Visit my Courses by Wire E-learning blog or website

XP/NetMeeting

Home
Site Map
NetMeeting 101
NetMeeting 102
NetMeeting List
MSN Messenger
H.323 Corner
XP Messenger
XP/NetMeeting
Tips and Stuff
NetMeeting 3.0
Gateways
Contact Center
Consulting
Search
NetMeeting Store

Click here
 to print this page
Click here to print this page


 Add this meetingbywire page to your favourites



Click here to
read my weblog:
Brian Sullivan's
Random Musings
 




NetMeeting is still shipped as a standard part of XP (even though Microsoft has tried to deemphasize it and push Windows Messenger instead as the personal video calling program of choice). NetMeeting operates on XP much the same as on other operating systems and is fully cross operating system compatible.

A number of gotchas of note:

  1. No shortcut is automatically created for NetMeeting on XP -- to run NetMeeting ( and configure a shortcut) use Start - > Run -> conf.exe
  2. Group Policy editor shown NetMeeting optionsNo downloadable or resource kit created version will install on XP (or Windows 2000 for that matter). The control features provided in the resource kit version are available as group policies -- the Group Policy Editor can be accessed by using Start - > Run -> gpedit.msc (on XP Pro only -- it should be possible with some investigation to determine register entries/values and duplicate the changes on XP Home but I have not actually done this).
  3. Windows Messenger does not by default have the "Start NetMeeting" command that Messengers on other operating systems have -- it has been replaced by a "Start Camera" command which attempts to start a Messenger video call.
  4. Putting Windows Messenger into Win2000 compatibility mode will bring back the "Start Netmeeting" command ( and remove the "Start Camera" command). To manage compatibility right click on a Messenger shortcut (with Msn Messenger 5.0 the shortcut for some strange reason does not have the Compatibility option -- it is necessary to find the executable and perform the same operation) :

    select Properties, then Compatibility:
    Windows/MSN Messenger compatibility options
    Messenger should then be restarted.

    MSN Messenger 6.0 on XP has no mechanism that I could find to allow it to have the "Start NetMeeting" command.

    Windows Messenger 5.0 can be made to have the command but a registry change is required.
    Set HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client
    "DisableNM", DWORD, to 0 (Jonathan Kay has a registry file that does this).

     
  5. In order to allow incoming NetMeeting calls (including those initiated via the "Start NetMeeting" command) the built in XP firewall  on pre SP2 must be disabled or tcp 1503 and tcp 1720 configured to pass through. On SP2 NetMeeting must be configured as an "exception". To manage the XP firewall use the "Network Connections" control panel applet:
    Accessing the XP firewall to disable
    Right click the Local Connection:
    Accessing the XP firewall to disable
    Select "Properties", "Advanced"
    Accessing the XP firewall to disable
  6. Many cameras for XP do not have the required (old style) VFW drivers and cannot be used directly by NetMeeting. A number of different work arounds have been used:
    bulletthe trackerpod software has a WDM ( new style) to VFW ( old style) converter
    bulletthe WebcamDV product apparently does as well
    bulletthe Softcam software can capture on screen video
    ( from another program showing video)  and provides a VFW interface.
    bulletapparently Windows Media production tools can capture on screen video and provide a VFW interface
©1998-2006 Meeting by Wire
Privacy Policy		 Problems, comments, questions: Email webmaster
Changed:Thursday January 12, 2006 11:27 -0500