Windows Live Anyway, Or Not

Despite all this seemingly integrated Microsoft Account (aka Windows Live ID) stuff in Windows 8, in order to submit product mapping information to SysDev, I must install either Windows Live Essentials or Windows Live ID Sign-In Assistant.

Fine, whatever. Windows Essentials 2012 it is, with Writer (I might use it for blogging here instead of the Blogger web editor) and Live Messenger. It seems so odd that they continue to bundle this a month before Skype is suppose to take over.

After I installed and logged in, the first advertisement was about how Skype is replacing Messenger.

Skype and Windows Live Messenger are coming together. Update to Skype, sign in with your Messenger ID and your contact list and the IM feature will be there.

So, I downloaded the client (the Desktop application) and it says that since my contacts will be moving from Messenger to Skype, they will be uninstalling Messenger. No ifs, ands or buts. No options. Just uninstalling.

A few jiffies later and I'm asked to provide my Microsoft account to sign in. We're in the final stretch and then...

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.

I had tried the Windows Store App version of skype first, and it gave me almost the same message:

Oops...there was a problem

Skype is having some issues. Please restart the application and all should be well. If it isn't, get in touch with customer support.

Dragging the Skype App close and starting it several times did not resolve the problem, and customer support just means a FAQ page that attempts to match your problem with a known answer and despite web search results to the contrary, the page acts like this isn't a known issue.

Now I'm back to the lame Windows Store Messenger App.

OK, I'll play their game. The FAQ search is no help. Scroll down and Get more help. Another search, but this time a promise that if it doesn't work I can Get more help. Search again for trouble signing in and click Get more help again.

Guess what, to get more help you have to sign in and the form looks a lot like the Windows Store Skype App. Hope starts to abandon ship. Fine, one more shot. Sign in with the Microsoft Account, and it accepts me. Then tell it I'm new to Skype (again just like in the Skype App) and... it works. I'm signed in to the web site with my Windows Live ID. Windows + Tab and try the same in the Skype App. Success. Alt + Tab and try the same in the Skype Desktop Application and it works.

Already I see I can send and receive files in Skype but only if the other person is also using Skype. We'll see how group chat goes tomorrow.