Question:

Hi Tony,

Is there a Windows Vista version of Windows Messenger (SIP Communication)? What version (minimum) of Windows Messenger will run on Windows Vista?

The Windows Vista Business version does not have a Media Center. Can this be added on to it? How?

Ilook forward to a response from you.

Thank you.

Answer:

To answer your first question, you can’t run any version of the standard “Windows Messenger” on Windows Vista, even the latest version (5.1). Instead, you need to use Windows Live Messenger. Windows Live Messenger does support both video and voice calls, including calls directly to landline phones. Hopefully, that meets your needs for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Oddly, I can’t find any documentation showing which protocol Windows Live Call uses, so I’m not sure if it’s SIP. Additionally, it’s not really configurable, so if you’re trying to use it within an enterprise, you might be out of luck. If I’m not answering your question, feel free to elaborate.

To answer your second question about running Media Center on Windows Vista Business, you would need to upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate.