Main/News >> News Archives > The week of April 13 (2003) (you are here)

 Windows (XP) patch 811493 trouble

Zero1 says ( 19 Apr 2003 ):

Windows Updated users and prudent sys admins might have installed the latest Windows patch without a thought. That might not have been such a good idea. The patch is meant to fix a hole in Windows Messaging but can end up causing a severe performance degradation. To remove the patch: Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Find Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) Q811493 > Click Remove > ignore Warning > Reboot by clicking Finish The patch will be listed again on Windows Update when you next check for updates. [Source: Neowin - Vote for mess.be here!]

 Worm power, don't give it power!

m_chibi says ( 18 Apr 2003 ):

Another worm is travelling around on MSN Messenger via IMs, except this time in the form of a porn advertisment. The text will be similar to the following: "Hi my name is jackie. I like to Show off on my WebCam. I am 23 years old and currently a student at Virgina Tech. I like to chat nude online with my new WebCam at FREE CAM TICKET NO credit card needed NO software to download It's100% FREE!! Lets chat with me and enjoy the FREE cybersex : http://66.2X.X9.22X/homepages/jackie/ *WARNING: Not a valid URL.. X's were added for your protection* When you click on the link, it acts as a worm which sends out the exact same message to every online contact on your list. Then they click on it and so on. Hopefully this won't spread as quickly as the last few. [reported by: DeViL, Laser_iCE and §emajio]

 Create & Remove Fake Plug-ins Quickly

dwergs says ( 18 Apr 2003 ):

Remember the fake MSN plug-ins that let you invite your contacts to use all kinds of fake weird software add-ons? MadMax made one of the best tools I've seen for creating/removing them easily. Download the fake msn plugin creator right about here.

 Gradier 2 formats your instant messages into a color frenzy

dwergs says ( 17 Apr 2003 ):

As SLim Shady reported, the popular and colorful Messenger Plus! 2 add-on Gradier has been updated to version 2. Sunshines, lollipops and rainbows here.

 MSN presents a Dutch multimedia drama series

dwergs says ( 17 Apr 2003 ):

In a joint venture, the Dutch branch of MSN and the cross-media production company Media Republic will launch "Jong Zuid" (Young South), the first interactive drama series for the Netherlands. The series will start before summer 2003 and will consist of two shows per weekday. Rather than streaming media content, the show will be composed of three to six still images supported by text and sound. MSN.nl will create a special subsite for "Jong Zuid" where a story archive, previews and background information will be available. Using MSN messenger, fans and viewers of the show can become 'buddies' with the actors and directly interact with them through the messenger service. MSN messenger will be modified so users can directly access the latest news and information concerning "Jong Zuid". [Source: EuropeMedia.net]

 Add-on updates: List Cleaner 2 and MSN Logger 3.1

dwergs says ( 17 Apr 2003 ):

Two MSN Messenger 4.X only add-ons have been updated: - MSN Logger by Wouter Veneklaas logs and shows (with pop-up alerts) anything that goes around on your MSN 4.x, even people blocking you. Most apparent change in version 3.1 is the new restricted nickname changer. Download this add-on here. - ListCleaner 2 by noroom has a revamped interface and now allows you to delete only the e-mails you select. Get the contact list add-on here.

 Block/Status Checker down

dwergs says ( 17 Apr 2003 ):

Almost 100.000 MSN Messenger account statuses are being checked DAILY through our Block Checker. Somehow it fainted again, but it will be back!

 that's style Extort!

m_chibi says ( 17 Apr 2003 ):

Extort, a very good friend of mine is running his own virtual msn messenger server, it's more or less a proxy, but he is modifying the data as it is sent and received from and to MSN Servers to the Messenger Client. See and be amazed by the possibilities: 1 and 2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY and CHEERS with your 18th birthday!

 Yet Another Invisible Name

Wolkje says ( 16 Apr 2003 ):

Yet another invisible name has been found! It does not only hide your name in the chat window, but also the email address in the To: field. Some people have already seen this but noone could actually find the character to do it with. But here is how: - Add the ALT-0160 character infront of your name - After that character add the one found in this doc file - Finish the end of your nick. The funny thing is, your nickname is still visible in the Title of the chatwindow. A screenshot of this exploit can be found here. Though after testing this, it turned out that your chats do get bugged with smileys showing at the wrong places, but for the rest, it's a fun thing to do! Note: This bug does not affect Windows Messenger 5 beta clients. And the links to the .doc file and screenshot are down on wednesdaynight, I'm searching for other hosting. Thanks to Luke from MessiahSoft for finding the character!

 Windows Messenger 4.7.2009

Johnny_Mac says ( 16 Apr 2003 ):

Another expected miscellaneous minor update to Windows Messenger has been made by Microsoft. They are no visible changes made to build 4.7.2009, which by the way XP users can get from here. [Source: iexbeta]

 Invisible Name

Wolkje says ( 15 Apr 2003 ):

A new annoying trick for MSN Plus 2 users has been found. The 'Fully Invisible Name', how does it work? - Clear your name - Enter the special char ALT - 0160 - Then add the color 0,0 to your nick Now your nick name and the part ' says:' will be fully invisible to the other user. Only selecting the whole text reveils what you've just said.

 MSN2WOLF interacts between Return to Castle Wolfenstein and MSN Messenger

Nicholas says ( 15 Apr 2003 ):

MSN2WOLF by Javier Muñoz is a simple program that acts as forwarder between MSN and the game Return to Castle Wolfenstein so you can receive and reply to incoming messages directly from MSN Messenger to your in-game console. Download

 Messenger & Hotmail problems reported!

Johnny_Mac says ( 14 Apr 2003 ):

Problems have been reported with the Windows & MSN Messenger Service and MSN Hotmail today. Some users have to try several times to get logged in to both services. Error messages include wrong passwords used and unavailable services. For the time being the .NET Service Status Page remains static, but we will update you if any more information comes to light about the problem.

 New Poll: Do you Mess in the Morning?

dwergs says ( 14 Apr 2003 ):

This week we're interested in what time of the day you usually check out Mess.be. If you visit us more than once, select the first period of time. It's interesting since our visitor counter can't tell us that because of the different timezones. Thank you for leaving your voice here.

 ListCleaner takes the garbage out of your MSN contact list and speeds up the sign-in process

dwergs says ( 13 Apr 2003 ):

ListCleaner by noroom is designed to delete unnecessary entries from your MSN Messenger contact lists. As each e-mail takes about 60 characters of data sending it will eventually increase your log-in speed. This nice li'l app works on MSN 4.x only. Download it here.

 Nega Patch now available for MSN Messenger 5.0.0544

dwergs says ( 13 Apr 2003 ):

The lovely Nega Patch by flur is now available to those who have updated their MSN Messenger to build 0544 lately. It comes with these features: - Use multiple MSN accounts simultaneously ('polygamy'); - Disable the "User Is Typing" message at the other end; - Auto-appear offline on signing in; - Remove the butterfly from the MSN tray icon as well as the banner ad. Happy downloading!

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