MSN Messenger - Error 80048820

This problem arrived inexplicably at a time I urgently needed to login to MSN Messenger. This is not necessarily a Vista Bug Fix as it can affect other versions of Windows - but given I have experienced this problem in Vista it's now on this blog! There seem to be a number of possible causes, for a full list see here. I simply tried one step and voilla! problem solved.

Tested: Windows Vista Home Premium
Original Source: TomsHardware Forum
Thanks to: Jonathan Kay

MSN Messenger - ERROR 80048820 FIX

1. Click Start icon (Start Menu)
   
   
2. Type "regsvr32 softpub.dll" (without the quotes)
   
   
   
3. In what will seem like a split second, literally 1/100ths of a second you should see a new window pop up as per below.
   
   
   
   
4. You should now be able to log into MSN.

So what is softpub.dll?

"The file softpub.dll, contains program code used by Microsoft Windows when accessing (encrypted) connections that require authentication. If softpub.dll is not available, you may find that you often receive 'Not Authorized' message when browsing."
Taken from: AuditMyPC.com

What does this mean? Why didn't it work properly as it always does? The answer to both of these is I am not 100% sure. Other than to say - accept that it fixes it and move on.

Finally, a reminder again... apparently there are several other possible causes of this error. So if this doesn't work, post a comment but also check here for some other solutions.

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