Author Topic: (Win XP/7/Vista/Linux) MSN/WLM Cust Emotes + DPs Backup Guide  (Read 2196 times)

Arachnion

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(Win XP/7/Vista/Linux) MSN/WLM Cust Emotes + DPs Backup Guide
« on: January 10, 2013, 08:09:43 PM »
Saddened that Microsoft is phasing out this IM for Skype?

Well, this way you can save your custom emoticons and personal (meaning only yours) display pictures!

Now, this is important: Skype can't use custom emoticons, animated or otherwise (yet...) HOWEVER, you should be able to use your display pics.

Open C:\Documents and Settings\YourUsernameHere\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Messenger\your e-mail address\ObjectStore

CustomEmoticons contains your emotes, and UserTile contains your DPs. Copy (not cut) them somewhere. Open the copied folders.

Hit "View" either at the top folder options or right clicking, and select List. You must select all the .DT2 files, and ONLY them.

Copy the .DT2 files somewhere, it doesn't really matter where. Now, follow the two guides below.

http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/batch-change-rename-file-extensions-in-windows/
http://www.ehow.com/how_5170502_change-file-extensions-command-prompt.html

Using the information from the pages above, you must navigate to your folder using the prompt and mass batch convert them all to .gif.
Doing so, you will have viable, viewable backup files for all your emotes and DPs.

Credit goes to the above two sites for their tutorials.
I've written the rest of this post here and figured it all out through numerous google searches.

Small note from myself: Using a drive letter like D: or C: in command prompt I find in XP sends you to that drive. Use cd to navigate directories.
D:
cd program files (This would send you to program files on the D drive, when put in correctly.)

Unfortunately, the file names on your display pics and emotes will be all garbled stuff, but that doesn't really matter (to me anyway ;))

Good luck, ask if you need help :)
« Last Edit: January 10, 2013, 08:25:27 PM by Arachnion »
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Kistulot

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Re: (Win XP/7/Vista/Linux) MSN/WLM Cust Emotes + DPs Backup Guide
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2013, 05:59:35 AM »
Its blindingly stupid to me that they'd give up MSN entirely. Add on MSN's chat to Skype's voip interface! Best of both worlds! As a chat program, skype is pretty subpar.
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General Idiot

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Re: (Win XP/7/Vista/Linux) MSN/WLM Cust Emotes + DPs Backup Guide
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2013, 01:55:56 PM »
On the other hand, why would you ever use skype as a chat progam when you could use- oh wait. Welp, that'll be why they're scrapping it then. Because why would you not what to use the new shiny even though it's just the old shiny with a few features removed and slightly better graphics did we mention it's new and thus must obviously be better?

I'm a cynic, sue me. Still, it wouldn't be the first time Microsoft has tried to push people onto the new shiny in rather boneheaded ways. See also: Not releasing DirectX 10 for XP, cause that'll make the gamers get Vista right?

Arachnion

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Re: (Win XP/7/Vista/Linux) MSN/WLM Cust Emotes + DPs Backup Guide
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2013, 07:42:24 PM »
Its blindingly stupid to me that they'd give up MSN entirely. Add on MSN's chat to Skype's voip interface! Best of both worlds! As a chat program, skype is pretty subpar.

Yeah, and the fact that no one really knows if Skype will ever get custom animated emoticons you can easily add, which is a feature MSN has had FOR YEARS.

Which, they could just you know.... "deconstruct" MSN and take the programming code from, to slap it into Skype.

 :P
I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go
Walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder

Waiting for an invitation to arrive
Goin' to a party where no one's still alive