Microsoft KB Archive/274525

= MSN Companion sets up automatically to other member ID =

PSS ID Number: 274525

Article Last Modified on 6/13/2003

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The information in this article applies to:


 * MSN Companion 1.0

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This article was previously published under Q274525



SYMPTOMS
When the customer turns on the device for the first time, it automatically sets the wrong member id. Typically, it either sets the member id of another account that this customer has, or it sets the member id of another person in the current house.

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After the MSN Companion device goes through the MURMUR process, which discards the old username and password, the user goes through Setup without being prompted to type a new user name. After Setup, the device displays the user's &quot;new&quot; e-mail name, which is actually the &quot;old&quot; e-mail name that the user attempted to discard via MURMUR.



CAUSE
When the device first dials the 1-800 number during Setup, the MSN Internet access server uses Automatic Number Identification (ANI) detection to find out what number the user is calling (similar to Caller ID). MSN then compares this number to its list of home numbers for all of its users.

If there are two accounts in the database that have the same home phone number, then MSN Companion will ask the user to type in their member ID and password.

If there is only one account associated with that phone number, then MSN Companion automatically takes the matched member ID and password and fills this information in the appropriate boxes. Normally, this is a helpful feature; it automatically fills in a new user's account info.

However, there are two cases when this can cause the wrong member ID to get set.

Case 1. Two accounts in your home.

 * 1) You opened a first account - account A#, and when you signed up for it listed home phone #A as the home phone number for that account.
 * 2) You also have a second account, either a replacement account or a second simultaneous account - account #B. When you signed up for it you listed a different home phone number - home phone #B.
 * 3) You then plugged one of these accounts into the phone jack of the phone line what had been associated with the other account. Account #B into home phone #A or visa versa.
 * 4) When MSN Companion dialed up and MSN detected which number it was dialing from, the MSN Companion was told to use the member id that matched up to the other account.

Case 2. In a friend's or relative's home

 * 1) You sign up for an account when you buy the MSN Companion.
 * 2) You take the MSN Companion to a friend's house, who also has an MSN Companion account, and set up the MSN Companion there.
 * 3) During Setup, the phone number detection automatically matches the line that the MSN Companion is dialing from to the friend's account and the member ID of the friend appears instead of their own member ID.



Case 1. Two accounts in your home.
Resolution 1
 * 1) Plug the MSN Companion into a different phone line and reset the device by using the MURMUR code. See Q279037 - MSN Companion Troubleshooting Tool MURMUR
 * 2) Re-run Setup and when the MSN Companion dials the 1-800 number in Setup, ANI detection should pick up this new home phone line, and it should match up with the correct account.
 * 3) If this was the wrong phone line and the account information comes up wrong, then repeat these steps for each other phone line in the house.
 * 4) Once the device has been successfully run through Setup and the right account information is in place, feel free to unplug it and move it to any line in the house.

Resolution 2

You can also fix the problem by calling MSN Customer Service and having them update the home phone number for the account that you want to use with your MSN Companion. Make sure they update your home phone number to match the line you're currently trying to dial out of. The options to contact MSN support are located at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top

Case 2. In a friend's or relative's home
It's best to wait until you take your MSN Companion to your own home before you set it up, so that you can be sure the dialing settings are correct from your home's area code. But if you need to set up the device right now at someone else's house, you can use the following steps.
 * 1) Call MSN Customer Service and have them update the home phone number for your account to match the line that you're trying to dial out from. The options to contact MSN support are located at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
 * 2) Plug the MSN Companion into a phone line and reset the device by using the MURMUR code. See Q279037 - MSN Companion Troubleshooting Tool MURMUR
 * 3) Run Setup and when MSN Companion dials the 1-800 number in Setup, ANI detection will see that there are two accounts for this home number, yours, and your friend's, and it will ask for your member ID.
 * 4) When you enter your Member ID the MSN Companion will be set up correctly for your account.
 * 5) Once the device has been successfully set up and the right account information is in place, when you take the device home call Customer Service again and have them change the phone number on your account back to your home number.

Additional query words: kbimu

Keywords: kbinfo kbprb KB274525

Technology: _IKkbbogus kbMSNCompanion kbMSNSearch

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