messenger\
c. A new Microsoft Windows Explorer window opens. In the window, click your Messenger ID.
d. Double-click the Contacts folder.
e. Delete the two folders that are in the Contacts folder.
f. Sign in to Messenger again..

Good luck