Windows Live Messenger Help

How To Make Voice Calls to Another Windows XP Computer

Windows Messenger enables you to call up your online contacts and have a voice conversations with them. You can also have a voice conference by inviting two or more users to your conversation. This feature also enables you to receive calls from other users and accept or decline invitations.

If you want to make a call to another computer, first ensure that you have a microphone, a sound card, and speakers connected to your system. You must also have a Microsoft Passport and a contact list created in Windows Messenger. And, of course, you must be connected to the Internet, with the connection speed to be at least 28.8 kilo bytes per second (kbps).

Steps to Call a Computer

• Open Start menu, point to All Programs, and then select the Windows Messenger command.
• Select the Click here to sign in link to sign in using your Microsoft Passport.
• Use one of the following methods to make a call:
  
  • Point to the contact you need to call, and then select Computer.
  • Right-click on the name of your online contact, point to Call, and then select Computer.
  • Double-click on the name of the contact you want to call, to open the Conversation dialog box, and then select the Start talking option on the Sidebar.

• If you are having a voice conversation for the first time, doing this will display the Audio and Video Tuning Wizard.
• Follow the instructions on the screen and proceed through the wizard to ensure that your headset and microphone are working fine.
• The following message will be displayed in your Conversation dialog box:

You have asked to have a voice conversation with ContactName. Please wait for a response or Cancel (Alt+Q) the pending invitation.

• Next, depending on how your contact to whom you sent the invitation reacts, you may receive one of the following messages:
  
  Invitation is accepted:
  
  YourContact has accepted your request to have a voice conversation.
  
  Invitation is declined or missed:
  YourContact has declined your request to have a voice conversation.

• To end your conversation or cancel the invitation to talk, either select the Stop talking option located on the Sidebar or on the File menu.

Receive a Call

When you receive a call from another computer, the following message is displayed in the Conversation dialog box:

YourContact would like to have a voice conversation with you. Do you want to Accept (Alt+T) or Decline (Alt+D) the invitation?

When this message is displayed:

• Select Accept or press Alt + T to start the voice conversation.
• Select Decline or press Alt + D to decline the invitation.

Adjust Sound Levels

After the conversation starts, you can perform the following tasks in the Conversation dialog box to adjust the sound of your speakers and microphone:

1. On the Sidebar, move the slider in the Speakers section to right or left to increase or decrease the volume of your speakers.
2. Move the slider in the Microphone section to adjust the sound of the microphone. Take the slider to extreme left or select the Mute check box to turn off the microphones of your computer.
   

Troubleshooting Common Voice Conversation Problems

• When using speakers and a microphone, you may hear an echo during conversations. To resolve this, try to move your speakers further apart from each other. Also, ensure that your speakers are not very close to the microphone.
• To troubleshoot problems, with your audio equipment, open the Tools menu and then select the Audio and Video Tuning Wizard command to start the Audio and Video Tuning Wizard. Use this wizard to test your equipment and identify the cause of the problem.
• If you are on a network that is behind a firewall, you may not be able to call another computer that is outside the firewall.
• If the recipient is unable to accept your voice conversation invitation, it is quite likely that the recipient does not have the required equipment to have a voice conversation. Therefore, when attempting to have a voice conversation with another computer, ensure that both your and your contact’s computers meet all the requirements to use the Voice Call feature.