How-to: Backup and restore your Plus! preferences

The other day I was once again thinking of useful add-ons adding functions in Messenger. I went around and played with the “Import/export preferences” option inside the Messenger Plus! preferences. From what I saw, the option is creating a binary *.pld file containing your settings. You would have to export it, copy it via some storage device to the target location, and re-import it.

Then I remembered a feature in the script Music Now Playing, which had impressed me some time ago when I saw it: Online backup, automatic. After that, I played around further with PHP and some JScript, and the result is PrefsBackup, a new Messenger Plus! script (still in beta).

The easy way: PrefsBackup

With this script, backing up your Messenger Plus! settings is as easy as nothing. Follow these simple steps:

• Download and import PrefsBackup.

• Choose for which Windows Live IDs (Messenger accounts) you want to enable the script.

• Read the changelog, and confirm that you understand that the script is still beta.

• Now open the scripts menu, and choose “PrefsBackup > Backup preferences…”.

• The first time you do this, you will be asked for a new password and an alternate e-mail address in case you forget it. The password is used to protect your preferences from theft.

• Oh, and since this is a beta, you will need an invite code once for each Windows Live ID. In the next time, you will see several websites offering a bunch of invite codes, but in case you didn’t catch one: e-mail mynetx Creations at creations@mynetx.net
  to apply for an invite code.

Remember: First-come, first-served.

• You might also try if one of the following invites still work:

733da5d3, d26fdbae, d8bd91f8, 57e5c6b1, 828060c0, 53efc6c2, e95e5f75, ba349d68, 85e3e08b, 9f337066

Free download: PrefsBackup 1.0.5 (sorry, link no longer working in 2026)

Any questions, ideas, suggestions or problems: mail us!