What was "Microsoft Office Communicator" ?

[Nomen]

My win-98se system has Office 2000 premium SR1.

I recently got an error message (End Program-WMS Idle) when trying to shut down. All references to that error seem to indicate that it's related to Microsoft Office Communicator 2005.

I had no idea that MS ever had a product that they called "Communicator" - seeing as that was the name of Netscape's email and usenet client going back 5+ years earlier.

I don't believe that this MS-Office Communicator was part of Office 2k (I can't find it under my office 2K program group), and there is almost nothing on the internet describing MS-Office Communicator other than it was an IM client and was replaced with "Microsoft Lync".

So - I'm basically asking if Office 2k had this "Communicator" component - or if there could be some other explanation as to why my system seems to be running this "WMS" thing.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Nomen

[jaclaz]

There are quite a few reports of that error in conjunction with Office 2003 upgrades, not with Office 2K, but there are also various different "sources" reported, including a Nero "Scout" and it's NMBGmonitor program:

http://www.inetnj.com/?page_id=404

and vague references to Outlook.

BUT it could also be "Windows Desktop Search":

http://www.outlookbanter.com/outlook-general-queries/54027-winxp-pro-shutdown-message-end.html

Can you check in Task Manager (or similar) which programs are actually running when you get that error?

jaclaz

[submix8c]

? Office Communicator 2005 -

https://blogs.technet.com/b/nmercer/archive/2005/05/14/404941.aspx

"Live Communicator" -

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/learn-how-microsoft-office-communicator-2005-works-with-live-communication-server-2005/

Did you "test install" it - On Win98 (how)? SOUNDS like your research is indicating the wrong thing. Is this what you found?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921113

Anyhow, I concur with jaclaz' suggestion. As far as those Nero thingies, I disable them right away. (Yeah, I "goggled" the error message too, as did jaclaz).

[vinifera]

have in mind that Office 2003 had inbuilt tracking software that reported MS

exactly what was user clicking on (tool/menu) and what buttons on keyboard were pressed (as in ctrl+v or del or shift etc etc ....)

might be some strayed component if you say its from 2005

Edited December 20, 2013 by vinifera