How to Fix Your Skype Login Problems

Peter Pachal - PC Magazine

A number of Skype users are having problems logging into Skype, various sites are reporting this morning. Although many have assumed the service was down, the company told PCMag that its network is just fine, and that the problems can be easily fixed.

In a blog post this morning, Skype's Peter Parkes posted instructions on how affected users on Windows (7, XP, and Vista) and Mac OS X machines can get Skype working again. Apparently the problem lies within a specific xml file, and simply getting rid of this file and restarting the Skype app will fix this particular issue.

The file in question is called "shared.xml," Simply quitting the app and vaporizing the file should get you Skyping again (full instructions are posted on the next page). As for why multiple users would suddenly report the issue at virtually the same time, a Skype rep said there were no clues, but they did say the problem impacted only a "small number" of users.

A widespread problem with Skype recalls the system-wide outage the service experienced last December, when Skype went down for the majority of its users throughout the globe. Skype eventually identified and fixed the problem in time for Christmas, but the incident raised questions about the reliability of the peer-to-peer voice- and video-calling network.

Microsoft recently acquired Skype to add to its software offerings, so perhaps Skype will benefit from stronger support in the long term to combat such outages. The deal was finalized only earlier this month, however, so it remains to be seen how it will affect Skype service.

Full instructions for fixing your Skype login issues are on the next page.

Windows Vista and Windows 7:
1. Close Skype.
a. Right-click the Skype icon in the system tray (at the bottom right of the screen)
b. Choose Quit.

2. Ensure that "Show hidden files and folders" is switched on.
a. Click Start, type run and press Enter.
b. Type control folders and click OK.
c. Select the View tab and ensure relevant entry is enabled.

3. Locate the shared.xml file.
a. Click Start, type run and press Enter.
b. Type %appdata%\skype and click OK.
c. Delete the shared.xml file.

4. Restart Skype. The shared.xml file will be recreated.

Windows XP:
1. Close Skype.
a. Right-click the Skype icon in the system tray (at the bottom right of the screen)
b. Choose Quit.

2. Ensure that "Show hidden files and folders" is switched on.
a. Click Start and then Run...
b. Type control folders and click OK.
c. Select the View tab and ensure relevant entry is enabled.

3. Locate the shared.xml file.
a. Click Start and then Run...
b. Type %appdata%\skype and click OK.
c. Delete the shared.xml file.

4. Restart Skype. The shared.xml file will be recreated.

Mac OS X:
1. Quit Skype.
2. Go to the folder ~/Library/Application Support/Skype/
3. Delete the file shared.xml (it will be recreated once you open Skype again, this is fine).
4. Start Skype.

Please note that the ~ sign means your home folder. You can find your home folder by opening Finder and selecting Go > Home from the menu bar or pressing Command (Apple), Shift and H keys at the same time.