Remove MSN Live 8.0 Ads

MSN Messenger Live 8.0Update: several people are indicating that with very little changes the instructions below work on the 8.5 version of MSN Messenger Live as well.

A few days back, I received an email from someone calling himself 'bug beatle', with instructions on how to remove the ads from MSN Messenger Live 8.0. I've since updated them with some more tweaks of my own, so here you go:

Instructions for editing and removing ads from MSN Live Version 8.0.0.792.00

  1. Get resource hacker as per MSN 7.5 instructions
  2. Exit MSN (Right click - Exit)
  3. Copy C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msgsres.dll (2,272,552bytes) to a backup folder
  4. Load C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msgsres.dll within Reshacker
  5. Open the tree structure:
    4004 -> 923 -> 1033
  6. In the right pane scroll down to line 146 (The line numbers are displayed in the left region of the status bar)
  7. Change:
    <Element layoutpos=bottom layout=borderlayout()>
    <Constrainer layoutpos=top ID=Atom(SSConstrainer) Layout=FillLayout()>
    <SlideShowWithAd ID=Atom(AdBanner) Layout=BorderLayout() 
    Padding=Rect(0,0,8,3) Active=inactive>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=Top>
    To:
    <Element layoutpos=none layout=borderlayout()>
    <Constrainer layoutpos=none ID=Atom(SSConstrainer) Layout=FillLayout()>
    <SlideShowWithAd ID=Atom(AdBanner) Layout=BorderLayout() 
    Padding=Rect(0,0,0,3) Active=inactive Visible=False>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=None>
  8. Next scroll to line 158 further down and change: (This change might not be necessary - but preventing ads from ever contacting ad servers means less wasted bandwidth and more secure privacy for msn users).
    <Element Id=Atom(AdBrowserCont) Layout=VerticalFlowLayout(0,0,3,0) 
    Visible=false Padding=Rect(8,2,0,2)>
    <element id=atom(adbannercontainer) layout=filllayout() 
    borderthickness=rect(1,1,1,1)>
    <adbrowser id=atom(adbrowser) width=234 height=60 layoutpos=none 
    DefaultADTimerMS=25000 DLControl=dlctlNoActiveX 
    DocHostUIFlags=dhUIscrollno|dhUIopennewwin|dhUIno3dborder|dhUIactivateclienthitonly/>
    </element>
    To:
    <Element Id=Atom(AdBrowserCont) Layout=VerticalFlowLayout(0,0,3,0) 
    Visible=False Padding=Rect(8,2,0,2)>
    <element id=atom(adbannercontainer) layout=filllayout() 
    borderthickness=rect(1,1,1,1)>
    <adbrowser id=atom(adbrowser) width=234 height=60 layoutpos=none 
    DefaultADTimerMS=95000 DLControl=dlctlNoActiveX 
    DocHostUIFlags=dhUIscrollno|dhUIopennewwin|dhUIno3dborder|dhUIactivateclienthitonly/>
    </element>
  9. Save the modified version of C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msgsres.dll
  10. Load MSN Live and enjoy it without the obtrusive ads.

You can remove the text ads that appear on the bottom of the conversation window in a similar way:

  1. Exit Messenger and edit msgsres.dll again with Reshacker
  2. Goto 4004 -> 920 -> 1033
  3. Scroll to line 40 and change:
    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout()>
    <textadbanner id=atom(adbanner) layoutpos=none pagegroupnode="" 
    layout=verticalflowlayout(0,0,2,2) padding=rect(4,0,0,0)>
    To:
    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout() layoutpos=none>
    <textadbanner id=atom(adbanner) layoutpos=none pagegroupnode="" 
    layout=verticalflowlayout(0,0,2,2) padding=rect(4,0,0,0)>
  4. Compile and save in Reshacker and reload Messenger, totally ad-free!
You may also want to remove the search-area on the bottom and the search contact from the top of your contact list:
  1. Exit Messenger and edit msgsres.dll again with Reshacker
  2. Goto 4004 -> 923 -> 1033
  3. Scroll down to line 195 and change:
    <element layoutpos=bottom layout=filllayout()>
    <element id=atom(idSearchContainer) layout=filllayout() padding=rect(8,3,23,8)>
    To:
    <element layoutpos=none layout=filllayout()>
    <element id=atom(idSearchContainer) layout=filllayout() padding=rect(8,3,23,8)>
  4. Goto 4004 -> 1001 -> 1033
  5. On the 3rd line change:
    <Element LayoutPos=Top Layout=BorderLayout() BorderThickness=rect(0,0,0,1) 
    Padding=Rect(7,7,2,7) ID=Atom(ai396)>
    To:
    <Element LayoutPos=None Layout=BorderLayout() BorderThickness=rect(0,0,0,1) 
    Padding=Rect(7,7,2,7) ID=Atom(ai396)>
  6. Compile and save and reload Messenger, now even cleaner!
Note that by altering the msgsres.dll file you're violating the Microsoft EULA. I decline all responsibility for your actions!
This site is not affiliated in any way with the Microsoft Corporation. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Comments

  1. Kristoffer says:

    Thank you for a good hack. I had a bit of trouble though:
    Messenger seems to restore the file on startup. When I write-protected the dll it worked, however just replaced the banner with an empty lightblue space.

    Any advice how to expand the contacts list all the way down, using the ex-banner space?

  2. Matthijs says:

    For me it works well, expanding the contactlist. Maybe you should revert to your backup and try again, really copy-pasting.
    Also don't forget to compile and save in Reshacker.

  3. Kristoffer says:

    Hi Matthijs,
    thanks for your help, now it's nice, clean and ad-free! Thank you!
    Kristoffer :o)

  4. dave says:

    how the hell do u get on msn

  5. jess says:

    well u go on www.msn.co.uk an then sign up for one ok

  6. Charlotte says:

    Cool, I am a computer illiterate and was able to do it with Windows live...no problems.

    Now if i could figure out how to make msn think a custom emoticon is default emoticon!

  7. emmanuel says:

    i want to get rid of msn messenger live and get the original msn messenger back.

  8. kel says:

    i want old 1 back 2

  9. GAHD says:

    Google "MSN 7.5 download" you will find it, it still works.

  10. Alex says:

    cheers awesome

  11. Mathias A. says:

    I did exactly as you have written and i cant open msn. i can start it up but i cant get the msn window up, its just the system tray icon that apperas.

  12. jamil says:

    u suck it

  13. Gavin says:

    Works well! Thanks for clearing up one of my biggest MSN qualms. One thing that did happen was that my contacts, divided into groups, ended up being lumped together under the "Other Contacts" grouping instead of their proper set. Had to fix this manually but afterwards, it worked well

  14. magnus says:

    remember to allways save your contacts when making mods :-)

  15. Matthijs says:

    I've updated the instructions with details on how to remove the Text Ads and Search Area.

  16. smee says:

    Hello,

    Thank you for your help.

    I already had a modified msgsres.dll file which had a better looking skin it was called:
    -> "WLM Ixtli Skin v4.4 by ~HaydenM" for WLM 8.
    I applied your modifications to the msgsres.dll file and the banners where gone. Now I have a perfect Skin!!!

    Many thanks

    Smee

  17. joe90t says:

    zomg thank you so much i wish i found this stuff out years ago :-)

  18. laco says:

    you're ELVIS

    thanks

  19. sjaak says:

    YOU DA MAN!!!!

    Ga zo door :D:D

    very much appreciated

  20. urami says:

    Thank you very much
    I had to do it few times, propably missed
    something at first. Anyhow, eventually manage to fix it and so far so good.
    Thanks once again for detail step-by-step :-)

    best regards
    Urami
    Kuala Lumpur
    Malaysia

  21. pete says:

    harder to use than the ad remover for msn7.5 but still good for removing all the msn ads

  22. oups says:

    My msn wont start :-P

  23. Jim says:

    Great hack! Every time MS relaeses a new version of Messenger, your site is the first place I go to get it cleaned up! Thanks!

  24. Martijn says:

    You gotta be very careful editting the file, and be sure to have a backup. One small error can bug your MSN so it doesn't start anymore, and you will need a re-install. If it all works thou, it's great :-)

  25. Wijnand says:

    Hmm, I cannot find msgres.dll anywhere on my computer, how is that possible?

  26. Matthijs says:

    Are you sure you are using MSN 8.0? Maybe your "Program Files" dir is not showing its contents?

  27. Matt says:

    Has anyone ever heard of the MSN A-Patch? Would save a lot of problems editing the registry and very safe to use. Updates are available for the current version

  28. Martin says:

    Hi matthijs, thanks for the great work you searched out :-D i like this way to remove the stuff from msn messenger live thx for it! keep the good thing up great work

  29. Andrew says:

    Great work on the anti-ad, Nice and clean, without stupid "vote for this video"...now i might look around to get rid of the "click here to learn about the customer experience involvement program"

    :-)

  30. Matthijs says:

    You can get rid of that message by just clicking it and choosing "No thank you". :-)

  31. Alex says:

    Thanks a lot.

  32. soup says:

    Thanks, Matthijs. Should have thanked you long ago. I had the cleanest 7.5 ever - white box with contact w/ no borders.

    I played with Resource Hacker a little bit. Most craps are gone. All I need it to remove the Windows logo, "Windows Live Messenger", and the background. If I find anything, I'll let you all know.

  33. allan says:

    very good, i hate Microsoft and there monopoly, glad to get rid of the ads, especially the ones that play annoying sounds !

  34. Maddie says:

    I have messenger 8.0 (build 8.0.0812.00)
    resource hacker lets me change the file no problem, but as soon as I open msn it defaults to the original value (with ads)
    Am I going wrong somewhere, or is the newer version better protected?

  35. sara says:

    ...

  36. jzhcisil says:

    <a href="http://eraqkxlj.com">xckjifqn</a> ikebaypr itcmdyhx http://wslyyzrl.com mkkjsrye urizskiz

  37. Gafurr says:

    hajt

  38. pfelelep says:

    Couldn't thank you enough for this.

    I never liked any advertisement for anywhere, but this one on MSN was really huge and painful..
    thank you so much.

  39. San says:

    thanks a lot- i hated those bloody advertisinGS! Now msn is like it used to be some time ago, without ads.

  40. Another satisfied customer says:

    Worked perfectly!

    I'd recommend this to friends. And have!

  41. Gonis says:

    hello everyone,
    may i log in msn with multi accounts in the same time? If yes, what i must to do?
    could anyone help me?
    greetings goni

  42. brickley says:

    Couldn't be easier to follow the page instructions.
    You helped clean out ver 7, and just as easily live-8

    YOU ARE A GOD !

    A few who said the changes reverted, may have forgot to click the COMPILE button before saving.

  43. SIMEON says:

    ELOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  44. gluino says:

    Thanks for this! been using your instructions since ver 7.x

    Request:
    instructions for removing the "Search" button in the chat windows. The one under the "Send" button.

    It is so fscking unnecessary and useless.

  45. Dan says:

    In ResHacker, open msgsres.dll, per usual. Go to 4004>920>1033> line 239. Change it from:

    <element id=atom(searchbtnbk) class="SendButtonBk" layout=Filllayout()>

    to:

    <element class="SendButtonBk" layoutpos=none>

    That will get rid of the worthless search button.

  46. Dan says:

    Wow, I'm wondering if I really meant something like "SearchButtonBk"
    lol

  47. vgzvhnme says:

    <a href="http://sucslsei.com">scdiswae</a> lqnnzfmz gvaylbse http://kngexzou.com ljkaexby hvhuerjn

  48. kaylane says:

    its the best

  49. Van Den Heuvel says:

    Goed Man! Uitstekend.
    Ive used mess-patch before this, but for some reason strange things were happening: like the chat window constantly resizing. And off-line messages popping-up sent to me again & again.. Im hopeful this will be the one...so far so good.
    Groeten, Tom

  50. Gman says:

    Nice, but I guess it's for local adjustment only ?
    No code to put online so I can rid of it.

    (ps: my msn-layout does not match with the design i made. trying to figure that one out...)

  51. Jim says:

    Matthijs thank you SOOOO much for this, its amazing! before MSN used to be decent lookign but now it's just horrible and i cant stand it, but with your help its back to normal!

    I have one question though...is it possible to remove the side tabs as well? - theyre kinda bothersome

    Tank you very much

  52. kj says:

    that can be done in options - security - show tabs

  53. greatr says:

    tried it did'nt work my msn doesent even start now!

  54. Link says:

    Microsoft and there monopoly, glad to get rid of the ads, especially the ones that play annoying sounds !


    Turkey

  55. Superstylin says:

    Fooking awesome! Keep up the good work, and if you find out how to get rid of the Emoticon advertising (on a msn window when chatting with a person and you want to add a smiley), then let us know!

    Much love!

    ^_^

    Super.

  56. DeeKay says:

    Great tutorial. You've no idea how sick I am from those stupid ads, everywhere I click...
    Thankz a lot!

    PS: Can you add a tweak of removing the text ad at the bottom of the "Sharing Folders" window? That would be just perfect ^^'

  57. Dan says:

    Go to 4004>949>1033 on line 31 and change it to say:

    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout() layoutpos=none>

    That will get rid of the adbanner text at the bottom of your sharing folder window.

  58. Alex says:

    For version 8.1 of MSN Messenger, in order to remove text ads at the bottom of the "Sharing Folders" window, go to 4004->947->1033 on line 94

    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout() layoutpos=bottom>

    into

    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout() layoutpos=none>

  59. Dan says:

    Wow, this is great. I really like what you've done. I've long been tired of the incredibly annoying advertisements, and I thank you for your tutorial.

    I had a question, though. I'm looking to remove a few other things. For example, it never lets me remove pending requests. Even if I decline them, they never disappear. I want to get rid of them. So rather than ask for a specific way to get rid of them (though I won't say no to that) I want to know how this all works. How do you know where to look for these things? Is there a certain method I don't know about? Do you just know a ton about this sort of thing? Or are you just an incredible genius?

    Anyway, thanks for the awesome tutorial.

  60. Lak says:

    Awsome!!! Thnx a lot.

    Does anybody know how to remove the text ads that appear in left side of the conversation windows? Over the avatars' contact

  61. ThxMatthijs says:

    nay way to remove logo and other, make it look not msn..
    i would also like messages to apaer in the same line as senders name

  62. lassi says:

    What a great tip!!
    Thanx a lot!! Oh my god~ My msn looks crystal clear!

  63. Kevin Formosa says:

    Will this work with version 8.0.0812.000?

  64. Matthijs says:

    Should work. I would say: make a backup and try it. Please post the outcome for others. I will try it later and update the instructions if necessary.

  65. Dan says:

    Yes, it does work with version 8.0.0812.000. That's the version I have, and the changes work perfectly.

    I also recommend backing things up, especially if you're experimenting. Changes sometimes have really odd side-effects (especially changes to menu items in msgslang.dll.) But I assure you, the ones I have posted work flawlessly.

  66. Jose says:

    Not quite, some of the lines of code have been moved down and one of them I couldnt find.

  67. Sinister says:

    Awesome! Thanx Heaps

  68. ekinox says:

    How can we remove information bar?

  69. spiff_21 says:

    Thanks For a good site, in version 8.1.0168 the lines have changed a bit, and moved to line 154, but basic is still the same. Thanks

  70. JayC says:

    sweet, i must thank you for this, i done 7.5 which i would only use before, i tried live but didnt like it, since doing all this im well happy with it, its minimal, clean, perfect..

    top dollar!

  71. caw1 says:

    thx Matthijs for this hack again worked 1st time , just like 7.0. the way to remove it has been moved I guess.

    AD- Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    by the way Matthijs is there any hack for windows media player, to remove that media tab thus stop windows media player from loading a web page

    thx up front

  72. Mathias A. says:

    It work for me this time..
    Maybe it didnt work last time cuz.. line 158 was "</url.. " not "<Element Id=Atom(AdBrowserCont)...". So i started at line 159. Or maybe it was cuz i was doin copy /paste and the spacing was wrong. Well i dont know, i works now. thanx alot. I was going crazy seeing that damn flash advert. :-D

  73. nancy says:

    i didin't like it

  74. marc says:

    Many thanks for the hack, why place ads when your as big as MS?

    THANKS

  75. Dan says:

    Hope you aren't tired of seeing my name. Anyway, the latest version of Windows Live Messenger is about the same, but some of the line numbers are different. You may want to look into that.

  76. Erno says:

    Nice work with the hacks! :-)

    These also work with the new 8.1.0178.00 version of live messenger (just installed it and tried)

    Though I seem to be having a slight problem... I can't get rid of the area that the search box took for itself.
    This is probably because the entry for it has changed a little bit in the .dll
    The layoutpos=bottom is now layoutpos=Client and padding=rect( is different than in the previous version.
    All I did was change layoutpos to "none" and the box disappeared (which is the most important thing) but it didn't free up the space for my contact list so now there is merely a white box instead.

    Any solution for this would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks

  77. nubious says:

    Dugg.

  78. Fabiana says:

    crazy x manuè

  79. sam says:

    It's work on 8.1.0178.00 too with a little more effort :), You're the MAN

    Thanks

  80. TaKlaK says:

    Any chance of getting it to work on WLM 8.1 ??

  81. Lucan says:

    After removing the ads and text.. it left the blank space above the search. Any idea to reduce it so increase my listing space?

    Thanks.

  82. naz says:

    i want to get rid of msn messenger live and get the original 7.5 msn messenger back.!!!!!!!!!!! someone help!

  83. Bonemeal says:

    Tested in 8.1.0178.00
    Works

  84. Bonemeal says:

    Tested in 8.1.0178.00
    It works !!

    Thanks for guide.
    Q: Does MSN still contact the AD server to download the AD videos and stuff? If so, can this also be removed?

  85. Gringo says:

    Hi,

    Thanks for the v8 instructions... I have been add free for several years because of your efforts Matt. Thanks for the website and the great info, and thanks to all the people who contribute to this "project".

    I have just removed all the points in the above article for "Windows Live Messenger v8.1.0178.00" successfully. But some things have changed in 8.1 so the instructions above are not exact... some small edits are needed for MSN v8.1.

    Thanks again,
    Greg

  86. Ahmed says:

    Great work Matthijs, I made a google seach and I didnt expect to find the solution from the first result,there was other patches but i preffered to do it your way cuz i learned alot from it.
    By the way i did it on Windows Live Messenger v8.1 , it worked fine i just had to make search to get the right line and there were few changes in the code,i did all of it except for the idsearch bar.
    I learned alot to day, and I cant help asking you for more, i would like to know how did u learn to play with this code and if there any materials i could get to go further.
    Any help will be appreciated and thanks for this hack

  87. mindgames says:

    If anyone else cares:

    How to remove toolbar buttons like (email, Windows Space, My MSN, SMS, Color palette, etc) from your MSN main window.

    Exit Messenger. Open ResourceHacker. Open msgsres.dll. Make sure to make a copy of msgsres.dll before you make changes.

    You can click View->Find Text and search for any of the following buttons you want removed:
    Email: id=atom(mailbtn)
    Shared folder: id=atom(sharingfoldersbtn)
    Window Live Space: id=atom(spacebtn)
    MSN today: id=atom(msntodaybtn)
    Phone dialer: id=atom(dialerbtn)
    Cell SMS: id=atom(smsbtn)
    Color palette: id=atom(colorizedropdownbtn)

    All these buttons are actually relatively in the same part of the script. Should be in 4004->923->1033 around line 95 onward to about 125.

    To make changes:
    Original:
    <Button cmdid=40421 id=atom(spacebtn) AccRole=57 Class="TransparentButton" Layout=flowlayout(0,2,0,2) Active=MouseandKeyboard|NoSyncFocus>

    Change to:
    <Button cmdid=40421 id=atom(spacebtn) Layoutpos=none Active=MouseandKeyboard|NoSyncFocus>

    Just change the lines as needed for the other buttons listed above. Compile script, save and launch Windows Live Messenger. Now your toolbar should be a bit cleaner.

  88. Spence says:

    I could carry out all the modifications listed with live messenger 8.1.0178.00 EXCEPT the contact search bar at the top. I tried to find the string, but had no luck.

    Appart from that, Its lovely to have MSN AD-FREE :-) Thanks for the top guide ;-)

  89. Spence says:

    My bad, the strring is there....was in the wrong part of the tree.

    Cheers :-)

  90. Ace says:

    Anyone know how to remove the search bar and add contact for msn version 8.1? The code is different for those two items.

    Thanks

  91. JamNet says:

    i got one note for this open reshacker goto structure line 4004 > 923 > 1033 and remove this section only
    from line 156 to line 195

    <SlideShowWithAd ID=Atom(AdBanner) Layout=BorderLayout() Padding=Rect(0,0,8,3) Active=Mouse>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=Top>
    <Element ID=Atom(SSTitle) ContentAlign=MiddleLeft|EndEllipsis Padding=Rect(8,0,0,6) LayoutPos=Left Tooltip=True Accessible=True AccRole=42 Active=MouseAndKeyboard/>
    </Element>
    <Element LayoutPos=Client Layout=FillLayout() Padding=Rect(0,0,0,2)>
    <UrlElem ID=Atom(idHouseAd) Layout=VerticalFlowLayout(0,0,3,0) Direction=ltr Padding=Rect(8,2,0,2)>
    <Element Layout=FillLayout() borderthickness=rect(1,1,1,1)>
    <Element Width=234 Height=60 ID=Atom(ai236)/>
    </Element>
    </UrlElem>
    <Element Id=Atom(AdBrowserCont) Layout=VerticalFlowLayout(0,0,3,0) Visible=false Padding=Rect(8,2,0,2)>
    <element id=atom(adbannercontainer) layout=filllayout() borderthickness=rect(1,1,1,1)>
    <adbrowser id=atom(adbrowser) width=234 height=60 layoutpos=none DefaultADTimerMS=25000 DLControl=dlctlNoActiveX DocHostUIFlags=dhUIscrollno|dhUIopennewwin|dhUIno3dborder|dhUIactivateclienthitonly/>
    </element>
    </Element>
    <Element ID=Atom(SSV) Layout=BorderLayout() Visible=False>
    <UrlElem ID=Atom(SSVImgUrl) LayoutPos=Left Layout=FillLayout() Tooltip=True Accessible=True AccRole=30 Active=MouseAndKeyboard Padding=Rect(8,0,7,0) UseIENoAuth=True>
    <HttpImage ID=Atom(SSVImg) Width=92 Height=69 borderthickness=rect(1,1,1,1) LayoutPos=Client ContentAlign=MiddleCenter flip=false Active=Inactive Accessible=False/>
    </UrlElem>
    <Element LayoutPos=Client Layout=BorderLayout() Padding=Rect(0,0,2,0)>
    <Element LayoutPos=Top Layout=BorderLayout()>
    <UrlElem ID=Atom(SSVTitle) LayoutPos=Client ContentAlign=MiddleLeft|EndEllipsis Tooltip=True AccRole=30 ShowAmpersand=False UseIENoAuth=True/>
    </Element>
    <UrlElem ID=Atom(SSVDesc) LayoutPos=Client ContentAlign=MiddleLeft|EndEllipsis|WrapLeft|EditControl Tooltip=True AccRole=30 ShowAmpersand=False Height=32 UseIENoAuth=True/>
    <Element LayoutPos=Bottom Layout=BorderLayout() MinSize=Size(139,0)>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=Left>
    <Element Layout=FlowLayout(0,1,0,1) ContentAlign=MiddleLeft Height=24 LayoutPos=Client>
    <UrlElem ID=Atom(SSVPlayBtn) AccRole=30 LayoutPos=Left Active=mouseandkeyboard|nosyncfocus UseIENoAuth=True/>
    <UrlElem ID=Atom(SSVPlayText) AccRole=30 LayoutPos=Client MinSize=Size(14,14) ContentAlign=MiddleLeft|EndEllipsis Active=mouseandkeyboard|nosyncfocus UseIENoAuth=True/>
    </Element>
    <Element Height=24 Layout=FlowLayout(0,1,0,1) LayoutPos=Right Padding=Rect(0,0,6,0)>
    <Button ID=Atom(SSVPrev) LayoutPos=Left Margin=Rect(4,0,4,0) Active=mouseandkeyboard|nosyncfocus/>
    <Button ID=Atom(SSVNext) LayoutPos=Left Margin=Rect(4,0,4,0) Active=mouseandkeyboard|nosyncfocus/>
    </Element>
    </Element>
    </Element>
    </Element>
    </Element>
    </Element>
    </SlideShowWithAd>

    and this will remove the ad line in msn live/msn messenger :-)

  92. kam says:

    Nice - works for 8.1 also though the line numbers have changed a little...

    Many thanks!

  93. rawan says:

    delete msn live

  94. Wendal says:

    Will this work with MSN Live 8.1?

  95. Jack says:

    oh that's a great hack..
    but i want to ask you something.. if you know...
    You know, when somebody of your contact list sign in, you see a message that tell you that this person has just came online..
    i want, when i sign in, my contact to see something different on this pop up, not my msn name...
    is that possible? pls help me

  96. john says:

    Matthijs - thanks for the help on removing ads on 7.5

    got a question, if i want to continue using 7.5 and not install 8.0, but messenger keeps reminding me that 'a newer version is available' every time i log onto 7.5! Is it possible to REMOVE this reminder?

    thanks for the help!

  97. Reckless says:

    I suspect that the reason people can't find "msgres.dll" (2 references) is that they are typos. They should read "msgsres.dll".

    Superb, much needed fix by the way.

  98. aumryotv says:

    <a href="http://xiuovtar.com">wfqpbndp</a> rxuzkpjw http://nhvaqkwd.com jwwwucan lhotxfcu zcvvpcei

  99. Mike says:

    Wow thanks so much for this awesome guide, worked great :-D

    Yay for an ad-free MSN!

  100. Burty says:

    Would this work for 8.1 (build 8.1.0178.00)?

  101. Mariana says:

    I just cant get it done :-(

    Could someone mail me a hacked version of the dll? It's all very frustrating :-(

  102. Froe says:

    Thank you very much.
    I used in MSN Messenger 8.1.0178.00 and works well. It just different number of lines.

    Thanks

    Froe

  103. Anonymous says:

    har, im a bit late but yeah
    THANKS A LOT

  104. Adam says:

    Thanks heaps! This was great, but I suggest that you remove those adbanner tags entirely - instead of hiding it - as it makes me, personally, feel better like it won't download any ads. Also, I used this as a way to completely remove lots of crap and now my contact list is just really a contact list... Yay! Thanks, again!

    [img]
    http://feeds.feedburner.com/LatestMusicVideos.3.gif[/img]

  105. v.DragonEye.n09 says:

    OMG, great tip!!! no my msn messenger live its clean, yay.

    BTW, this works for version 8.1.x.x.x, just the location of the lines change, not a big deal, I just search for the corresponding text and woala!!! ^_^

    P.S, you don't know if its possible to add something else!? like a special buttons with my own action or something similar, or maybe change the top windows logo with my own one!!^_^???

  106. karl gillon says:

    i have three pending request on my msn, can you please tell me how to remove them

  107. Lukas says:

    I am using version 8.10178.00 and all the ad removing editing worked like a charm, maybe a line off here and there and som other small differences are present but it was easy to find out how to do it so a big great thanks to you!
    The search windows editing on the other hand differ quite a bit from the version you are using and that was something I was not able to complete...

  108. Gen says:

    Does this work with 8.1 or later? The tags you are referring to on line 146 dont even exist, or even seem to be nearby.

  109. Matthijs K says:

    To get rid of not only the Search button but also the Send button (which is absolutely useless since the Enter key(s) on your keyboard serve the same purpose), go to:
    4004>920>1033> (approximately) line 228. Change it from:

    <element id=atom(sendandsearchbtns) layoutpos=right layout=borderlayout() padding=rect(3,0,0,0)>

    To

    <element id=atom(sendandsearchbtns) layoutpos=none layout=borderlayout() padding=rect(3,0,0,0)>

  110. Daran says:

    For version 8.1.0178 start at line 154 and I changed it to:
    <Element layoutpos=bottom layout=borderlayout()>
    <Constrainer layoutpos=none ID=Atom(SSConstrainer) Layout=FillLayout()>
    <SlideShowWithAd ID=Atom(AdBanner) Layout=BorderLayout() Padding=Rect(0,0,0,3) Active=inactive>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=Top>

  111. Unknown guy says:

    does this work for version 8.1?

  112. Henk says:

    Geweldig !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Bedankt man irriteerde me mateloos aan die kut ads.

  113. Marcus says:

    Hey dude, what is the "bug beatle", is it a site?

  114. Rome88 says:

    GREAT tip!! thanks a lot, i tried in on 8.5 (the stable one not the beta, i forgot the full number) and it works too

  115. the5percent says:

    Great hack. It worked even on my version (8.5) with very little changes.

  116. ad-free lover :D says:

    will it work for msn 8.5 too?

  117. Matthijs says:

    Several people are indicating that with small changes (mostly line numbers) this method still applies for MSN 8.5.

  118. Dan says:

    Yeah, works fine with 8.5 with a few line changes. I can't seem to get rid of the search box at the bottom, as I guess Microsoft changed the criteria for that and I'm not skilled enough to know how to recognize it :-) The ads at the bottom are gone, though

  119. CW says:

    Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1302.1018


    BOTTOM ADS - Now appears on line 177

    New (MS Version)
    <Element layoutpos=bottom layout=borderlayout() padding=rect(4,0,4,0)>
    <Constrainer layoutpos=top ID=Atom(SSConstrainer) Layout=FillLayout()>
    <SlideShowWithAd ID=Atom(AdBanner) Layout=BorderLayout() Padding=Rect(0,0,8,3) Active=Mouse>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=Top>

    New (Change to)
    <Element layoutpos=none layout=borderlayout() padding=rect(0,0,0,0)>
    <Constrainer layoutpos=none ID=Atom(SSConstrainer) Layout=FillLayout()>
    <SlideShowWithAd ID=Atom(AdBanner) Layout=BorderLayout() Padding=Rect(0,0,0,0) Active=inactive Visible=False>
    <Element Layout=BorderLayout() LayoutPos=None>


    MESSAGE TEXT ADS - Now appears on line 51

    NEW (MS Version)
    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout()>
    <textadbanner id=atom(adbanner) visible=false pagegroupnode="" layout=verticalflowlayout(0,0,2,2) padding=rect(4,0,0,0)>

    NEW (Change To)
    <element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout() layoutpos=none>
    <textadbanner id=atom(adbanner) layoutpos=none visible=false pagegroupnode="" layout=verticalflowlayout(0,0,2,2) padding=rect(4,0,0,0)>


    SEARCH CONTAINER - Now appears on line 227

    NEW (MS Version)
    <Element layoutpos=bottom padding=rect(8,0,8,8) layout=filllayout() ID=Atom(ai217)>
    <element id=atom(idSearchContainer) layout=filllayout() padding=rect(4,0,4,4)>

    NEW CHANGE TO
    <Element layoutpos=none padding=rect(0,0,0,0) layout=filllayout() ID=Atom(ai217)>
    <element id=atom(idSearchContainer) layout=filllayout() padding=rect(0,0,0,0)>


    SEARCH CONTACT- Still appears on line 3

    NEW (MS Version)
    <Element LayoutPos=Top Layout=BorderLayout() BorderThickness=rect(0,0,0,1) Padding=Rect(0,0,2,0) ID=Atom(ai550)>

    NEW Change To
    <Element LayoutPos=None Layout=BorderLayout() BorderThickness=rect(0,0,0,1) Padding=Rect(0,0,2,0) ID=Atom(ai550)>

  120. Ice_ling says:

    Thank you =) awesome
    真棒!

  121. minji says:

    It works!!
    Thank you~

    Though, the lines in the script were different for me.
    What was supposed to be on line 146 was actually somewhere n the 150s..

  122. Neel says:

    Thank you very much :-)

  123. Anonymous says:

    The only diffrence i see as of January 2 2009 is that its now line 154. i believe thats right, thanks though : ) i hate advertisements their very annoying.

  124. dave says:

    this works for 8.5 as well, you just have to scroll down a bit more. Have fun!

  125. Dnepropetrovsk Intim says:

    It's not actual...
    Good staff!

  126. Oscar says:

    Everuthing works fine with latest version today. Just use the search function in the program because the line nr isnt correct. and dont just cut and paste. Read the code and change the things that differ. Some things aren't quite the same but if you read the cod euäl get it

  127. Katrien says:

    Any work done on the 14.0.8064.206 version already?

  128. John says:

    I also would be interested in finding out if anyone has completed anything similar to the above, for version 2009 (14.0.8064.206), as they have made some changes and the above no longer seems to work.

  129. nae says:

    http://blog.leidegren.se/2007/06/ad-free-windows-live-messenger.html

  130. Tajo says:

    I tried it on a bit of a newer version than 14.0.8064.206 but point number 7 is totally different. I suppose it is necessary to find some other suggestions.

  131. Liam says:

    There are hacks to remove ads from version 10 onwards but the fact that reshack can now no longer open msgsres.dll and edit the file means that you lose control about what you wish to see and what you do not. You either download other people's tools and alter the propietary code or block the communications path in the HOSTS file. But then a new version of Live Messenger comes along with non-removable nagging to upgrade.

    Solution: there are several open source IM clients which have no ads whatsoever and are 100% compatible with MSN. Lacking are video and audio, but in my case, I only use Skype for video and calls so it is not a loss for me.

    I am now using Pidgin, but there are also Emosene (MSN clone - limited web cam support), Miranda, and aMSN. (as well as proprietary AIM and Yahoo which feature ads).
    http://www.pidgin.im/download/
    http://www.emesene.org/download.html
    http://www.miranda-im.org/

  132. TiLMAR says:

    very thanks you perfect s

  133. Du says:

    Hey matthisjs
    sorry to bother but i've opened the msgsres.dll file on it but it doesn't have this 4004 folder, maybe it's because i'm used a translated version...anyway, i've found a 4010 folder with a 923 folder inside it but on the right side of the ResHacker window it just show lines of HEX codes instead of "understandable" code lol
    can u help me? thanks anyway.


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