You Cannot Sign In to or Use Exchange Instant Messaging After You Upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 1

After you upgrade your computer to Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) from Microsoft Windows 98 or from Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, you may find that you can no longer sign in to or use Microsoft Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service.

This issue may occur because the Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service component is removed during the upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP SP1.

To work around this issue, download and install the latest version of Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service after you upgrade your computer to Windows XP SP1. Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service is available for download when you visit the following Microsoft Web site: NOTE: You lose your list of Exchange Instant Messaging contacts when the Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service component is removed during the upgrade to Windows XP SP1. To work around this issue, and to retain your list of contacts, export your contact list before you upgrade your computer to Windows XP SP1. Perform the upgrade, download and install the latest version of Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service, and then import your contact list. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Export your list of contacts. To do so:
   1. Sign in to MSN Messenger, and then click Save Contact List on the File menu.
   2. In the Save Messenger Contact List dialog box, click the name of the file into which you want to save your contact list, and then click Save.
   3. Quit MSN Messenger.
2. Upgrade your computer to Windows XP SP1.
3. To download and install the latest version of Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Service, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/bb288473.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/bb288473.aspx)
4. Import the list of contacts that you saved in step 1. To do so, follow these steps:
   1. Start Windows Messenger, and then click Import Contacts from a Saved File on the File menu.
   2. Click the contact list that you saved in step 1, and then click Open.
   3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to add the contacts to your contact list.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

For more information about Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging, visit the following Microsoft Web site to see the Instant Messaging Service Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):