McCombs School of Business
Technology Training Team
Training Team : Tutorials : Windows Messenger

Windows Messenger

Just as you've always been able to contact us through email or by phone, faculty and staff can now contact the training team through Windows Messenger for assistance. With Messenger, you can allow us to see what's happening on your computer! And McCombs computers come pre-installed with Messenger, so you just have to set up your account.
  1. Create an account
  2. Login to Windows Messenger
  3. Add the Training Team as a contact
  4. Contact the Training Team
  5. Want Remote Assistance? Enable it!
  6. Log off Windows Messenger

1. Create an account

You need to create a .NET Passport and associate it with your McCombs email account.  To do this:

  1. Go to www.passport.net
  2. To use your McCombs email address, click on the Get Started Now link under the Use an Email Address You Already Have section.
  3. Fill in the form on the next page.  Use your McCombs email address. When completed, click on the Continue button.
  4. On the following screen, re-type in your email address to verify it and click on the I Accept button.
  5. On the next screen, click the Continue button.
  6. Check your Outlook email to verify your .NET Passport credentials.  Once you receive the confirmation email, click on the link in the email to confirm your email address.  
  7. When a new window opens, click on the Continue button.
  8. Enter in your password and click Sign In.
  9. After your email address is confirmed, click on the Finish button.

 

2. Login to Windows Messenger

  1. In Windows, go to the Start menu and then All Programs.
  2. Click on the Windows Messenger icon.

     
  3. Click the link Click here to sign in
  4. If this is the first time you've signed in to Windows Messenger:
        - Click on the Next button
        - Select Yes, use my existing address and click Next
        - Select Yes, sign in with my Passport Network credentials
        - Click Next
        - Type in your email address and password and click Next
        - Click Finish
  5. On the next screen, enter in your first and last name.  This is what will be displayed to others.
  6. In the password prompt window, type in your McCombs email address and the password to your .NET passport
  7. Click the OK button

 

3. Add the Training Team as a contact

  1. In Windows Messenger, click on the Add a Contact link in the I want to... section at the bottom of the window


     
  2. In the Add a Contact window, select By email address or sign-in name
  3. Click Next
  4. On the next screen, type in Trainers@mccombs.utexas.edu in the email address box
  5. Click Next
  6. If you have previously used Windows Messenger and have groups, you can then add the Trainers to a group.  If you are new to Windows Messenger or have never set up groups, just click the Finish button.

 

4. Contact the Training Team via Windows Messenger

After you login to Windows Messenger and have added the Training Team as a contact, you are able to chat with us in real time.  To do that:

  1. In Windows Messenger, check the status next to the contact name. 
  2. If the status is "Offline" then the Training Team is unavailable.  You can either try later or double-click on the McCombs Training Team contact to create a new email message to the Training Team. 
  3. If the status is "Online", then double-click on the McCombs Training Team contact.  This opens a new window: the conversation window.
  4. In the conversation window, be sure the cursor is in the bottom white text field.  If it is not, then click the mouse inside the bottom white text field.  Begin typing your question, and once you're done, press Enter.  The message is then sent to the Training Team. 
  5. If you want to ask the trainers to view your computer, go to the Actions menu and select Ask for Remote Assistance (see below for how to enable this feature). This service may take a few moments to start. The trainers will tell you what to do from there!

5. Enable Remote Assistance

Want to allow the trainers to see what’s happening on your computer? You must enable remote connection:

  1. Go to the Start menu and open your Control Panel.
  2. Make sure you are viewing Classic View in the control panel, and then double-click System.
  3. On the Remote tab, check “All Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer.”
  4. Click OK.
     

6. Logging out of Windows Messenger

In Windows Messenger, go to the File menu and click Sign out.  Closing the window by clicking on the X in the upper right corner only closes the window but keeps you signed in to Windows Messenger.