Main features in Windows Live Messenger

First, you'll need a Windows Live account. It's completely free, and if you have a hotmail account, you can sign in with those details.

You should only check these if you're on a private computer - otherwise other users will be able to chat as you!

Before you sign in, check here, to set your status. Available, busy, away or appear offline. With that you can sign in, but no one will be able to see you have signed in which can be useful if you don't want people to start talking to you.

Once you're in, clicking on your status again allows you to set your display name, a message if you want, and display picture. Click sign in, this has some important settings: here you have some automation settings, so you can check whether messenger will open at start up or not, and whether you want Windows Live Today to open when you start messenger - it's a window with news and stuff.

In Alerts, you can turn various pop up alerts on and off, and the same is true in sounds. I'm not a fan of sounds, so I mute them all.

Your Hotmail contacts will be listed here, and you can add anyone with a Hotmail account. From here it couldn't be easier, just double click on a green contact, and get talking.