Messenger Plus! 3 Sounds Patch

Messenger Software
1

Note (2017-08-04): The Plus! server, which is still used for storage and retrieval of sounds has been down for the past few weeks, I intend on replacing these missing components on my own if it does not return. In the past, the server has been down for a while and brought back, so we will see.

I have patched Messenger Plus! 3 so the sounds feature can be fully used again. All contacts will need to install the patch for them to both receive and send sounds.

Automatic installation

  1. Download and run the automatic install tool
  2. Verify the install location is correct for your install of Messenger Plus! 3
  3. Click Install
  4. Messenger should pop back up in a few seconds
  5. Sign in and send some sounds

If you have Messenger or Plus! installed in a non-standard place, you’ll need to restart them manually or just reboot.

This is a quick installer I put together which is a re-package of all the files of Plus! 3.63.148 instead of a real patch utility. If you have a different version installed, it will be replaced with this version.

Manual installation

  1. Verify you are using Messenger Plus! 3 version 3.63.148 (if might work with other versions but I haven’t tested). You can download the 3.63.148 version if needed
  2. Shut down msnmsgr.exe and MsgPlus.exe if they’re running
  3. Download the patched MsgPlusH.dll and overwrite the existing DLL in your MsgPlus! 3 folder (Program Files or Program Files (x86)\MessengerPlus! 3)
  4. Restart MsgPlus.exe in the MsgPlus! 3 folder and run MSN Messenger
  5. Sign-in and send some sounds

Manual patching

If you prefer to patch your own MsgPlusH.dll, you need to replace:

http://sounds.msgplus.net/esnd/snd/
with
http://Jonathan Kay, MessengerGeek

and to get the ‘Get more sounds…’ link to work, replace

http://sounds.msgplus.net/?lang=
with
http://Jonathan Kay, MessengerGeek?

As you’ll note above I did end up needing to do some minor server-side work to get the sounds to redirect properly.

9 Likes
2

Great! But we should save the sounds somewhere just in case the original server vanishes. I don’t think we can blindly rely on it…

2 Likes
3

I see what you’re saying but the sound server has always operated solely as a cache, it’s not an archive of all sounds and doesn’t keep the sounds around indefinitely. Whenever an attempt is made to send a sound, Plus! first checks to see if the server has it stored, will then upload the file if it’s needed, and then sends the link over to the contact.

Given that most of the important sounds from years past will have long been deleted from the server already, I’m not sure trying to archive them server-side would necessarily be the right approach, and there’s possible user privacy issues too. Since Plus! already has a mechanism for archiving (export as sound pack), I think allowing people to export their own sound packs which others can important and keep might be a better way of accomplishing some sort of sound archive and keeps the user in control of what they share.

1 Like
4

This is so awesome, but how are you supposed to download the patched version? Link just gives me a 404.

5

@Sanzot did you try downloading it using different browsers? sometimes the browser can act as if the page doesn’t exist.

6

Tried Opera, Firefox, Chrome and IE, nothing worked. Can you guys actually download it? Link don’t seem to work to my friend either. If so please upload a mirror somewhere, I could never thank you guys enough.

7

The download was successful for me on firefox, ie/edge, chrome and opera. which tell me it could be something else happening there. check your firewall and your antivirus for any possible blocks that are happening.

8

Nevermind, finally got it to download with jdownloader. Thank you.

Edit: No I didn’t. “Network problem: null”. Doesn’t start. Sigh…

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I also do not work the links with any browser or mobile phone

10

Finally working. Don’t even know how tho.

1 Like
11

I’m currently saving all downloadable contents from the MsgPlus website… because it’s really weird that this site (and its sound server) is still online considering the product cannot be used anymore.

Do we know how this caching server works exactly? Would be interesting to document how a sound is uploaded and retrieved, is some processing done in between, in which format, … just in case this server doesn’t last or if we want to do our own.

1 Like
12

@Sanzot @TReKiE i still get error occured while contacting the server after patching. tried both automatic and manual. Someone help!!!

Anyone here getting the sounds to send without any errors???

13

The best thing would be to recode this server in Python and host it on the Escargot server but I think valtron has already enough work :wink: Coding it in another language (like PHP) would probably ease a future transition to Python anyway as all the research would have been done.

@TReKiE If you end up redoing it, it would be a good idea to open source it on GitLab or at least provide the source to Escargot developers :wink:

14

Also,
(UNRELEATED)
look i found where some of the files are stored:
http://web.archive.org/web/20060702004901/http://sounds.msgplus.net:80/sndstats/
or look at “MSN remix” (ID #E66CA3A8624D):
To Listen, Click Here.
(/UNRELEATED)

1 Like
15

Some are 404 sadly, but it’s a nice find :stuck_out_tongue: Thanks for uncovering that @yellows111.

The sound server is intended as a cache though, so as long as people have local copies, it will just repopulate whatever they have. Of course these can be added back manually and punted back to the server when we get it going again.

16

just wondering roughly how much longer til the server back online?

17

What do you not get from “some”?

18

I’m sorry about that, I missed that in your post. However, I see no reason for you to bite my head off for that mistake.

19

If you mean the real server which is still used for storage, it’s unknown and even if it’ll be back at all.

If you mean replacing the storage component since I think it’s pretty clearly it’s not coming back any time soon, that’ll happen when I have a free evening to build it. I’ve decided on most of the details already though so it shouldn’t be too much work.

20

It’s been a while i was wondering if you’ve made any progress on bring the sounds to work?