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How to avoid the mandatory upgrade to the HORRIBLE Windows Live Essent


andreaborman

Do you still use Windows Live Essentials 2009?  

10 members have voted

  1. 1. What do you think of the forced upgrade to Windows Live Essentials 2011?

    • Right
      0
    • Wrong
    • Yes I use Windows Live Essentials 2009
    • No I do not use Windows Live Essentials 2009
  2. 2. Do you use an older version of Windows Live Messenger 2009?

    • Windows Live Messenger 8.5
      0
    • MSN Messenger 7.5
      0
    • Other older version
      0
    • No I do not use Windows Live Messenger
  3. 3. Do you ever want to upgrade to Windows Live Essentials 2011 version?

    • No never
    • Yes
      0
    • Not sure
    • Microsoft have now released WLE 2012. Will you upgrade to it?
      0
    • Yes
      0
    • No Never
      0
    • Not Sure


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Andrea :) :

  1. Thanks, voted.
  2. With all due respect, and though I cannot find personally one reason in the world to have a "messenger" app, the aMSN is not a "niche" product, tested and used by a small bunch of geeks, we are talking of more than 40 millions downloads:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMSN
    http://www.amsn-project.net/
    so I do suspect that there is something specific to your setup that creates the issues you described.
    Same goes fo Miranda:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_IM
    http://www.miranda-im.org/

Layman's comparison:

If your old model Volkswagen Beetle (or Renault R4) doesn't start in the morning, you don't go around saying that the Volkswagen Beetle (or Renault R4) doesn't work and/or is not reliable/tough, you simply have a single specimen that doesn't work or you failed to perform the necessary maintenance or you left it all night with lights on and battery is dead.

You have one of the two most reliable cars ever built, but even the best one may not start.

jaclaz

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MagicAndre1981 wrote-

setting the XP compatibility causes an UAC prompt, so the messenger runs elevated. This is not good. A better way is to use ACT and only set the XPSp3VersionLie.

MagicAndre1981 wrote-

ACT = Application Compatibility Toolkit which is part of the Windows ADK

I will never upgrade to 2011 because the ribbon in Live Mail uses too much vertical space. And you can't Mix the essentials version,so the 2011 setup will always update all installed 2009 versions.

That's right. If you have Windows Live Photo Gallery 2009,Windows Live Mail 2009 installed along with Windows Live Messenger 2009. You cannot just upgrade WL Messenger only. Because when you choose to upgrade WL Messenger 2009 to WL Messenger 2011,it will also upgrade all of your other Windows Live Essentials that you have installed,such as WL Photo Gallery 2009 and all of the others to WLE 2011 version.

So you CANNOT just keep WL Photo Gallery 2009,WL Mail 2009 and just upgrade the WL Messenger 2009 to 2011 version,no. It will upgrade ALL of your Windows Live Essentials 2009 to Windows Live Essentials 2011 version.

And yes I searched on Google and I found out about ACT it is Application Compatibility Toolkit. And from what I read about it on the Microsoft website.It tells you what programs are compatible with Windows 7. But most Windows XP programs are anyway. I have installed many Windows XP Programs on Windows 7 and Windows 8. By copying the program files over from my Windows XP netbook onto Windows 7 and Windows 8. And most of them work. And so do downloads for software made for Windows XP,they install and work on Windows 7.

So you don't need to use ACT.

Jaclaz wrote-

Andrea :

Thanks, voted.

With all due respect, and though I cannot find personally one reason in the world to have a "messenger" app, the aMSN is not a "niche" product, tested and used by a small bunch of geeks, we are talking of more than 40 millions downloads:

Well last year Windows Defender did flag aMSN as having adware,the Open Candy. But it did not in the version I downloaded 2 months ago. So aMSN have probably stopped including Open Candy in their new versions. But it still does not work. Andrea Borman.

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Well last year Windows Defender did flag aMSN as having adware,the Open Candy. But it did not in the version I downloaded 2 months ago. So aMSN have probably stopped including Open Candy in their new versions. But it still does not work. Andrea Borman.

When a program doesn't work it doesn't necessarily mean the problem lies in the program itself. Something may be broken in the OS which makes it unable to run the program :whistle:

Just a few days ago after updating Firefox on my computer it suddenly stopped working (the UI was completely frozen). I thought that something had been changed in Firefox itself but in the end I realised that there was a problem in my system, not Firefox, and it was gone after I restored the system from a backup image. Anyway, what I want to say is that unless you've tested the application on different configurations and it didn't work on any of them saying that it "doesn't work" can have many different meanings.

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Well when they stopped making Firefox 3.6 and replaced it with Firefox 4 onward,I moved to Pale Moon web browser. Pale Moon is one of the many Firefox browsers or Firefox clones,like Comet Bird. But unlike Comet Bird they make 2 versions of Pale Moon. One is Pale moon 3.6 which is the same as Firefox 3.6 branch. And the oter is Pale Moon 12 which is the same as the current Firefox 12. But both versions Pale Moon 3.6 and 12 are constantly being updated like Firefox. And Pale Moon is the only Firefox browser to still have Firefox 3.6. You can get Pale moon from here-http://www.palemoon.org/

As you can see from my pictures I have Pale Moon.Because I don't like Firefox 12. I like Firefox 3.6.

And also if you try to download WLE 2009 version on Windows 7,Windows Vista or Windows 8,on the Microsoft website.They redirect you to the WLE 2011 download page. You can only get onto the WLE 2009 download page on the Microsoft website on Windows XP.Have you noticed that? They started doing that about 4 months ago.

But at the moment I am writing this on my Windows XP netbook. And you can see from the screenshot of the system requirements webpage for WLE 2009 version.That it is not only for Windows XP,it is for Windows Vista,Windows7 and works on Windows 8.

So why don't they just scrap the WLE 2011 version and just have WLE2009 version instead? Well they already do. It's just that Microsoft are trying to discourage you from using it if you are on Windows Vista,windows 7 or Windows 8. I don't know why because it's better than 2011 version. Andrea Borman.

Edited by andreaborman
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When a program doesn't work it doesn't necessarily mean the problem lies in the program itself. Something may be broken in the OS which makes it unable to run the program :whistle:

And ... :whistle: since Andrea failed to catch the meaning of the layman's comparison :w00t:, then I will venture to hypotesize that a PEBCAK may be occurring, additionally :ph34r:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_error

jaclaz

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Since you brought it up...

Firefox 3.6.28 (last Firefox 3.x).

Oldapps (a variety pack).

Cnet is loaded with different versions, as is Filehippo.

And no I don't use Windows Live Essentials, except I DO have Live Messenger v8.5.1235.517 installed (never use it, though). So... I must (since the choice is also not there) vote "no" all counts.

Edited by submix8c
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post-355949-0-43379700-1344184092_thumb.

post-355949-0-18529200-1344184910_thumb.

If you look at my above image of Windows Photo gallery on my Windows Vista and my image of Windows Live Photo Gallery 2009. You will see that Windows Live Photo Gallery 2009 could be a clone of Windows Vista Photo Gallery. As they both look exactly alike.

And also there is another alternative for anyone wanting to carry on running WL Messenger 2009 without compatibility mode.

Messenger Reviver invented by Johnathan Kay who has his own Messenger blog,here-http://messengergeek.wordpress.com/

And he updates his software with every new update Microsoft releases. I don't have a need to use this,as setting Messenger 2009 in Windows XP program compatibility mode is working for me. But it might be an option if Microsoft gets tougher and disables program compatibility option.

But has anyone ever tried Messenger Reviver? And does it work? Andrea Borman.

Edited by andreaborman
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post-355949-0-16758900-1344201567_thumb.

post-355949-0-44019900-1344201591_thumb.

What do you think of this-Windows Live Photo Gallery 2008 on my Windows 7. And Windows Live Messenger 8.5 from Windows Live Essentials 2008 on my Windows 7.

Windows Live Essentials 2008 was the first WLE and also comes with WL Writer and Windows Live Mail.

I downloaded Windows Live Essentials 2008 from here-http://download.chip.eu/en/Windows-Live-Photo-Gallery-2008_1369745.html

For anyone who's interested.

Windows Live Photo Gallery 2008 looks exactly like Windows Vista Photo Gallery methinks. And I had to set WL Messenger 8.5 to run in program compatibility mode for Windows 2000. As compatibility mode for Windows XP does not work now on WL Messenger 8.5. Probably because there is now WL Messenger 2009 version.

And of course WL Messenger 8.5 is better than WL Messenger 2011. Well all of other versions are.

But one problem,they don't have the option to set programs in compatibility mode for Windows 2000 on Windows 8. They have dropped that and Windows NT Program compatibility option. So running WL Messenger 8.5 or MSN Messenger 7.5 on Windows 8 could be a problem. As they both won't work in Windows XP compatibility mode. Andrea Borman.

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CoffeeFiend wrote re Windows Live Essentials 2008-

That it's a truly awful program. There's far better photo managers and viewers out there (Adobe Bridge, Acdsee, Bibble, etc)

Well the WL Photo Gallery 2008 is quite nice and it looks exactly like Windows Vista Explorer which has the blue strip on the top. And it also looks like Windows Vista Photo Gallery. Even more so than what WL Photo Gallery 2009 does.

Well I think the photo Gallery is all right to use. And you could just keep the WL Photo Gallery 2008 and maybe WL Mail 2008. And WL writer 2008 if you use WL writer,which I don't.

But if you are going to use the Messenger I would use WL Messenger 2009 the latest version. Because WL Messenger 8.5 is no longer supported. But then if you install WL Messenger 2009,it will also upgrade WL Photo Gallery 2008 and the other WLE 2008 to WLE2009 version.

But that's better than WLE 2011 version. Any version is. Andrea Borman.

Edited by andreaborman
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Well the WL Photo Gallery 2008 is quite nice

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I'd say all versions are universally useless for numerous reasons, from no RAW support at all in old versions (pre-2011) and no support for PSD files either, to extremely limited tagging/organizing/retouching options and numerous other missing features (nevermind the awful interface)

If I was really stuck using it (the very last resort), I'd use version 2011 because at least it has support for RAW files (so it's not as useless)

Either ways, I have zero use for any of the Live apps.

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Well the WL Photo Gallery 2008 is quite nice

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I'd say all versions are universally useless for numerous reasons, from no RAW support at all in old versions (pre-2011) and no support for PSD files either, to extremely limited tagging/organizing/retouching options and numerous other missing features (nevermind the awful interface)

If I was really stuck using it (the very last resort), I'd use version 2011 because at least it has support for RAW files (so it's not as useless)

Either ways, I have zero use for any of the Live apps.

Well I installed WLE 2008 on that Windows 7 netbook. To show readers how it looks. But nice as it is,I am going to install WLE 2009 the latest version. Because WL Messenger 2009 version is the only other version that you can make video calls with.

With MSN Messenger 7.5 and WL Messenger 8.5 video calls don't work. Unless your contact is also using the same version of Messenger. But with WL Messenger 2009,you can make video calls to someone on WL Messenger 2011. And the person on WL Messenger 2011 can make calls to a contact on WL Messenger 2009 version.

So WL Messenger 2009 is the one to get if you don't want to use WL Messenger 2011 version. As all of the features still work on WL Messenger 2009. Andrea Borman.

Edited by andreaborman
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