Thanks Trade Wind for this

Here at Neowin we have been following the progress of MSN 8.5 very closely and checking every bug has been fixed. We are pleased to announce Microsoft have finished MSN Explorer 8.5 and today we previously announced the product was complete.

Now we can bring you an exclusive download of MSN Explorer 8.5 before it is available generally and before MSN 8 subscribers recieve updated CDs including the software. MSN 8.5 is designed as an interim update to MSN 8 preparing MSN to take the next step to MSN Explorer 9 which will be fully intergrated into Windows Explorer and will include MSN Messenger 6.0.

The final build is marked as 8.50.0017.1202, a build that previously entered the beta stage around two weeks ago. It seems this build has been stamped as the final build to be delivered to consumers and Microsoft will be releasing this build to its current MSN 8 subscribers throughout the week.

Beta testers recieved notification this evening that the Beta had ended and to thank them for testing the MSN client. For the beta participants the official word was "Your software will automatically be updated from the beta version to the released version in the upcoming week." This spells the end for MSN 8.5 and the beginning of MSN Explorer 9.0 internal testing and external testing later this year. Lets look forward to what Explorer 9.0 will bring in terms of tight intergration into Windows and also what MSN Explorer X (10.0) will bring to Longhorn along with Direct X 10.0 and Windows Media Player 10.0.

Read more for full new features...

Download: MSN Explorer 8.5 Final
Screenshot: Screenshots of MSN Explorer 8.5
View: Microsoft Press Statement on MSN 8.5

Improvement List for MSN Explorer 8.5:

Status and Support

  • Detailed event logs View event logs containing detailed information about connecting to MSN Services.
  • MSN Support Send e-mail and event logs directly to MSN Support, and link directly to the MSN Support site for the latest troubleshooting information.

    MSN Mail

  • Improved junk mail filtering Customize the strength of the junk mail filter for your incoming messages, from light to extra strong.
  • Block Internet images Help protect your personal information by blocking Internet-based images used by spammers to invade your privacy.
  • Filter e-mail by people I know View only e-mail messages in your Inbox sent by people listed in your Address Book and your Safe List.
  • Storage meter Quickly and easily track what percentage of your allocated e-mail storage you're using.
  • Multi-lingual spell check Switch languages in Windows XP to spellcheck your e-mail messages in different languages.
  • Message size meter See how large your e-mail messages are and learn how to reduce message sizes for better, faster sending and receiving.
  • Save drafts for approval Kids can now save e-mail messages to unapproved contacts directly to the drafts folder while awaiting approval from their parents.

    Parental Controls

  • Add new member accounts Easily set up an account for a child, turn on parental controls, and customize the parental control settings.
  • Improved access to parental controls Go to parental controls directly from the Help & Settings menu.
  • Approved contacts in Address Book See which contacts parents have approved in the child's address book.
  • Request new contacts in Address Book Kids can quickaly and easily add contacts to the address book and request approval from their parents.

    MSN Calendar

  • IntelliSynch Support Easily synchronize your events and contacts with Outlook and handheld devices directly from MSN Calendar and Address Book.

    MSN Browser

  • Set a custom home page Set any Web page you choose to be your new home page.
  • Add Favorites to Favorites folder Add new Favorites directly to folders in your Favorites list.
  • Recently visited Web sites Quickly go to the most recent Web sites you visited using the Address bar drop down list.


    • There are 27 additional comments
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    (1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by xStainDx on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:08
    Dances to the grovy installer music...

    Thanks Trade Wind!
    Quote this comment #1.1 Posted by creamhackered on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:09
    LOL, that's all you pay the monthly fee for isn't it, I know you too well
    Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by Marduk on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:18
    QUOTE

    # Set a custom home page Set any Web page you choose to be your new home page.
    # Add Favorites to Favorites folder Add new Favorites directly to folders in your Favorites list.
    # Recently visited Web sites Quickly go to the most recent Web sites you visited using the Address bar drop down list.


    OMG! REVOLUTIONARY!!!! OMG! Set ANY web page to be the new home page OMG Who woulda thunk it ever being possible in a web browser!
    (1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by ShoeHornOPlenty on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:32
    Anyone get their hands on localized versions yet?
    Quote this comment #3.1 Posted by icefusion on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:50
    I wish, I thought this was like universal, installed it, then got rid of it when I realized it was a U.S. version, reinstalled the localized one, and now apparently im no longer an MSN 8 subscriber.
    (5 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by Crackler on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:35
    So wat is the final build number?
    Quote this comment #4.1 Posted by kirk26 on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:48
    It's called AOL 8.0.
    Quote this comment #4.2 Posted by JaggedFlame on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:55
    Clever.
    Quote this comment #4.3 Posted by shockz on 05 Jun 2003 - 00:04
    kirk26... go away you ****ing troll. Nobody wants you here.
    Quote this comment #4.4 Posted by kirk26 on 05 Jun 2003 - 00:19
    blah, blah, blah
    Quote this comment #4.5 Posted by shockz on 05 Jun 2003 - 02:12
    QUOTE (#4.0 by )
    final build number

    8.50.0017.1202
    (3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by semifamous on 04 Jun 2003 - 23:42
    Waitaminnit.....

    DirectX 10.0??????

    Did I read that right?

    And didn't someone else at MS say that 9.0 has all the features they could ever possibly want in DirectX and they won't be working on that for a while??? (I'm going to have to search for my proof, but I'm pretty sure I remember that being a topic of discussion a while back....)

    [edit]
    Found it!!!
    http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?id=9541...category=gamers
    [/edit]
    Quote this comment #5.1 Posted by Chugworth on 05 Jun 2003 - 00:07
    No, I remember reading about DX10 a while back. They were talking about some idea where you could play games without installing them... or something like that. I forget where I read that.
    Quote this comment #5.2 Posted by empty on 05 Jun 2003 - 00:10
    According to the article "DirectX 9 will be the last DX release for a while, as Microsoft focuses resources on making bigger improvements for PC gaming in Longhorn, including introducing a standard controller."

    COnsidering longhorn is scheduled until 2005/6 id consider this a while
    Quote this comment #5.3 Posted by slang123 on 05 Jun 2003 - 01:29
    They probably mean the longhorn version of directx. coz they are integrating it into the ui. I dont know what anyone else thinks about this but i think it will be great as thy will have to make directx rock solid stable to integrate into the ui, thus more stable when playing games
    (2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by kev64 on 05 Jun 2003 - 01:09
    QUOTE
    Lets look forward to what Explorer 9.0 will bring in terms of tight intergration into Windows and also what MSN Explorer X (10.0) will bring to Longhorn along with Direct X 10.0 and Windows Media Player 10.0.


    Quote this comment #6.1 Posted by Jugalator on 05 Jun 2003 - 08:18
    1. I don't use MSN
    2. I don't use any DirectX 9 features and still find the games very pretty
    3. I didn't think WMP 9 was such a huge improvement over WMP 8

    No for me yet anyway.

    Longhorn could be interesting though, if it's the same improvement like from Windows ME to Windows XP. haha

    That's actually the best move MS has made in years.

    Obsolete the Windows 9x series NOW!
    Quote this comment #6.2 Posted by OddFox on 07 Jun 2003 - 06:39
    They've (9X) been de facto obsolete for a few years now, but that doesn't stop people from running 'em. On this box I'm using right now Windows 98SE is the best version I can run w/out the OS overhead slowing down my gaming (It's a low-end box, I'm not trying to bash on the 2k/XP line). I would hope that Microsoft doesn't do anything retarded and change any vital APIs that should basically never be touched, all in an effort to speed adoption of newer solutions (Sure, it might not be a top priority for them if they were to actually do it, but it would be a nice bonus, there's no doubt about that). That has abuse of monopoly status written all over it, quite frankly, because there's nothing inherently important about upgrading to the latest and greatest.
    (1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by Phillip on 05 Jun 2003 - 06:43
    how many people actually use MSN Explorer?
    Quote this comment #7.1 Posted by Jugalator on 05 Jun 2003 - 08:15
    QUOTE (#7.0 by )
    how many people actually use MSN Explorer?

    I dunno. I'm personally happy with Opera.
    (3 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #8 Posted by Trade Wind on 05 Jun 2003 - 07:55
    Phillip: Roughly 7.5M people as of CY first quarter 2003. This includes MSNIA, MSNBB, and MSN BYOA. That leaves roughly 700,000 for MSN TV and the rest are MSN Extra Storage subscriptions.

    NOTE: This is the number of ppl using MSN 7 & 8. 6 has been largely decommissioned and auto-upgrades to 7. In addition, these numbers do not include the new Verizon Online DSL with MSN 8 service that launched last month. Verizon has roughly 2M DSL subscribers, with a gain of about 200k per quarter currently. MSN 8 is *optional* however, so we'll see how many use it. I've been keeping an eye on public forums where Verizon DSL users post and I'm actually surprised at the general warm reception it has gotten thus far. I'm optimistic.
    Quote this comment #8.1 Posted by Phillip on 05 Jun 2003 - 10:22
    wow! i can't believe so many people use msn explorer - but whats so good about it apart from the few tools online and on the program that's the diffence between Msn and IE.

    Is MSN based on IE anyway?
    Quote this comment #8.2 Posted by kal-ky on 05 Jun 2003 - 11:57
    QUOTE (#8.1 by )
    Is MSN based on IE anyway?

    No, it uses the Gecko engine.
    Silly man
    Quote this comment #8.3 Posted by spartacus2 on 05 Jun 2003 - 14:40
    Yes, it uses IE. Check your cd, it comes with the IE installed for 6.0.
    (2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #9 Posted by equalizer6 on 05 Jun 2003 - 08:28
    Hmmm I'm happy it finally was released.. though look at the email i got. the beta doesn't update from the standrad methods.. hehe

    Just sharing some info.. dunno if the email was posted yet

    Last edited by 12883 on 05 Jun 2003 - 08:38
    Quote this comment #9.1 Posted by equalizer6 on 05 Jun 2003 - 08:32
    Dear MSN Beta Tester,

    Thank you for beta testing the MSN client. This letter is to inform you that as of today the MSN client beta test is finished. Your testing and feedback has helped us better understand what works and what does not work. We’ve used your feedback to help us make MSN Internet Services easier to use and to improve functionality.

    As of today, the Beta ID used to access the beta website (www.betaplace.com) is no longer active and beta technical support options have concluded. Technical questions related to the MSN software should now go to the standard MSN Support group by visiting http://support.msn.com or calling 1-800-***-****.

    Your software will automatically be updated from the beta version to the released version in the upcoming week. This occurs in the background while you are online. If you would prefer to manually update your computer using a compact disc, call 1-800-***-**** to have a new MSN compact disc sent to you.

    After the update is complete, you will notice that the Feedback menu will remain. The Report a Problem menu item will direct you to support.msn.com instead of emailing the beta support staff. The Submit Feedback item will continue to provide a form for you to send in your product comments and suggestions.

    MSN will be beta testing other versions of client and services software in the near future and would appreciate your continued support. In the next several weeks, you will be receiving an email with information on our next beta program. We hope you can participate and make the next beta as successful as this one.

    Again, thank you for your time and contribution in testing MSN Internet Software.

    MSN Member Services



    THE EMAIL!!!
    -equalizer
    Quote this comment #9.2 Posted by creamhackered on 05 Jun 2003 - 13:09
    "Beta testers recieved notification this evening that the Beta had ended and to thank them for testing the MSN client. For the beta participants the official word was "Your software will automatically be updated from the beta version to the released version in the upcoming week." This spells the end for MSN 8.5 and the beginning of MSN Explorer 9.0 internal testing and external testing later this year."
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