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Windows Live Messenger won't remember sign-in information RRS feed

  • Question

  • I have the following problem:

    I want my messenger to remind my sign-in information (account and password) I select the options at the sign in screen but whenever I restart my pc and try again it doesn't remember them.

    I am using Windows Live Messenger Version 2009 (14.0.8064.206).

    Thanks for your help.
    Tuesday, March 10, 2009 11:34 PM

Answers

  • Hello,

    I've found the answer to this annoying problem @ http://messengergeek.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E3785B1281BBDA1!2883.entry , the culprit Yahoo! Toolbar.

    WARNING: the autofix download available there is only for English (language) Windows, using the download for other languages may break configurations for other programs such as Firefox. For other language you have to have to do it manually, following the solution Adam proposes:

    Adam wrote:
    You don't actually need to install this app everybody keeps downloading.... All you need to do is change a registry value.

    After hours of messing around with RegEdit + Yahoo Messenger + Microsoft's Virtual PC I've found the problem and a solution to why apps like Msn Messenger suddenly can't remember their passwords anymore.

    When Yahoo toolbar gets installed it sets the following registry value:

    [HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-796845957-926492609-725345543-1003\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
    AppData = %AppData%

    The problem here is AppData should actually be the following

    AppData = %USERPROFILE%\Application Data

    So when MSN or other apps that use that registry key go to save their data it gets lost.

    So the solution is simple, run regedit and go to

    [HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-796845957-926492609-725345543-1003\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]

    and set the value AppData to a data value of %USERPROFILE%\Application Data


    But instead of Application Data you have to use the expression used in your language, for example in Spanish it is Datos de programa .

    I hope this fixes this mess :-)



    PS. I'm not going to install Yahoo! Toolbar anymore, first it messed up my right click in Firefox and then this. Not worth it.
    • Marked as answer by velascomike Wednesday, August 26, 2009 3:27 PM
    Wednesday, August 26, 2009 3:27 PM

All replies

  • Same version, same problem here. Never had such problem before ever with Messenger, until one day, suddenly it did not work anymore. sharing is not selected and remember me boxes alwasy clicked, After sign out, all login boxes and checkboxes default back. There is definitely something wrong here. It's weird that this issue is not reported much. Did you find a fix already?
    Friday, June 12, 2009 1:27 AM
  • So when you go to click remember information do you get the error : Sorry, there was a problem completing your request. Please try again later

    I cannot get it to go either with or without remembering details now.
    Friday, June 12, 2009 10:21 AM
  • Hi.... I am having the same problem and not sure what to do.

    It has been almost 3 weeks since the problem started all of a sudden and I am sure I did not install anything.

    I wish Live Messenger development team should fix this issue.

    It is really annoying every time the computer is restarted all the values are set to default or blank. But the information is remembered until the computer is restarted.

    Few of my friends having the same problem. Is there a fix for this problem? Please help.

    I read few forums and found out that there is a fix if we create a new account and copy all the files into that and start all over again... But that is a lot of work.

    Sure there is something on registry settings. Just not sure why is it so. Some verdicts... Few of my friends still on previous version of Live Msger and I am on 2009. Some tried to upgrade to newer version and they still face the problem.

    It will be greatly appreciated if there is a fix to this problem. Thanks a million.
    • Edited by tmariaz Wednesday, June 24, 2009 4:38 AM
    Wednesday, June 24, 2009 3:03 AM
  • Same here. just started about 4-5 days ago. Been the only thing I type in google trying to find an answer for ! this is so frustrating. Not only windows live messenger (MSN) doesn't

    remember the signin info, my g-mail notifier also forgets the signin info.

    I bet it is some kind of an update that messed everything !

    I have also noticed the .NET passport doesn't save the info on the Manage Network Passwords under user accounts.

    I have disabledomaincredentials set to disabled and I'm sure most if not all of the posters on this thred has done the same regedit hacking and fiddeling.

    I hope a fix is soon to be released.

    By the way; I'm using windows media center edition, and msn used to be fine for years untill few days ago. so dont tell me this has to do with the windows version I have !

    Sinan
    Wednesday, June 24, 2009 4:03 AM
  • I have the following problem:

    I want my messenger to remind my sign-in information (account and password) I select the options at the sign in screen but whenever I restart my pc and try again it doesn't remember them.

    I am using Windows Live Messenger Version 2009 (14.0.8064.206).

    Thanks for your help.

    I found this on another site and it worked for me. Good luck peoples.

    "i used to have the same problem and this is how i solved it... go where your widows live is installed for example local disk c, program files, windows live; in the windows live folder there is supposed to be an 'installer' folder, there you should find the windows live repair (wlarp) application. run it and click repair (not uninstall). i hope that this will help you. :)"
    • Proposed as answer by NgKat Thursday, July 2, 2009 5:38 PM
    • Unproposed as answer by djartsincModerator Wednesday, July 22, 2009 7:19 AM
    • Marked as answer by djartsincModerator Wednesday, July 22, 2009 7:19 AM
    • Unmarked as answer by velascomike Wednesday, July 22, 2009 3:04 PM
    Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:46 PM
  • I dont have such an application (wlarp) I'm using msn 8.5 thought ! ! I have moved to digsby and I think I'm going to stick with it. Thanks for the help thouth.
    Thursday, July 2, 2009 5:54 PM
  • hi! i've tried running wlarp, but i couldn't open it. is there any otherway to fix this problem other than creating a new account and this wlarp??
    Thursday, July 2, 2009 6:02 PM
  • Hi clairaudience,

    I have tried running wlarp to no success. I hope that someone from the Messenger development team look into this so we can fix it.

    Thanks anyway for your help.
    Friday, July 3, 2009 1:03 AM
  • Sorry guys. It DID work for me until I rebooted, and then it seemed to be right back to the problem again. I personally have given up. Hopefully a patch will fix it. It is brutal we have to put up with software that doesn't work properly or well.
    Sunday, July 5, 2009 2:48 AM
  • Hi Everyone,

    I've also been having this same problem.

    I've done a bit of research and found out the problem. I've pretty much copy and pasted other peoples answers from other sites:

    The time clock taskbar has problems. For some reason there is a glitch in this taskbar area. Microsoft knows about it, but never did a hotfix to correct it. I have tried everything I know without any sucess. I am afraid if you have the problem just be ready to re-sign in about 90 % of the time. You can check all the boxes and have all the settings correct and it will not hold your email address, password, and the three check you place in the boxes. Oh by the way, the auto fill will not help the process of retyping the entry. If anyone know of a fix post it here. I have about 100 sheets of fixes I have seen over thelast 2 year and non work.

    The problem indeed appears to be in the registry in the HKU. This part of the registry is different for each Windows profile (the name you log in with). Therefore, create a new profile (control panel --> User Accounts) and then test it out in this profile. If all is good, you can copy over things like desktop, favorites, Documents and Email from the old profile in C:\Documents and settings (XP) or C:\Users (Vista) to get your data to this new profile. Once you are satisfied and you have everything simply delete the old account.

    That's the only way I've found that works.

    Hope that helped
    Friday, July 10, 2009 4:42 AM
  • I have the following problem:

    I want my messenger to remind my sign-in information (account and password) I select the options at the sign in screen but whenever I restart my pc and try again it doesn't remember them.

    I am using Windows Live Messenger Version 2009 (14.0.8064.206).

    Thanks for your help.

    Friday, July 31, 2009 4:16 AM
  • I have the following problem:

    I want my messenger to remind my sign-in information (account and password) I select the options at the sign in screen but whenever I restart my pc and try again it doesn't remember them.

    I am using Windows Live Messenger Version 2009 (14.0.8064.206).

    Thanks for your help.

    Hello everyone,

    This is really a problem with Windows Live Messenger I guess. Maybe I think this is a bug.

    I have this problem existing for almost few months and none of the above mentioned works except I haven't tried creating a new account which is really a work consuming job.

    I am using Windows Live Messenger Version 2009 (Build 14.0.8064.206)

    It is really annoying every time I restart the computer and I have to retype all over again :(

    Microsoft should really do something to fix this issue.

    Thanks and I hope this will be fixed sooner.
    regards.
    Friday, July 31, 2009 4:36 AM
  • Hello,

    I've found the answer to this annoying problem @ http://messengergeek.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E3785B1281BBDA1!2883.entry , the culprit Yahoo! Toolbar.

    WARNING: the autofix download available there is only for English (language) Windows, using the download for other languages may break configurations for other programs such as Firefox. For other language you have to have to do it manually, following the solution Adam proposes:

    Adam wrote:
    You don't actually need to install this app everybody keeps downloading.... All you need to do is change a registry value.

    After hours of messing around with RegEdit + Yahoo Messenger + Microsoft's Virtual PC I've found the problem and a solution to why apps like Msn Messenger suddenly can't remember their passwords anymore.

    When Yahoo toolbar gets installed it sets the following registry value:

    [HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-796845957-926492609-725345543-1003\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
    AppData = %AppData%

    The problem here is AppData should actually be the following

    AppData = %USERPROFILE%\Application Data

    So when MSN or other apps that use that registry key go to save their data it gets lost.

    So the solution is simple, run regedit and go to

    [HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-796845957-926492609-725345543-1003\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]

    and set the value AppData to a data value of %USERPROFILE%\Application Data


    But instead of Application Data you have to use the expression used in your language, for example in Spanish it is Datos de programa .

    I hope this fixes this mess :-)



    PS. I'm not going to install Yahoo! Toolbar anymore, first it messed up my right click in Firefox and then this. Not worth it.
    • Marked as answer by velascomike Wednesday, August 26, 2009 3:27 PM
    Wednesday, August 26, 2009 3:27 PM
  • OMG Mike u rocked it! Finally my productivity can soar. LOL. Dude that's really awesome thanks so much... great work sticking with it and finding the solution to your own problem!

    One variation I would like to add is that the folder under HKEY_USERS that I have on my machine has a slightly different number than the one you list, although it does start off the same. It is also the only one of its kind under that section so it was easy to find the rest of the folder structure you listed anyways. I'm guessing the number is different maybe for different Windows versions, or something like that, and not really an issue.

    Thanks again for your work and for sharing.

    Best,
    d
    Wednesday, August 26, 2009 3:55 PM
  • You're welcome. I'm glad that the folks at the Jonathan Kay blog found the problem.

    And yes, the number varies because it is related to the Windows user (SID).

    Now let your productivity soar LOL.
    Wednesday, August 26, 2009 4:38 PM
  • Try this. It fix the problem for me :

    http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/07/09/fix-windows-live-messenger-not-remembering-id-and-password/
    Friday, August 28, 2009 3:59 AM
    • Proposed as answer by iRaQzLoVeR Saturday, September 5, 2009 12:59 PM
    Saturday, September 5, 2009 12:58 PM
  • This edit worked . . . Adam, thanks for your efforts to mess around with RedEdit, Yahoo Messenger and Microsoft Virtual PC to resolve this problem.  Even though I removed Yahoo! Toolbar after updating Yahoo! Messenger, Gmail Notifier and Windows Live Messenger stopped remembering my login credentials.  I followed your corrective action, rebooted and viola . . . problem solved.

     

    Tuesday, November 10, 2009 4:08 PM
  • i dont have yahoo toolbar and it still doesnt doo it and i cant click on remmember me remember my paassword or sign me in automaticly who knows how to doo itt x
    Thursday, February 18, 2010 11:09 AM
  • Thank You very much velascomike. It solved my problem with other IMs too.

    This is very bad of Yahoo Tool Bar

    Friday, March 19, 2010 11:14 AM
  • I have same problem,but I don't have yahoo toolbar.

    Tuesday, July 13, 2010 10:02 AM
  • Have you tried doing what was written below?

     

    If you have try going to:

    C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Installer

    Then open the file called wlarp , and select Repair , then click "Continue"

    If this doesn't work try downloading the latest Windows Live Messenger

     

    Hope this helps!

    Friday, July 16, 2010 6:34 AM
  • Well thank you very much :D, Someone who actually investigates and ties these seemingly unrelated events to each other to help is someone who has passion for this.

    I would have never related these events to each other. Another reason not to install Yahoo! Toolbar.

    Thank you very much, ^_^

     

    ...btw It worked for me (spanish)

    WLM 2009 14.0.8064.206

    Win XP SP3

    Saturday, July 24, 2010 5:47 AM
  • I know this post is nearly 12 months old but velascomike, if you read this - a *very big* Thank You.

    This is something that I have been trying for months to solve. I've tried all sorts of "fixes" but none have worked - but this one DID :-)

    Thank You So Much! and Best Wishes, Lee in Manchester, England.

     

    Saturday, July 24, 2010 8:09 PM
  • I'm glad it worked for you Lee. I remember how annoying this was.

    Best wishes, Mike

    Monday, July 26, 2010 4:30 PM
  • The same problem with me. So annoying. This forgetfulness of Windows Live messenger. Sad and frustrated....Moreover, my ID is a very long, to my regret.
    Wednesday, July 28, 2010 1:40 PM
  • this is what happend when i followed these instructions to the letter.

    it killed my quick launch, reset my browsers, wiped my bookmarks, and saved addresses, and didnt fix the problem with the wlm sign in.

    seen as the problem only started since i installed yahoo messenger, were the tool bar is bundled into it, there is no opt out on the installation. but you can remove it afterwards.

    heres the solution that worked for me, system restore to before you installed yahoo messenger.

    i wish id have thought of that before goin through the registry and uninstalling and deleting things.

     

    Sunday, August 22, 2010 2:46 PM
  • Probably you're using Windows in another language. When I found the solution that worked for me and other users I stated a warning of being careful with the language.
    Monday, August 23, 2010 7:14 PM
  • Thanks...this is the best cure.

    Note:  HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-796845957-926492609-725345543-1003

    look for this "7HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxx-25345543-1003" ...."796845957-926492609" not necessary look the same on your computer.

    Friday, October 22, 2010 11:48 AM
  • I have the opposite problem.  On ANY site I go to where I have to sign in  and have a password,   I have unchecked "remember me" because it is a shared computer.  However, the password automatically fills in (with the little black dots) EVERY time I sign into any site. How can I remedy this?
    Friday, December 3, 2010 3:28 AM
  • Thanks Mike.  This fixed it for me.  I have been living it with for a long time.  I just decided today I was going to see if I could get to the bottom of it.
    Thursday, December 16, 2010 1:04 AM
  • Thanks for the help clairaudience. It fixed my problem.
    Friday, February 11, 2011 2:00 AM
  • I ran into this problem today, on a brand new install.  After reading lots of forums and about a zillion re-boots of trial and error, I think I have it figured out! :-)

    I checked my registry as per the suggestions but there were nothing wrong. I re-installed, but it made no difference. I even created a new account, but for some reason (that I will not pursue!) I could not get Messenger to autostart at all on that account..? Go figure... But anyways, upon manual start, it _did_ remember me! Yay! 
    Ok, so I copied the shortcut to the Autostart folder in the start menu. But, to my surprise, then it did _not_ remember me again...

    It seems that my computer is too fast! Or the network establishing too slow... This is also confirmed back on my original account; when I removed the Messenger option to Autostart, a manual start always remembers me!

    I run Windows 7 and Messenger 2011 on a Phenom II 840, but I have a "slow" 8 mbit ADSL internet connection. Maybe the connection speed isn't relevant, but the routers ability to deliver an IP-address and establish the connection? 

    Anyways, I wish Messenger wouldn't time out so quickly! Now I will need to find a way to autostart a program with a delay... 

    BTW, a small tip for those on Windows 7: if you don't like having Messenger occupying the task bar, set it's compatibility setting to Vista and it will move right back to the system tray again! Go to "C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger", right click on msnmsgr.exe, select Properties and the Compatibility tab. Set compatibility mode to Windows Vista (Service Pack 2). 

    Hope this post will help some one with the same problem!

    Monday, March 7, 2011 11:39 PM
  • Even better than this, just go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER instead, no need to figure out which one of the SID's is for the right user, that way you can just send down a reg file for this value under HKEY_CURRENT_USER to anybody having this problem and it will fix it.
    • Proposed as answer by herediano Tuesday, April 26, 2011 8:24 PM
    Thursday, April 14, 2011 8:45 PM
  • Hi, after i tried many recomendations i found this myself and it worked ok for me:

    1- Open internet explorer and go to "tools" menu

    2- Go to "Manage add-on" option

    3- Click "Toolbars and Extensions" on the top lef side of the screen

    4- Find "Microsoft corporation" under the named label

    5- Click on "Windows Live ID Sing-in Helper" and the choose the enable option on the bottom right side of the screen

    6- Click "close" and go to hotmail and sign in.

    I hope this will help you

     




    Tuesday, April 26, 2011 8:33 PM
  • I have same problem.  I ran regedit but didn't find that Hkey no.  Closest I found started with 3058047798  however it did end with 1003
    Sunday, May 15, 2011 6:29 PM
  • velascomike, the fix from messengergeek worked just fine; yet only 2 votes for your answer!

    Everyone, try this fix, so much easier than playing with regedit and for simple folks like me --- the perfect solution!

    fantastic!!!!! 

    Monday, May 23, 2011 7:29 AM
  • This solution did'nt solve my problem instead it created some problem with microsoft outlook 2007. After changing the registry value i am getting send receive error.
    Monday, July 25, 2011 10:46 AM