Hello,
We received your message at Messenger Technical Support and will help you solve your question as quickly as possible.  Below you will find an instant answer from our automated system based on the most common solutions for the type of issue that you selected when submitting your question.  Let’s start with the most common answer that likely will take care of what you need.  You’re still welcome to reply to this e-mail with questions if this answer doesn’t help. 

When you try to sign in to Messenger, you may receive the following error message:
You could not sign in because of a problem with the service or with your Internet connection. Please make sure that you are connected to the Internet. 81000306
PROBABLE CAUSE
The following conditions may apply:
• You are not connected to the Internet. 
• The Messenger service may not be currently available. 
• The Windows Vista Auto Tuning Networking feature may need disabled. 
• The MSN Messenger proxy settings are incorrect. 
• The computer network does not allow access to the MSN Messenger service. 
TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS
1.  Make sure that that the Messenger service is available and that you are connected to the Internet. Start Microsoft Internet Explorer, and then try to visit the following Web site:
http://status.messenger.msn.com/Status.aspx
If you cannot visit this site, contact your Internet service provider (ISP) for information about how to set up your Internet connection so that you can visit both secure (https) and non-secure (http) sites. If you are able to visit the site and there is currently an event, please visit the site later to determine when the service is available so that you can sign into Messenger. If the site indicates that the all systems are stable and running, go to the next step.
 
2.  Clear the proxy settings in MSN Messenger.
a.  Start Messenger. 
b.  On the Tools menu, click Options. 
c.  Click Connection in the left navigation pane. 
d.  Click Advanced Settings in the Connection Settings section. 
e.  Delete the content of the SOCKS field. 
f.  Click OK two times to save the settings. 
After you clear the proxy settings, verify if you are able to sign into Messenger. If you are still not able to sign into Messenger then please go to the next step. 
3.  If you are using Windows Vista, disable the Auto Tuning Networking feature: a.  Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator. 
b.  Click Continue when Windows requests permission to continue. 
c.  At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled 
Note This command disables the Window Auto Tuning feature.
After you disable the Auto Tuning Networking feature, verify if you are able to sign into Messenger.
If you are still not able to sign into Messenger then please re-enable this feature using the information below and then go to the next step. a.  Re-enable the Auto Tuning Networking feature by typing the following command at the command prompt, and then pressing ENTER: netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal 
Note This command enables Window Auto Tuning again so that you can take advantage of the network throughput performance increase it provides. 
4.  If you are using Windows Vista and you also use a router (eg. Linksys, D-Link, Netgear) on your home network to connect to the internet please visit the router manufacturer’s website to update to the latest firmware for that product.
 
If this information does not resolve or apply to the issue that you have submitted then we will need some additional information to assist you further with this issue. This information is available in the Messenger connectivity log. Please follow the steps below to gather this information and reply to this email with the information requested below:
Steps to provide your Messenger connectivity log:
1.  Exit Messenger by right-clicking the Messenger icon in the notification area at the far right of the Windows task bar, and then click Exit. 
2.  Delete the old Messenger connection log file: a.  Click Start, click Run, type %userprofile% , and then press ENTER to open a Windows Explorer window. If you are running Windows Vista, click the Start, and then type %userprofile% and press ENTER to open Windows Explorer. 
b.  In Windows Explorer, double-click My Documents, and then double-click My Received Files. 
c.  In the My Received Files folder, select the MsnMsgr.txt file, and then press DELETE on your keyboard. If connection logging in Messenger is not already enabled, you will not see the MsnMsgr.txt file. 
 
3.  Turn on Messenger connection logging: a.  Start Messenger but do not sign in. 
b.  On the Tools menu, click Options. 
c.  In the left navigation bar, click Connection. 
d.  Click Advanced Settings. 
e.  Under Connection Logging, make sure that the Save a log of my server connections to help troubleshoot connection problems check box is selected. 
f.  Click OK. 
 
4.  Sign in to Messenger again, click Sign In. The new connectivity log file, MSNMsgr.txt, is generated in the My Received Files folder when you attempt to sign in. Attach the MSNMsgr.txt file to your email when you respond to this issue. 

Hopefully that will take care of what you need.  We do want to make sure we’re answering any questions you might have, so if you still have a question, use the “Reply” button on your e-mail program to send this back to us with an explanation of what you need.  Be as detailed as you can so we can respond accurately and quickly.
Thanks, from the Windows Live Messenger Technical Support team members.