Windows Live Messenger (formerley MSN messenger) is a hugely popular instant messaging client. Ever since it got re branded with this whole Windows Live thing, Microsoft ceased to provide standalone installer for it. That means, you have to download a small setup file called the windows live installer and then select the Windows Live products you want downloaded. The installer then downloads the selected products over the web.

This is all fine unless you have a computer that has limited connectivity to Internet (you pay per minute for Internet connection, you have a very slow connection etc). It can be a bitch to download the 16MB setup file over the web after each install on such connections. Fortunately, the standalone installer is still here.

Download

[Click Here] to download Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1302.1018 standalone installer (16.4MB) from Softpedia.

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Here is some good news for IM addicts. Now you can take your favorite IM client with you anywhere and use it even on computers where installation of such is barred (School, workplace, etc).

 

This pack includes portable versions of Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and Skype. As said above, no installation is required.

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Trillian is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings.
Trillian provides unique functionality such as contact message history, a powerful skinning language, tabbed messaging, global status changes (set all networks away at once), Instant Lookup (automatic Wikipedia integration), contact alerts, an advanced automation system to trigger events based on anything happening in the client, docking, hundreds of emoticons, emotisounds, shell extensions for file transfers, and systray notifications.

Features:

AOL Instant Messenger

• Basic Messaging
• SecureIM
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Direct Connections
• Group Conferences
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Mail Notification
• Full Native Status Support
• Audio Chat
• Video Chat

ICQ

• Basic Messaging
• SecureIM
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Full Native Status Support

MSN Messenger

• Basic Messaging
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Group Conferences
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Mail Notification
• Full Native Status Support
• Audio Chat
• Video Chat

Yahoo! Messenger

• Basic Messaging
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Group Conferences
• Yahoo! Chat Rooms
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Mail Notification
• Full Native Status Support
• Audio Chat
• Video Chat

Other Network Support

• IRC
• Jabber (including Google Talk)
• Novell GroupWise Messenger
• Rendezvous

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This pack includes Windows Live Messenger 9.0 and a range of utilities and enhacements that'll make your IM experience better.

Apps included:

Windows Live Messenger v9.0.1407.1107 beta
A-Patch v9.0.1407.1107
Messenger Plus Live v4.50.0.312

Emotions/Skin Packs Collections included:

• Bearand Rabbit
• emoticones 1_5
• Emoticones Animaux
• Emoticones Love
• emoticons
• funfamily Emoticons
• karate boy
• karate girl
• messenger emoticons
• pack_emo_1
• pack_emo_2
• pack_emo_3
• Pack_Smileys_Fruits
• Pack_Smileys_Geants
• Pack_Smileys_Love_Family
• Pack_Smileys_Nouvelle_Generation
• poker
• squirts
• xmas

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mIRC is a full featured Internet Relay Chat client for Windows that can be used to communicate, share, play or work with others on IRC networks around the world, either in multi-user group conferences or in one-to-one private discussions.

It has a clean, practical interface that is highly configurable and supports features such as buddy lists, file transfers, multi-server connections, SSL encryption, proxy support, UTF-8 display, customizable sounds, spoken messages, tray notifications, message logging, and more.

mIRC also has a powerful scripting language that can be used both to automate mIRC and to create applications that perform a wide range of functions from network communications to playing games.

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Yahoo! Messenger is a popular instant messaging client and protocol provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger is provided free of charge and can be downloaded and used with a generic "Yahoo! ID" which also allows access to other Yahoo! services, such as Yahoo! Mail, where users can be automatically notified when they receive new email. Yahoo! offers PC to PC telephone, file transfers, webcam hosting, text messaging service, and chat rooms in various categories. In addition to instant messaging features similar to those offered by ICQ, it also offers (on Microsoft Windows) many unique features such as: IMVironments (customizing the look of Instant Message windows), address-book integration and Custom Status Messages. It was also the first major IM client to feature BUZZing and music-status. Another recently added feature is customized avatars.

Major features in version 8:

• Yahoo! Voice - Yahoo! Voice is a Voice over IP PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service provided by Yahoo! via its Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging application.
• Voicemail and file sharing - Yahoo! added voicemail and file sending capabilities to their client. File-sharing of sizes up to 1GB was added.
• Plug-ins -As of 8.0, Yahoo! Messenger has added the ability for users tocreateplug-ins (via the use of the freely available Yahoo! MessengerPlug-inSDK), which are then hosted and showcased on the Yahoo!Plug-ingallery.
• Interoperability with Windows Live Messenger -This allows, for Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger users to chat toeachother without the need to create an account on the otherservice,provided both contacts use the latest versions of the clients. For now,it's impossible to talk using the voice service among bothmessengers.

Download Yahoo Messenger 8.1.413 : Download Now! (Direct Download)

EnJoY!

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Trillian is a proprietary multiprotocol instant messaging application for Windows created by Cerulean Studios that can connect to multiple IM services, such as AIM, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, Bonjour, Jabber, and Skype networks. Trillian connects to multiple instant messaging services without the need of running multiple clients. Users can create multiple connections to the same service, and can also group connections under separate identities to prevent confusion. All contacts are gathered under the same contact list. Contacts are not bound to their own IM service groups, and can be dragged and dropped freely.

Trillian is a closed-source application, but the Pro version can be extended by plugins. Plugins by Cerulean Studios itself include spell-check, weather monitor, a mini-browser (for viewing AIM profiles), Winamp song title scroller, stock exchange monitor, RSS feedreader, and conversation capabilities for the Logitech G15 keyboard, as well as a plugin for the Jabber and Bonjour networks. Others have developed various plugins, such as a games plugin which can be used to play chess and checkers, a protocol plugin to send NetBIOS messages through Trillian, a plugin to interact with Lotus Sametime clients, a plugin to interact with Microsoft Exchange, a POP3 and IMAP email checker, or an automatic translator for many European languages to and from English. There is a plugin to interact with Skype, SkyLlian, but it needs Skype to be installed in order to be used.

New Features in 3.1.7

• Improved speed
• Bug fixes
• Biography (AIM Profiles)
• Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP)
• On the fly link/emoticons
• Font face support in IMs
• Undo in edit area
• Orphaned contacts (no more merging)
• Many IRC enhancements
• Better Yahoo file transfers
• Identities (per section Biography/Icons)

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Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger) is the world's most used instant messaging client. Version 8.1 ended a long beta testing phase and the final build was recently released to the public. Although this is a free application, it is ad supported. That means you get text advertisements in chat windows and animating GIF images (annoying) in the main program window. Dont worry there are patches to get rid of these ads; keep reading this article.

Notable new features in WLM

• Yahoo messenger integration
• Easy to use, feature rich user interface which allows one click instantt messaging
• Voice calling / Voice chat
• Video conversations
• File sharing options
• Text Messaging (unfortunately, no Srilankan networks are supported. But most major networks in the US and UK are supported)
• Two way adress book
• Windows Live Alerts, Windows Live Spaces integration.
• Plus many more

Get Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0178: Download Now! (Direct Download)

Patches and Hacks

WLM is created and maintained by Microsoft. Every MIcrosoft software comes with a certain amount of junk and bloatware. WLM is no exception. Ads that eat up RAM and annoy the user, unwanted buttons and panes are to name a few. Fortunately, Mess.be and Apatch have come up with patches to remove junk and to enhance Windows Live Messenger. You can use any of the patches incuded below to mod messenger to your liking. To prevent compatibility issues, we suggest you not use both patches at the same time. Out of the two listed below, our favorite is the mess patch. But that doesnt mean A-Patch is bad.

Mess Patch

This patch is a favorite among WLM users. It's been around for quite a while and is now in generation 5.It contains a whopping 35 features, fixes and hacks for WLM incuing ad removal, nudge protection disable, polygamy support and many more!

Download Mess Patch for WLM 8.1.0178

Patch homepage

A-Patch

A-Patch, developed by apatch.org, is another handy patch which contains a total of 71 tweaks, hacks and mods. Some of the notable features of this patch are ad removal, idle status modification, polygamy support and user interface customizations.

Download A-Patch for WLM 8.1.0178

Patch homepage

EnJoY!

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Skype is a popular internet telephony network. You can make free, high clarity PC to PC phone calls (PC to Phone calls can be made upon subscription) with ease. It gives you a sense of next generation communication with audio and video conferencing facilities, ability to send/receive files, text chat and many more other options. Unlimited free SMS to selected networks in European and American countries are also available.

It works just like Windows Live Messenger: Both parties have to be logged into Skype using their PCs and you can can talk all day long! This is specially useful to talk to relatives and friends abroad and Skype will reduce your IDD bills by 100%. The only con about this nice piece of software is that......it's subscription scheme cant be cracked. So, to make PC to landline phone calls, you'll have to pay and purchase a plan from Skype.(mind you Skype tariff for PC-to Landline is way below IDD rates)

We've tested this application with local 512k/2048k ADSL connections and Dial up alike. ADSL gave us no problems. Minor stuttering occurred with dial up but it's nothing to worry about.

How to get it:

Get Skype 3: Download Now! (Direct Download)

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