How can you find your MSN Messenger contacts IP address?

Answer 1

You can basically find any IP address. While a conversation window is open in ANY type of messenger click the start button on the taskbar, then hit "Run". Use the command "cmd" to enter ms-dos mode. After doing so, type in "netstat" in the ms-dos console and a full list containing the addresses of all connections at that time, including the IP of the Microsoft server that you chat session is being routed through.

To see the IP of the person you are chatting with, you must send them a file that is 1mb or larger before the netstat command will show their IP.

This Will work better with Skype and similar applications, which use a direct connection most of the time. MSN, being disgustingly old and stupid, relays chat and information, making it many times slower, and also much more difficult to trace. If you're using Ubuntu the complete routing of a packet can be traced under network tools. This will be much more useful if you are serious about tracing the IP of a contact.

Alternatively, Download CPORTS: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.HTML

This tells you what's connected to your computer, what program started the connection, the "process path" column .. and other various details.

With MSN, you can merely have a brief chat with someone and their IP will show up in Cports.

The MSN server will be something like:

207.46.111.61 by2msg2104808.gateway.edge.messenger

The number to the left of it is the IP.

Above or below this will be another address usually in the form of:

123.45.678.90 userblahblah.myisp.com

This will be the address of the person you're talking to, then copy / paste the IP into a locator program such as:

http://www.ip-address.com/ipaddresstolocation

It won't usually be where the user is located, but where the IP address originated from .. for obvious security reasons I'd imagine.