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How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger

Many of you will have several WLIDs, and want to sign into Messenger with more than one of them. Until now you had to seek refuge in a patch or add-on to be able to do so. Not anymore! Microsoft’s John Weisenfeld just shared a little trick with me to enable this, which I’m going to share with you.

The trick involves registry editing, so please follow these steps very carefully:

1. Start regedit (admin)
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Live
3. Right click Messenger and create a new DWORD called MultipleInstances

REcreateDWORD

4. Right click the newly added registry key and choose Modify
5. Set the Value data to 1

REeditDWORD

6. Close regedit

All done! Now you can launch Windows Live Messenger as many times as you want, and sign in with as many WLIDs you want, on one computer. Just don’t try to sign in with the same WLID more than once on one computer or it will throw error 80071392 at you! 

80071392

Enjoy!

Comments

CalumJR wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-17-2008 12:46 PM

What a fantastic article! Thank you very much Sunshine! :) I have seen this on addons and always thought there may be a possiblity a little registry edit might allow this.

BuciboLebo wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-17-2008 2:19 PM

Oh, LoveSide has a new makeup. I like it. Gorgeous.

Khristopher wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-17-2008 3:34 PM

If it didn't mean I'd have to sacrifice yet more memory, I'd definitely do this.

orionll wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-17-2008 4:21 PM

Woah!!!

Coffee247 wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-17-2008 6:07 PM

fantastic! what a gift

foaf wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-18-2008 7:46 AM

Thanks, this is perfect! Exactly what I've been waiting for since we used to be able to do this with MSN Messenger

Jim wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-18-2008 8:48 PM

i have developed a simple application to enable Polygamy in WLM 9. try it! blog.neuronaltraining.net

CalumJR wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-19-2008 12:23 AM

I reckon they may include this in the final Windows Live Messenger 2009! It would go nicely with how the new Windows 7 taskbar works.

PapyNet wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-28-2008 8:33 AM

Hello!

I speak english very very badly

Ne serait-il pas possible dans l'icone Windows Live Messenger qui est dans la zone de notification d'avoir le Live ID  ?

Would it not be possible in the Windows Live Messenger icon which is in the notification area for the Live ID instead of Windows Live Messenger (available)?

Thank you in advance

Sincerely

Georges

Sunshine wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-29-2008 6:30 AM

Hi Georges,

You mean you would like the Windows Live ID displayed in the tooltip for the Messenger icon in systray?

Example: sunshineweb.org/.../IDinTooltip.png

You can get this with Messenger Plus!: sunshineweb.org / http://www.msgpluslive.net/

How?: files.msgpluslive.net/.../polygamy.png (Display the email....)

Note that it's not fully compatible with the latest Messenger Beta yet, but this feature does work and a new version is on its way. Also no need to use polygamy in Plus! if you use this workaround (display email in sytray tooltip will work without "Allow me to connect to..." checked too)!

I do not know of a registry key to enable this, sorry.

PapyNet wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 12-29-2008 9:23 AM

Hello!

Merci mais je ne veux pas installer msgpluslive !

D'ailleurs il ne fonctionne plus correctement

Thank you but I do not want to install msgpluslive!

Indeed it does not work well

Congratulations

Georges

Pianodiva wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 01-05-2009 2:39 AM

This is a great article!  I'm using the Windows Live Messenger (Beta), unfortunately, this did not work...I rebooted my computer, twice and I still receiving a error code 8100030d.  Is there anything else that I need to do?  Been without my messenger for a month.

foaf wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 01-07-2009 3:16 AM

yeah, it didn't work for me either but that was because I don't seem to have the registry entry under the Windows Live registry folder

damaster wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 01-07-2009 7:42 AM

@foaf: Which registry entry were you referring to? The registry entry does not exist until you create it as instructed in Step 3.

Tony T wrote re: How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger
on 01-14-2009 5:00 PM

Too bad nobody can figure out STILL how to be on Live Messenger and get mail on your Blackberry  :-(

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