In case anyone else gets this problem. Today after the latest round of Windows Updates installed, when I started my windows media center (windows media center 2005 sp3), I got the following message:

Messenger Failed

... windows messenger not installed

 

frackme... Windows messenger is sitting in the corner of my task bar. Anyway, after not finding anything about this. So in desperation I open up windows messenger, and find an update link somewheres (don't remember where). I updated Windows Messenger from version 4.7.3 to a newer version 5.1 and rebooted. To add insult to injury, the install wouldn't complete because freekin Adobe Quickstart was using a file it wanted to update, so in task manager I killed off a process called 'reader...' something or other (adobe likes to hide their dirty work), and the install finally completed.

Tada... MCE now recognizes that Windows Messenger is installed.

Windows Messenger is seperate from Windows Live Messenger, most people use Windows Live Messenger as it has more feautures then the simple Windows Messenger that comes with Windows.

 

Another way to resolve this issue is to remove Windows Messeger(it will not affect your Windows Live Messenger) by going to Add/Remove Programs, clicking on Add/Remove Windows Components and ticking off Windows Messenger.

Not having any luck with this. Upgraded to Windows Live Messenger (latest version). Still getting same error that windows messenger is not installed when trying to run Media Center on XP, Service Pack 3.

Everything was fine before SP3.

Same here. I started receiving the error message at Media center startup 3 days ago, after having used Media Center daily for 3 years. I have MCE 2005 w/ service pack 3 installed. (I installed service pack 3 without incident several weeks ago)

"Messenger failure: Media Center was unable to open Messenger. Please make sure that Windows Messenger is installed on your system"

After clicking OK to the error message (or it goes away on its own after around 10 seconds), MC appears to be working normally, so this seems to mostly be an annoyance more than anything else, but it's REALLY annoying. The error pops up over and over whenever I try to do almost anything in MC.

If this is the program it wants to use (Windows Messenger 5.1)...
www.microsoft.com/downloads...
... I will not do so. I refuse to install or use any kind of 'windows messenger' on my machine. In fact, I will NEVER have a chat-type program enabled on any computer I will ever own. In 'settings' > 'messenger and caller id' I have 'none' checked on purpose.

This was never an issue before the most recent windows updates.

Here is a list of recent MS Updates I believe have effected it. They are the only changes made any time recently to my machine:

Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB952954) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB946648) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows XP (KB953839) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Office 2002/XP Security Update for Access Snapshot Viewer 2002 (KB955440) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Office 2002/XP Security Update for Microsoft Word 2002 (KB954463) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Office 2002/XP Security Update for Microsoft Excel 2002 (KB951551) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Windows XP (KB950974) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - August 2008 (KB890830) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Office 2007 Security Update for 2007 Microsoft Office System (KB954038) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Office 2007 Security Update for 2007 Microsoft Office System (KB951596) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Office 2002/XP Security Update for Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 (KB948995) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Update for Windows XP (KB951072) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Update for Windows XP (KB952287) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP (KB953838) Thursday, August 14, 2008
Office 2002/XP Security Update for Microsoft Office XP (KB921596) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Security Update for Outlook Express for Windows XP (KB951066) Thursday, August 14, 2008 Automatic Updates

I have even tried system restore to go back before these updates but for some reason that didn't work on any of the restore dates. I get a messege after the restart that says it was unable to restore my computer and no changes were made.

 

Unfortunately, after I get the message that I don't have messenger installed, media center shuts down and I get asked if I want to send a report to Microsoft.

I've probably sent them 30 error reports so far, as I've tried different things!

So I can't record anything new or even get to the guide.  I can watch Live TV, though.

Has Microsoft said anything about this?  Anyone else have a workaround?  I've thought about recovering to a backup point, but haven't done that yet.

Have you guys tried turning off the messenger in MCE's settings?

I'm having the same problem.  It just started. I'm running xp mc sp3. I hope someone comes up with a simple answer. How do you sut off messenger in the media center? That would be a good fix for me as I don't use it anyway.

It's under Settings/Messenger & CallerID

Media center dies before I can even click on the Settings button... :(

Is there an .ini file or something out there that can be manually edited to turn it off?

Here's what worked for me--

Uninstalling Windows Messenger from Control Panel> Add/Remove Programs> Add/Remove Windows Components, scroll down to Windows Messenger (it's on it's own, not under accessories).

For good measure, and b/c I don't use it, I also un-installed the MSN explorer

@MitchShaft, when I had the Messenger Error, the MCE Settings/Messenger menu only gave an option to Save or Cancel, it didn't show anything else....

Strange that we all had it happen around the same time!

Mine was a fresh install b/c of another problem too!

The problem is the update for Windows Messenger 4.7 (946648). If uninstall it the error goes a way, install it and error comes back.

Not only that the check box in Media center disappears in Setting>Messenger and Caller ID so you cannot switch on or off, you have to uninstall 946648 to make the check box reappear

 

So you uninstall 946648 then set the Messenger and Caller ID off in MCE settigs and reinstall the update 946648.

---

Richard Miller Media Center MVP 2006

Could you just install Messenger 5.1 in place of 4.7? 5.1 works with MCE2005.

Richard A Miller,

Thanks for your help. However, I stopped short of following all the way through on your advice as i wanted to make sure what I'm seeing is the same.

First, to go back, here is the error everyone seems to be having (or at least the error I'm having):


http://thumbsnap.com/v/dDyGJ5jZ.jpg

This is what my 'settings' > 'messenger and caller id' options show before making any changes you prescribe (I already had 'none' selected):


http://thumbsnap.com/v/rdel0IzV.jpg

Is that what you were seeing?
I'm not sure what you meant by "the check box in Media center disappears in Setting>Messenger and Caller ID so you cannot switch on or off, you have to uninstall 946648 to make the check box reappear." "So you uninstall 946648 then set the Messenger and Caller ID off in MCE settigs and reinstall the update 946648."

Finally, when I went to uninstall the KB946648 update, I'm getting this message that another security update may (KB952954) might not work properly if I uninstall 946648:


Click for larger image: http://thumbsnap.com/v/GEwpKHjF.jpg

Is this what you experienced?

The check box will be above the three option buttons.

---

Richard Miller Media Center MVP 2006

That's weird. Did I miss out on an update? Because I still have that option.