Circus Trying to set up Windows Messenger

Today I tried to set up a Windows Messenger account. I gave up. I have to ask our system administrator to help me. Man, they make things confusing and complicated: 

• You launch Windows Messenger.

• It says “Click here to sign in.”

• It is not obvious what username and password.

• On the bottom of the little box it says “get a .NET passport.”

• What they heck is a .NET passport?

• So I click on that.

• I get a wizard dialog with a lot of fluff.

• I click Next and after the screen freezes for a while it asks me if I have an email address.

• Yes, I have many. I have a Controltec one. It also offers to give me a Hotmail one. I already have a hotmail one.

• Which one should I use? I choose “already have one.”

• Now it asks me “have you already signed up?”

• For what?

• I say “Yes, sign in with my Windows Live ID.”

• What the heck is a Windows Live ID?

• I hit Next and it asks me for my email address.

• I give it my Controltec one and my normal password.

• Now it says that is wrong. I know it’s not wrong. I use it all the time.

• But it insists. The options are:

• (1) reset my password – No thank you very much
• (2) sign up with your new email address – Which one? Where does it come from?

• Now I am stuck in a loop. Going nowhere. I give up.

In frustration I went to Google and in 20 seconds I had an instant messenger session going using my gmail account.

Is Microsoft TRYING to make this hard to use?

 No wonder people are going to Macs.