Pidgin 2.5.0 + MSN = "Unable to connect"

MarcLister

MarcLister

MarcLister

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Trying to get Pidgin 2.5.0 working so I can see how far it has come and if it is now a proper challenger to WLM. One problem with previous versions of Pidgin was the lack of MSN smilies and I could never get any smilie packs to work. Pidgin 2.5.0 now has MSN smilies. :)

However when I install and run Pidgin I get an error message saying "Unable to connect". Any ideas what is going wrong and how to fix it?
 
Ahh, oops, I thought this was the Linux forum.. my bad.

Well 2.5.0 using MSN works for me on Ubuntu, though that probably isn't any help.
 
Pidgin sometimes has this problem when run on certain networks and behind firewalls etc. I'm flying "blind" here as I'm in Visa atm, but from memory (you should be able to figure it out)...

Open the accounts dialogue box (the one where your MSN account is listed) and enter its properties/options. Flick through the tabs at the top and on one of them (middle or last, iirc) you'll have the option to change to HTTP authentication (it's a tick box). If it's unticked, tick it. If it's already ticked, untick it. Restart Pidgin and it should now connect fine.

Really sorry this is so vague, but as I said I'm not in Linux atm and haven't had to do this fix for quite some time now. Let me know how you get on. If you get desperate I'll install Debian in a VM and give you a screenshot how-to.
 
Can anyone using MSN on Pidgin post a screenshot of their advanced settings page? Not the one with your username on but just the connection stuff? :)

Really want to get Pidgin working so I can if I can drop WLM.
 
For what use it might be, here's the settings page for MSN over Pidgin on XP 64 in a VM. In my case, both the non-http and the http method work but ymmv so try both.

pidgin.png

pidgin-http.png
 
I have had that problem before, but under Linux. Usually it was a firewall (router side) issue, or that UPnP wasn't turned on in the router. Maybe try temporarily forwarding port 1863 to your LAN IP to see if that helps?
 
UPnP is on. The IM ports are open. Port 1863 is set to be forwarded to 192.168.0.1. My IP is 192.168.0.2. My brother is also using this router so could that be a problem?

Should I add another firewall rule to direct traffic from 1863 to 192.168.0.2? But how can I get the router to distinguish between my PC and my brother's?
 
MarcLister said:
Port 1863 is set to be forwarded to 192.168.0.1. My IP is 192.168.0.2. My brother is also using this router so could that be a problem?

Should I add another firewall rule to direct traffic from 1863 to 192.168.0.2? But how can I get the router to distinguish between my PC and my brother's?
Click to expand...

Ah, this is likely the problem. BTW I notice you said it's set to 192.168.0.1 (I'm guessing Netgear?)... Isn't 192.168.0.1 the router itself? It usually is... What's your DHCP range if your own IP is 192.168.0.1? Could this be your mix-up?

Try deleting the firewall rule completely (don't add another!). UPnP should take care of the rest. Come back and let me know, I have a feeling this will crack it.
 
Yes. Netgear DG834PN. Yes 192.168.0.1 is the router. My IP is 192.168.0.2 I can use 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.10.

If I delete the firewall rule for port 1863 will this affect my brother? He'll go mental if it affects him.
 
LMAO Just disable it then; you can always re-enable it in a second flat and plead ignorance ;) So your IP is 192.168.0.2? In your last post you said the port was forwarded to 192.168.0.1 and that this was your IP - big distinction. Either way, disable the rule and allow UPnP to do its thing. BTW you will find it much (much) better to change the advertisement time of UPnP to about 1 minute instead of the default 30. A router reboot after changing these settings wouldn't hurt either :)
 
Rainmaker said:
LMAO Just disable it then; you can always re-enable it in a second flat and plead ignorance ;)
Click to expand...
You haven't met him. ;)

Rainmaker said:
So your IP is 192.168.0.2? In your last post you said the port was forwarded to 192.168.0.1 and that this was your IP - big distinction.
Click to expand...
No I didn't. I said:
Port 1863 is set to be forwarded to 192.168.0.1. My IP is 192.168.0.2.
Click to expand...
:)

Rainmaker said:
Either way, disable the rule and allow UPnP to do its thing. BTW you will find it much (much) better to change the advertisement time of UPnP to about 1 minute instead of the default 30. A router reboot after changing these settings wouldn't hurt either :)
Click to expand...
Did I mention the 6 person LAN my brother is currently hosting? :p Rebooting the router wouldn't be a clever idea on my part. :D Fun but not clever. :D
 
haha Looks like this should wait 'til morning then ;) Apologies for misreading the IP, one of those days (two weeks of waiting for a mobo to show up, promised today, waited 10 hours for the courier - no show! :mad:).

Anyway, setting the port to be forwarded to 192.168.0.1 is still a bad idea as that's the router itself. What would the router want with an MSN connection? I have a feeling once that rule is gone, the rest will work perfectly :)
 
Hm, that definitely shouldn't be a problem. We run MSN/WLM and Pidgin across four to five PCs and laptops all day every day just using UPnP with no forwards at all. And thats' not counting VMs! That was true on my DG834GT and now my WRT54GL. Let us know how you get on once that rule's been disabled etc. Don't forget to drop the advertisement period to 1 minute as well ;)
 
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