MS Messenger for Mac "Service is not available or you're not connect..."

[net91]

I have been trying to log onto my MSN account through Microsoft Messenger for Mac and keep getting the same error message. "Sign in to Microsoft Messenger failed because the service is not available or you may not be connected to the Internet."

I have tried connecting with my machines firewall disabled (the one that is part of Mac OS X [10.5.4]). I've also tried creating a rule for Microsoft Messenger allowing all connections.

I have been able to successfully connect to my MSN account using Adium, but only if it is set to connect through HTTP. I tried setting Microsoft Messenger to connect through a HTTP proxy using the same port and server as Adium, but that didn't work.

Windows Live Messenger works with my MSN account on any Windows Vista or XP machine I have connected to the internet through the same router, and I was previously able to connect using Microsoft Messenger for Mac on a Mac Mini with OS X 10.4 installed.

I have looked around the internet and seen the same issue but never anyway to solve it, or a way that I've tried and doesn't work for me. If anyone here has any idea they would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Daniel

[Rik]

Hi Dan

Sorry, but I'm going to be totally useless to you here, not using either a Mac or MSN.

Might be worth a quick call to support, 0800 0267237.

[net91]

Hi

I wasn't sure it was an issue they would cover. I'll phone and find out.

[Rik]

They'll try.

[net91]

They have recommended contacting Microsoft support. So I'll give that a try.

[Rik]

Sorry - I hope this doesn't feel like pillar to post.

[net91]

I'm not to bothered by the issue, I've been using Adium for quite a while, I was just really wondering whether anyone on this forum had any ideas or experience with this problem.

Microsoft support doesn't offer phone support, because my MSN account is a free one (which doesn't really surprise me). They do however have an email address I can use to get support, so I'll drop them an email and see how that goes.

Thanks
Daniel

[Rik]

Let us know how you get on will you? It may help someone else later (but keep an eye on the thread, someone may have the answer for you .)

[vitriol]

I've asked my boss to try to sign in, he has a mac, afterall it may be the service that is down.  Will post his result.

[Rik]

Thanks. 

[net91]

I will post anything I find out here.

Thanks vitriol for getting your boss to sign in, do you know what version of Mac OS or Messenger he is running?

Thanks
Daniel

[vitriol]

hi net91,

my boss is able to sign in ok, he is running leopard and this version of messenger

[net91]

Hi

Your boss is using the same versions as me. I'm at a loss at the moment as to what is going on.

Thanks
Daniel

[Glenn]

From you 'Delayed look up' thread

I've spoken to support and they have suggested it could be a software problem(with Firefox), or my firewall blocking port 80 for the web browser.

Could the firewall also be blocking you MSN?

[net91]

I tried signing in with my firewall disabled completely but still receive the same error message.

I am wondering whether the Windows and Mac version of the messenger softwere connect on the same port.

[Rik]

We have two or three Mac users that I know of, but none is online right now.

[net91]

Because I was able to log on to Microsoft Messenger on a different Mac I suppose that rules out it being my router's firewall though. 

[Glenn]

It's something on that particular Mac I would think.

[net91]

Yes, the only thing I can think of now is possibly something wrong with the software on the machine. (I have tried re installing Microsoft Messenger, with no luck.)

Thanks for all your replies.
Daniel

[net91]

I've received a reply via email from Microsoft support on the issue.

<sub>Hi Daniel,

Thank you for contacting MSN Messenger Technical Support. My name is Larrence and I will be helping you today.

Based on the information that I received, I understand that you cannot sign in to MSN Messenger with the error message Sign in Messenger failed because the service is not available or you may not be connected to the Internet but, you confirmed that your Internet connection is working properly. In addition to that you had configured your firewall to allow MSN Messenger to access to the Internet. I certainly understand how inconvenient that would be. Allow me to help you in the best way I can.

Daniel, it is possible that the MSN Messenger servers are temporarily unavailable. To cover up all possible causes of this issue, these might applies:

- Your MSN Messenger proxy settings are not correct.

- Your MSN Messenger service is blocked by a firewall.

- Your computer is not connected to the Internet.

- Your computer network does not allow for access to the MSN Messenger service.

- The MSN Messenger for Mac operating system cannot verify the certificate. 

To resolve this issue you need to verify if the Messenger service is down. I had also provided other steps that might help out to resolve this issue such as checking your proxy configuration if it's correct and make sure that your firewall and router is configured correctly. To do these, kindly follow these steps:

1. Please verify that the Messenger service is working by visiting the following Web site:

http://status.messenger.msn.com/Status.aspx     

2. If you are encountering errors singing into your corporate account for instant messaging (Corporate Contact in MAC Messenger 5.x and 6.x), please contact your network administrator for support. If you are unable to connect to the Messenger service using your personal Messenger ID, please read further. 

3. Visit https://www.microsoft.com to make sure that you are connected to the Internet. If the Web page does not appear, troubleshoot the connectivity issue. Follow these steps:

a. Make sure that your Internet browser has the correct proxy configuration settings. Contact your network administrator or your Internet service provider (ISP) to determine the correct settings. If you are not sure of the settings, clear any proxy settings that are available and then test the connectivity again. To clear the proxy configuration settings in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2, follow these steps:

1. Start Internet Explorer 5.2 for Mac.

2. On the Explorer menu, click Preferences.

3. Under Network option, click Proxies.

4. Clear the Secure Proxy Option check box, and then click OK.

5. Try to visit a Web site again. 

b. Make sure that the firewall or the router that you are using gives you access to port HTTP (80). For more information about port settings, contact the firewall or router manufacturer.

c. If these steps do not resolve your connectivity issue, your TCP/IP settings may be incorrect or the network adapter may have to be reinstalled. Contact your ISP or computer manufacturer for help. 

4. If you are not already the latest version of Messenger for your MAC operating system, visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=msnmessenger to download and install the desired version of Messenger on MAC. 

5. If you are using a firewall, make sure that Messenger has full access through the firewall. To allow Messenger through the Mac firewall.

a. On the Apple desktop menu, select System Preferences.

b. In the System Preferences window, click Sharing, and then click Firewall.

c. Click New, and then click MSN Messenger in the list of programs. 

6. If your computer is part of a corporate network, contact your network administrator to make sure that the network allows for access to the Microsoft .NET Messenger service.

7. Ensure TCP ports 1863, 80, 443 are enabled through your firewall.

8. Verify your proxy settings in Messenger.

a. On the MSN Messenger menu, click Preferences.

b. Click the Connection or Accounts tab.

c. Select Automatically configure using system network preferences to ensure the system network settings are used by Messenger also.

d. Click OK to save settings. 

9. Make sure that the current date and time is set correctly on your computer on the Date and Time panel in System Preferences.

Note An incorrect date or time may prevent your Internet browser from recognizing your Messenger certificate. Or, and incorrect date or time may cause the browser to disable your certificate in Certificate Authorities. To verify date and time settings, follow these steps:

a. On the Apple desktop menu, select System Preferences.

b. Click Date and Time and verify that the date and time are accurate. 

10. If you have verified the date and time and are still encountering the error

Either date and time settings are incorrect, or the digital certificate file is not valid or installed on your computer.

If date and time are correct, see your network administrator to verify that your digital certificate file is valid and installed, it may be because you may not have the correct certificate authority's root certificate on your machine. The certificate that may be missing belongs to a System keychain and restoring it can be done by reinstalling the operating system or copying the system keychain from another computer. For assistance please contact Apple support to restore these files on your machine http://www.apple.com/support/osfamily/   

11. Delete the MSN Messenger preferences.

a. Close MSN Messenger for Mac.

b. Click the icon for the hard disk drive.

c. Click Users, and then click your user name.

d. Click Library, click Preferences, and then click Microsoft .

e. Drag com.microsoft.Messenger.plist and com.microsoft.Messenger.rtc.plist to the trash.

f. Open the Microsoft folder inside the preferences folder, and then drag Microsoft Messenger User Cache.plist to the trash. 

I hope these steps resolve your concern with MSN Messenger. However, if these steps would not resolve the issue you are encountering, please reply back to us and give the details of what had happened when you performed the steps provided.

Thank you for contacting MSN Messenger Technical Support. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Larrence

MSN Messenger Technical Support</sub>

[Rik]

That should keep you busy for a while, Dan.

[net91]

Yhea 

Hopefully it helps.

[Rik]

  

[Baz]

this probably wont help but do you get an error code?

Ive had the same problem for ages got an error code and just googled it and found loads of fixes, just trying to find one that works for you is the prob   I got fed up and left it then found Messenger fixed itself 

[net91]

I haven't had any error codes. How long did it take before your Messenger fixed itself?

Thanks
Dan

[net91]

I have tried following the steps given to me in the email from Microsoft support with no luck. I have informed them of this so they should respond with some more ideas for fixing it.

[Baz]

sorry Dan cant say exactly as I dont use it too much but as I got sick of trying and just left it I would guess about any time within 3 weeks. Not much help I know.

One other thing what I can say which might give you something to go on is that MSN Messenger worked on my sons system upstairs while it didnt on mine so it may be system related.

HTH

[net91]

Are both of your systems running the same version of the OS?


Dan

[net91]

Second email from Microsoft support. Giving it a shot now.

<sub>Hi Daniel,

Thank you for writing back to MSN Messenger Technical Support. My name is Mark.

I understand that you are still having problem on signing in to MSN Messenger for Mac and you're still getting an error message saying Sign in Messenger failed because the service is not available or you may not be connected to the Internet. Previous steps failed to resolve your issue. I realize how inconvenient this is. Be assured that I will help you resolve this concern the quickest way possible.

Since you mentioned that you're Internet connection is working fine and you can connect. It's possible that your Messenger program is corrupted.

To resolve your issue, I suggest you to uninstall and reinstall Messenger from your computer.

You should be able to sign in without any problems once these procedures have been performed.

To resolve this issue, make sure to perform these steps.

Here are the steps to remove Microsoft Messenger for Mac

Visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/download/misc/messenger603.xml to uninstall Messenger.

To reinstall Microsoft Messenger for Mac
1. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/default.aspx?pid=msnmessenger
2. On the right side, click the version of Microsoft Messenger for Mac that you want to download.
3.  Follow the installation instructions on the page to download the program.

If this information does not resolve or apply to the issue that you have submitted then please reply to this email and include any additional information that you feel may be helpful in resolving your issue.

Thank you for contacting MSN Messenger Technical Support. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Mark
MSN Messenger Technical Support</sub>

[Rik]

  Indeed.

[net91]

No luck after following the second email from Microsoft support, I'll see what they have to say in their third one.

[Rik]

Good luck, Dan. 

[net91]

 

[net91]

I think I may have found something useful on the Microsoft website.

_{Launch the Keychain Access application, located in your Utilities folder.
Look on the left pane for the x509 anchors. Do any certificates show for the
x509 anchors? If so, do you have the ³Secure Server Certification Authority²
certificate? If not, you will need to copy this certificate from another
Macintosh into the x509 anchors in your keychain, or reinstall the OS. The
certificate allows for a more secure login}

It's said on this website that Mac OS X 10.4 had the x509 anchors in the keychain by default, which would make sense because I could connect using Microsoft Messenger on my old Mac mini running 10.4. It seems though that my only option is to reinstall my entire OS to get them on my machine now, which I'm not keen on doing especially as it's not one hundred percent chance of working.

Do any other Mac OS X 10.5 users using Microsoft messenger have the x509 anchors in their keychains?

Thanks
Daniel

[Steve]

I presume you no longer have the mac mini to copy them from?

[net91]

No I sold it when I got the mac I'm using now, and there not on the discs that came with the machine.

[Tina]

Probably no help, but I am logged into my MSN on my mac mini, so it sounds like it's your comp

[net91]

I have received another email from Microsoft support saying that they are passing the issue on to their product specialist team. They have requested I send them various details about my system, and I have had to agree to give them access to my MSN account. Hopefully they can sort things out.

[Rik]

Toes and eyes crossed for you, Dan. 

[net91]

 

[net91]

Probably no help, but I am logged into my MSN on my mac mini, so it sounds like it's your comp

Is your mini running OS X 10.4?

[Tina]

Yes it is

[net91]

Thanks to everyone who has posted here.

I'm going to have to leave it until Monday now as I'm working all day Saturday and at a BBQ for my sister's birthday Sunday. I have another email from Microsoft support to look forward to so I'll post that here next week.


Dan

[Rik]

I hope the weather holds for Sunday, Dan. Every time I plan a BBQ, it rains.

[net91]

I hope the weather holds for Sunday, Dan. Every time I plan a BBQ, it rains.

It did.

[net91]

Microsoft support have emailed me requesting a log file from Messenger so I haven't really got anything new from them to report yet.

[Rik]

They're as bad as us, nothing but questions.

[net91]

I've received an email from Microsoft support this morning saying they have passed the issue on to their product specialist team, and can expect a response within 72 hours. So I'll post what they say here.

[Rik]

Thanks, Dan.

[Tina]

hi - i found this thread on the mac forums, which sems to be the same issue as yours. Hope it helps http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103736

[Rik]

Good link, thanks. 

[net91]

Thanks for the link dissonance. 

I have checked the firewall like they have discussed on there. I have tried connecting with my machines firewall completely disabled, and my router is set to allow all IM ports. I have also checked that my routers firmware is up to date.

It's interesting that end.user on that thread could connect when he used a different router, although I'm not sure what else I could try with my router (and I've had Messenger for Mac connected through my router on a different machine and also know Windows machines can connect to MSN now through my router. )

Anyway I'm going to keep having a look there to see if anything is added.

[net91]

I've got a response from the product specialist team requesting information about my firewall. I'll keep posting any developments on here.

[Simon]

Thanks Dan. 

[net91]

I've changed my router, and since been able to use Microsoft Messenger on my Mac.

Thanks for everyone who posted on this thread. 

 

[Rik]