I haven't been able to sign in to Messenger for the last 3-4 days. Every time I try I get the message that "Windows is unable to sign you in blah blah blah". I've run Troubleshoot but that doesn't cure the problem. It just tells me there is a problem with hosts files and would I like Windows to tru to repair them. I click "yes" and it runs but I still can't get in.
There is an associated error number which is 80072745. I've searched for that on the net but can't seem to find any definitive information about it. It is mentioned on a couple of other forums I've looked at but replies there are not very helpful. No-one seems to know much about this particular error even though quite a few people appear to have had it. Someone suggested it is caused by a signal strength problem on wireless networks but that doesn't apply to me. In any case, the reply underneath contradicted that.
I uninstalled Messenger, downloaded it again, re-installed and still couldn't sign in. I restored my PC to a point last week when I know Messenger was working. It still wouldn't work. I downloaded MSN .NET again and re-installed that and still got the same error.
I thought I'd try creating a new ID to see if I could get in with that. Every time I tried, though, it said that I have reached the daily limit for creating new IDs. I haven't created an ID for well over a year.
I'm stuck for ideas now and don't know what to try next.
Does anyone know anything about this error? Has anyone else experienced it? If so, did you cure it and how?
What are the contents of your C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file?
Have you tried disabling your firewall at all? That could be it 
I found the cause of the problem about 10 minutes ago.
I'm using mobile internet on my laptop. It takes a bog-standard phone SIM card. I've got 2 SIMs for that particular network and MSN works with 1 but not the other. There shouldn't be any difference between the 2 apart from the phone number. I've had the family content filter removed on both so it's not that either.
I'll get onto the network service provider tech support today & see if they're aware of this problem. I've found them very helpful on the 2 occasions I've phoned them before and they actually seem to know what they're talking about (that makes a nice change!).
Ok if you haven't fixed this problem do the following.
1. Start MSN Live Messenger
2. Tools>Options
3. Connections>Advanced Settings
4. Find "TCP" and then click "Test"
5. Try logging into MSN Live Messenger again.
If this doesn't work I am sorry. Hope you get it fixed.
Asap170 - Thank you for your suggestion. However, I just tried it and it didn't solve the problem.
I've been on to MS & T-mobile tech support about it. Microsoft support say it must be T-mobile's fault and T-mobile reckon it's MS's fault. Neither of them have come across this situation before and I think they're blaming each other as they don't know the cause of it.
MS know about the error and said the only cause they know of is weak or interrupted signal. I pointed out that it said there was a problem resolving the name on the host's files which didn't sound like signal error to me. That was when they said it must be T-mobile's fault.
T-mobile tech support said it can't be their SIM as it should be identical to my other one.
I know it's not due to a weak signal as the other SIM works fine every time. Plus, I put that SIM in my phone and moved around with it and it indicates full strength signal everywhere in the vicinity.
Incidentally, I installed Yahoo messenger yesterday and that works fine with both SIMS. I've also tried a couple of multi-protocol messenger systems such as Pidgin, Miranda and Trillian, and I can't sign into MS Messenger with any of them although they all work OK with Yahoo.
The problem was initially on my laptop so I also tried plugging the dongle into a couple of desktop PCs (1 XP, 1 Ubuntu using Emesene as the Messenger client) and I get the same problem with those.
P.S. I like your sig. It made me laugh.
Sounds like a messenger problem, although the tech support people won't tell you that. If you really need help, you need to know a developer, which is pretty hard to come across.
hey there
i have looked arround for code 80072745 and found a few things.
I think that you have a problem with firewall settings since you wrote that you have 2 SIMs.
So if you have windows XP than go to control pannel > firewall settings.
In general tab make sure that the field where it says Don't allow exceptions in blank.
Now click Ok to close the window and that should do the trick.
If it still does not work than open again firewall settings and click on tab advenced and check if firewall in on for that connection you are using. You can try to turn it off for that connection by unchecking it od the advanced tab.
Other solution is to add MSN in firewall settings under tab exceptions so that MSN is allowed to work.
yensmythe - I've already checked that. Windows Live Messenger is in the list of exceptions. Anyway, if it wasn't, the first SIM wouldn't have worked either.
Do you have any other messenger programs, like AIM or Yahoo? If not, you should try downloading one of those and see if you can sign onto either of them. If you can't, then it is probably something with your internet connection or your computer.
If you can log into another messenger, then it's probably on MSN's side.
Ghost Rider103 - As I said in a previous reply, I've got Yahoo messenger and that works fine with both SIMs.
I've also got Emesene & Trillian. Emesene works with SIM number 1, but not number 2. Trillian lets me sign into Yahoo with both SIMs and into MSN with SIM number 1 but not number 2.
I get this error every few weeks or so and it always gets back to normal after a few days.
Can this be related to the Microsoft servers actually ?
I don't know what it's related to. I have never managed to get onto MSN with SIM number 2 and neither Microsoft nor T-mobile know why. Or, if they know, they're not telling.
It's not really that much of a problem to me as the only reason I had the 2nd SIM was in case I reached my download limit on the first SIM. As I was at first downloading quite a lot of software onto a new laptop I was hitting the limit halfway through the month. However, I'm no longer downloading anything substantial so the limit isn't a problem now and I keep SIM number 1 the whole time.
