INSTANT MESSENGER ANNOYANCES | Home Networking Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Home Network

USE MESSENGER TO CHAT ACROSS THE NETWORK

The Annoyance:

Our network is spread across three floors. Can we take advantage of the connections to send messages to each other?

The Fix:

You have several ways of using the computers for communication, but if everyone is always connected to the Internet, the easiest solution is Messenger from Microsoft. The program comes with Windows XP, and you can download it from Microsoft for Windows 98 and later.

Microsoft has two Messenger software applications available for download. Windows Messenger runs on Windows 2000/XP, while MSN Messenger runs on earlier versions of Windows. You can chat with another user (see Figure 2-20), or even multiple other users, because you're not limited to just one other person in your conversation. Messenger also provides file transfer capabilities between users; two users can share a software window and discuss its contents in the chat window or by drawing directly on the window.

Figure 2-20. It's easier to use Messenger than to bellow at a user on another floor.

SOME MESSENGER FEATURES ARE BLOCKED BY FIREWALLS

The Annoyance:

When I try to take advantage of some of Messenger's features, I get an error message that I can't proceed because of a firewall.

The Fix:

Some Messenger features use specific communications protocols that require support for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). This isn't the same thing as the Plug and Play feature that automatically recognizes new hardware. UPnP is a technology that lets computers communicate through firewalls by helping the computers find each other (that's an extremely oversimplified explanation, so don't quote me). Most firewalls block UPnP by default, so you have to enable support for this technology manually. The method you use depends on the type of firewall you've employed (see the following annoyances for details).

CONFIGURE WINDOWS XP SP2 FIREWALL FOR UPNP

The Annoyance:

I'm using the built-in firewall for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), which is supposed to permit Messenger communications. However, I get error messages telling me the firewall has blocked communications when I try to use some of the Messenger features.

The Fix:

The Windows XP SP2 firewall disables UPnP by default, but you can enable UPnP communications by changing the default configuration settings. Open the Windows Security Center applet in the Control Panel and click Windows Firewall. Next, click the Exceptions tab and check the "UPnP Framework" box (see Figure 2-21).

Figure 2-21. The Windows XP SP2 firewall can be configured to permit UPnP communications.

Tip: The firewall in Windows XP prior to SP2 cannot be configured at all and, in fact, doesn't support networking. You must disable it and replace it with a software or router firewall until you download and install SP2.

CONFIGURE SOFTWARE FIREWALLS FOR UPNP

The Annoyance:

We use a software firewall on our network computers, and we want to enable UPnP so that we can use all the features in Messenger. There doesn't seem to be a way to do this.

The Fix:

Your software firewall might not support this configuration change. If you use ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs (http://www.zonelabs.com), the free version doesn't offer a way to enable UPnP communications. You can turn off the firewall for the Trusted Zone (the network) while keeping the firewall for Internet communications. However, that's risky because any computer on the network that has picked up a virus, worm, or other malicious program could deliver it to the other computers on the network. ZoneAlarm Pro (which isn't free) is configurable, as are all versions of BlackICE from Internet Security Systems (http://www.iss.net/). If you're using another software firewall, check the documentation or the support information on the company's web site.

CONFIGURE ROUTER FIREWALLS FOR UPNP

The Annoyance:

Our router provides our firewall, and it seems complicated to configure it without risking security. How do I find out whether I can open the firewall for certain types of communication, such as those required for Messenger?

The Fix:

You can read the documentation (although the documentation for most network devices is annoyingly hard to understand) or visit the manufacturer's web site for support. However, to make it easier, Microsoft has put together step-by-step instructions for enabling UPnP in many of the popular routers. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/windowsmessenger/equipment.asp to see if your router is covered.

STOP MESSENGER FROM OPENING AT STARTUP

The Annoyance:

On a day-to-day basis, my use of Messenger varies between "hardly ever" and "never." It's annoying to wait for the software to load and sign in when I start my computer. It seems to take forever.

The Fix:

Just stop Messenger from loading automatically. Open the software window and choose Tools Options. On the Preferences tab, deselect the option to launch the software at startup (see Figure 2-22). When you want to use Messenger, just open it from the Programs menu.

Figure 2-22. Deselect automatic startup to prevent Messenger from starting when you don't need it.

REMOVE WINDOWS MESSENGER FROM WINDOWS XP

The Annoyance:

I think our children spend too much time on the computer, although I encourage them to use the Internet for research and homework assignments. However, every time I walk past them, I see they're talking to friends and have at least six Windows Messenger chat windows open. I uninstalled Windows Messenger from the Windows XP Windows Components dialog box, but the program is still available and the kids found it.

The Fix:

The uninstall process in the Windows Components section of Add/Remove Software in Windows XP uninstalls only the Windows Messenger shortcut on the All Programs Menu (and any shortcuts to Windows Messenger that are on the desktop). As you found out, it doesn't uninstall the software. In fact, you can't really uninstall the software, but you can prevent it from running. To accomplish this, you have to add some keys and data items to the registry. Registry changes can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, so you might want to get help from a computer expert. Take the following steps to make the registry change:

Choose Start Run, enter regedit, and click OK to open the registry editor.
Choose Edit New Key, and enter Messenger as the name of the new registry key.
New Key, and name the new key Client.
New DWORD Value. Name the new value PreventRun.
Close the registry editor and restart the computer.

Now, when anyone tries to open Windows Messenger from any sourcethe Programs menu, a desktop shortcut, or the software's executable filenothing happens. I mean nothing, not even an error message. This will drive your kids crazy unless you tell them you uninstalled the program.

Tip: If your computer is running a version of Windows earlier than Windows XP and you downloaded Messenger, you can uninstall it from Add/Remove Programs.

USE BUILT-IN MESSAGING UTILITIES

The Annoyance:

Our network uses a telephone modem for Internet access, so we don't have an always-on connection. Because Windows Messenger uses the Internet, we can't send messages unless every computer happens to be connected to the Internet.

The Fix:

Well, you could walk up and down the stairs and tell everybody to connect to the Internet, or yell loudly "get on the Internet," and then use Messenger. Hmmm, I guess that defeats the whole purpose, huh? OK, I have a better idea: use Windows built-in message utilities.

For sending messages among computers, the net send

command is available in Windows XP and Windows 2000. Earlier versions of Windows can send and receive messages with a program named WinPopup.

Tip: I've seen help files and articles that say net send and WinPopup don't talk to each other. Don't believe it!

Using net send

In Windows 2000/XP, net send is available from the command line. The syntax is net send target "message", where target is a username or a computer name and "message" is the text of the message, enclosed in quotation marks.

For example, to send a message to a computer named Admin on my network, I enter the text in Figure 2-23. When I press Enter, the system tells me the message was sent successfully (unless the target computer wasn't running, in which case I'd see an error message that the system couldn't find the computer).

Figure 2-23. Send a note (or a demand) to a network user from the command line.

I could have substituted a username for the computer name, and the system would have routed the message to the computer where the user was logged on. But in this case, I chose the computer because it's next to the kitchen (where the sodas are), and I didn't care who was using the computer.

Warning: If the name of the computer or user has a space, you must enclose the entire name in quotation marks.

You can also send a message to all the computers on the workgroup by using the syntax net send /domain:WorkgroupName "message". Substitute the name of your workgroup for WorkgroupName.

If the target computer is running Windows 2000/XP, the message appears in a message dialog box (see Figure 2-24). Clicking OK simply makes the text box go away; there's no utility for responding to the message in the dialog box. To respond, you must open a command prompt and enter the appropriate syntax for net send. If the target computer is running an earlier version of Windows, the message appears in the WinPopup software window (as discussed next).

Figure 2-24. Read the message, then click OK to close it.

Using WinPopup

For Windows versions earlier than Windows Server 2003, you have to use WinPopup to send messages. WinPopup is a program, and it has to be running to send or receive messages. Because it doesn't appear on a menu anywhere, there's a trick to getting it to run.

The best way to make WinPopup available is to create a desktop shortcut to the program. Of course, to create a shortcut, you first have to locate the program. In this case, open Windows Explorer and make sure it's not in full-screen mode (so that you have access to the desktop). Navigate to the Windows folder and look for the file named WinPopup.exe. Right-drag the winpopup.exe icon to the desktop. When you release the right mouse button, choose Create Shortcut(s) Here.

Because WinPopup has to be running for you to receive or send a message, you should start the software whenever you boot the computer. In fact, it's a good idea to make WinPopup start automatically, which you can do by putting a shortcut to the software in the Startup subfolder of your Programs menu. Use the following steps to accomplish this.

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Startup subfolder of the Programs folder in your profile (see Figure 2-25). To move the desktop shortcut to the Startup subfolder, drag it into the right pane. To copy the desktop shortcut to your Startup subfolder, right-drag it to the right pane and choose Copy Here from the menu that appears when you release the right mouse button.

Figure 2-25. Put a shortcut to WinPopup in your Startup folder so that the program starts when you boot your computer.

When you're through using the WinPopup window, minimize rather than close it. Remember, it has to be running for you to send or receive messages. If you accidentally close it, Windows displays a message warning you of the consequences. Click Cancel on the error message, and then use the Minimize button (the minus sign) on the window instead of the Close button (the X).

If someone sends you a message, it appears within the WinPopup window (see Figure 2-26). The program keeps all the messages it collected since it started running, which is handy if you have a short memory. You can move through the messages using the arrows on the toolbar.

Figure 2-26. The message is displayed in the software window.

By default, WinPopup beeps when a message is received, but you can choose Messages Options to tell the software to open the window instead of just beeping when a message arrives. If you change the option, also select the "Always on Top option to be sure you'll see arriving messages come in if you have software windows open.

To send messages, click the Send icon on the toolbar (or press Ctrl-S, or choose Message Send). Select User or Computer, or Workgroup, and fill in the appropriate name. Then enter the message text and click OK (see Figure 2-27).

Figure 2-27. Direct your message to a computer name, a username, or the entire workgroup.

CAN'T FIND WINPOPUP.EXE?

The Annoyance:

I want to run WinPopup on our Windows 98SE computers, but the winpopup.exe file isn't in my Windows folder.

The Fix:

Apparently, when the operating system was installed, the person performing the installation customized the process and neglected to keep WinPopup in the list of files to install. To install it:

Open the Control Panel and double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
Look in the Windows Setup tab of the Add/Remove Programs dialog box. WinPopup is listed under the category System Tools.
Put the Windows CD in the CD-ROM drive.
Select WinPopup, and then click OK twice.