Getting Started

Creating your profile After signing in, you are directed to a page where you must complete your forums profile. To create your profile, provide the information on this page and then click Save. Note that you must, at a minimum, provide a Display name. For more information about forum Profiles, see User Profile & Settings. Back to top

Creating a post See How do I post a new message to a forum? Back to top

Getting notified of a reply to your post See How do I sign up for Notifications? Back to top

How do I indicate a post answered my question? To mark your post as answered, click the Mark as Answer button to the right of the post. Back to top

How do I rate a post? To rate a post as either helpful or not helpful, click Yes or No next to the "Was this post helpful?" text at the top of the post. Back to top

Registration & Sign In

Why do I need to register? You can read Forums without registering; but to take advantage of advanced features the forums offers, such as posting questions and asking to be notified when replies are received, you will need to register an account. It only takes a few seconds to register, and it is recommended you do so. Back to top

How do I register? To register, simply click Sign In on any Forums page. Once at the Sign In page, click Register to go to the registration page. Complete the registration form and then click Save. Note that you are required to provide a Display Name, at a minimum. All other information is optional. Back to top

I have a username and password. How do I sign in? Simply click Sign In on any Forums page. Back to top

Why do I get logged off automatically? When signing in to Microsoft forums, if you do not check the Sign me in automatically option you will be automatically signed out after an administrator-defined length of inactivity. If you would like the forums to always log you in automatically, please select the Sign me in automatically check box. Back to top

User Profile & Settings

What is a Profile? A profile includes personal information you wish to share such as your web address or weblog address. We advise you to be careful about the information you choose to share as same of it could potentially be harvested by spammers. To view your profile, go to the Edit Profile page. To view the profile of another user, click the user's Display name from anywhere it is displayed. Back to top

What's a display name? Your display name is the name that you use when posting to a discussion group and indicates the author of a post. The name that you enter in your profile information is the name that appears in the By field of any new message that you post. The name you use can be your real name if you wish, but note that potentially millions of people will see it. If you are receiving an error entering your display name, this may be caused by the following: the display name contains certain words considered profane someone else has already registered this name the display name field is empty the display name is not between 2 and 32 characters. Back to top

How do I add a signature to my posts? A signature is a message that is appended to the end of any posts you make in the forums. You can edit your signature from the Edit Profile page. This signature will then appear at the bottom of any messages you post. Back to top

Notifications

What are Notifications? The notifications feature (also called Alerts) will send you a message (via e-mail, Instant Message or a mobile device) when someone has either replied to the post or added a post to the thread you subscribed to. Note: In order to receive notifications, you first need to opt in for the service. See How do I sign up for notifications? Back to top

How do I sign up for Notifications? If you haven't signed up to receive notifications, you can do so when creating a new post or while reading an existing thread. When creating a post, select the box next to the Alert Me icon at the bottom of the page. When reading an existing thread, click the Alert Me button at the top of the thread's page. If you haven't signed up, you will be directed to the Microsoft Forums Alerts Web site where you can set up how and where you want to receive your alerts. After setting up your Alerts account, you will be automatically returned to your Forums site. If you already have a Microsoft Alerts account, you will not be redirected. You can view your forums subscriptions by going to http://forums.microsoft.com/Forums /AlertSubscriptions.aspx?SiteID=1 Back to top

How do I receive a notification about a thread? If you want to receive an alert about a new thread you are creating, just make sure that the check box is selected next to the Alert Me icon at the bottom of the page. To receive a notification about an existing thread, click the Alert Me button at the top of the thread's page. Note: If you have not signed up for Notifications, you will be redirected to the Microsoft Alerts Web site where you can set up how and where you want to receive your alerts. After setting up your Alerts account, you will be automatically returned to the Forums site. If at some point you want to stop receiving alerts about this thread, just return to the thread and click Unsubscribe button. Back to top

How do I unsubscribe from notifications? You can change your notification subscriptions through the "My Subscriptions" page. Once at the My Subscriptions page, click the Unsubscribe from Alerts button. This will cancel all your notification subscriptions. Note: You can make changes to your forum subscriptions, thread subscriptions, and profile information by clicking My Forums at the top of any forums page. Back to top

My forum notification is missing. What happened? In some instances, a site administrator may decide to remove a forum from public view. In such an event, the notification subscription for the forum would be removed from your list. Back to top

About e-mail addresses and privacy It is highly likely that you will receive unwanted messages (spam) in your regular e-mail account if you use your actual, unmodified e-mail address as your display e-mail address in a Forum. Note that your display e-mail address is different from your notification e-mail address. Your notification e-mail address must be a real e-mail address in order for you to be notified; it is stored privately by Microsoft. It is not visible to the Community. However, your display e-mail address is public and visible to everyone in the Community. People who send unwanted bulk e-mail (spammers) regularly gather e-mail addresses from Forums groups. To help prevent spam in your regular e-mail account, the default display e-mail address when you post a message in a discussion group is yourdisplayname@discussions.microsoft.com. Because this is a false e-mail address, any mail sent to this address will be returned as undeliverable. However, if you want forum posters to know your actual e-mail address, try providing a different version of your e-mail address that others will understand but that spam tools can't automatically pick up. For example, if an actual e-mail address were someone@example.com, we would recommend modifying it to one of the following: someone@example.com.(donotspam) someone@REMOVE_CAPS_AND_INVALIDexample.com someone@example.com.NO_SPAM By codifying your e-mail address in this way, legitimate correspondents will use your actual address, while automated spam tools will send mail to the invalid address. An alternate strategy is to use a secondary e-mail account, such as a Hotmail account, that is separate from your primary account for posting to discussion groups. Back to top

Navigation

What is a Forum? A Forum is a place on the Internet where people interact by posting and reading messages about topics that are of interest to them and the rest of a community. Forums contain groupings of related topic threads. Back to top

What is a Forum Group? A Forum Group is a top-level grouping of related forums. A forum group contains one or more forums. Back to top

What is a Thread? A thread is a grouping of related posts. A thread contains one or more posts. The first post becomes the thread and replies to the original post are added to the thread. Back to top

What do the Thread icons mean? Icon Legend Unanswered question thread Comment thread Popular unanswered question thread Popular comment thread Locked unanswered question thread Pinned comment thread Pinned unanswered question Pinned, popular comment thread Pinned, popular unanswered question Locked comment thread Answered question thread Announcement post Popular answered question thread Question post Locked answered question thread Answered question post Pinned answered question Answer post Pinned, popular answered question Comment post Thread contains code sample Customer bug Resolved customer bug Customer bug with a workaround Resolved customer bug with a workaround Product suggestion Resolved product suggestion       Notes Threads with the "Popular" icon have been viewed at least 200 times within a 3-day period. Threads with the "Locked" icon have been blocked by the forum moderator from any additional replies. Threads with the "Pinned" icon have been tagged by the forum moderator so that they appear at the top of the list of threads in a forum. All posts are tagged as either a "Question", a "Comment", or an "Announcement". Only forum moderators can create "Announcement" posts. The type of icon used for a thread is determined by the original post (Question, Comment, or Announcement). You can hover the mouse pointer over any of the icons in the forum to see a short explanation of each. Back to top

Why don't I see any threads/posts when I view a forum? A forum may not display any threads if there are no threads in the forum or if a filter has been applied that screens out the threads/posts. Back to top

What is a sticky thread? A sticky thread--also called a "pinned" thread--is a special post that is sorted to the top of a forum for a specified amount of time. A moderator can turn any thread into a sticky thread. Back to top

What is a locked thread? A locked thread is a special post that does not allow replies. Only a moderator can lock posts. The reasons for locking a thread vary by forum. To find out why a particular post is locked, please contact the Moderator of that forum. Back to top

What is the 'XML' icon at the bottom of a forum? The XML icon is linked to the RSS (Rich Site Summary) feed for the forum. RSS is used to allow other applications to subscribe to forums posts. Back to top

Why can't I access a forum I know exists? If you are attempting to access a forum that you have visited before, but now receive an 'unknown forum' error, there are two likely causes. The first cause is that the forum you are attempting to access is private and you are not signed in. The second cause is that the forum has been removed. Back to top

Posting

How do I post a new message to a forum? To post a new message to a forum, click the New Thread button. Clicking this button will take you to a form for posting a message or ask you to sign in first. Back to top

Why am I unable to post a new message to a forum? If you have problems posting, it could be because you have active scripting disabled. To resolve this issue, you can either enable active scripting or add this site to the "Trusted Sites" list. To add Microsoft Forums as a trusted site: In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. Click the Security tab, and then click the Trusted sites zone. Click Sites. In the Add this Web site to the zone text box, type the Internet address for this site (http://forums.microsoft.com) and then click Add. Back to top

How do I reply to an existing post? To reply to a post, click the Reply button displayed with the post. If you do not see the Reply or Quote image buttons when viewing a post you, either do not have permissions to reply (you may need to sign in first) or the post may not allow replies. Back to top

How do I edit my posts? To edit one of your posts, click the Edit button next to the post you want to edit. Back to top

What is an edited post? Forums allow Authors and/or Administrator/Moderators to edit posts. Due to technical limitations, the NNTP replication of an edited post will be viewed as a reply in the Thread. Back to top

How do I delete my posts? To delete one of your posts, go to the thread's page and click the Delete button next to right of the post. Note that if the post has one or more replies, or if the post was made over 24 hours ago, you will no longer be able to delete the post. If you still need to delete your entry, submit a post to the forum for the moderator to delete. Back to top

Why can't I delete my post? You won't be able to delete your posts under the following conditions: You have not signed in to the forums site. Somebody has already replied to your post. It has been over 24 hours since you submitted the post. Back to top

My post has words replaced with ***? The administrator has specified a word filter for posts. When word filters are enabled, those words are replaced with asterisks (*). Back to top

Why should I indicate a post answered my question? When someone adds a post to a question you asked, you can rate this post as "the answer" to your question. By rating a post as "the answer", you help others find the answer more quickly, you give the person who posted the answer credit for their contribution, and you help increase the quality of answers in the discussion group. Back to top

Getting answers to your questions

Finding the right forum Some forum sites contain so many forums, it's not always obvious which ones best cover your interests. If you're not sure which forum to choose, the Suggested Forums feature can help. Just type a keyword(s) in the Search box and click Go. In addition a list of posts that contain the keyword(s), you'll also get a list of suggested forums on the right side of the screen. These forums may be the best place to find posts on your subject of interest. Back to top

Searching for discussions first If you have a question, it is likely that someone asked it already, and odds are it may have been responded to by someone else. You can search discussion groups for a post using specific keywords. We advise you to use no less than 2 and no more than 4 keywords in a search. In addition to the posts found in your search, be sure to check the "Top 5" list on the right side of the screen for popular answer posts that contain your keyword(s). Back to top

Browsing Forums The list of forums is on the left side of your Web browser, grouped by product or technology. Clicking the forum name will open the discussion space and display the conversation threads posted to the forum. Back to top

Using Filters To show specific threads rather than all threads in a discussion group or in your search results, you can use the Forum Option filters at the bottom of the forum page. Back to top

Finding Answered Questions To display only answered questions in a forum, go to the Forum Options (bottom of the page), and in View By Attribute, select Answered Questions. Back to top

Finding questions to answer To search for all unanswered questions in a forum, go to the Forum Options (bottom of the page), and in View By Attributed, select All Questions. Back to top

How can I search for posts in a different language? If a site contains forums in other languages, a drop-down box will appear next to the Search text box. Click the down-arrow to view available languages. To search for forums in a particular language, select the language from the language list. Then type search words in the Search text box, and then click Search. Back to top

Why did a languages list appear next to the Search tool? Why did this list disappear? Since forums can be shared across sites, it's possible for the forum administrator to add a forum that is in a foreign language. When a foreign language forum is added to a site, the language list will appear next to the Search tool. You can use the language list to search for forums in a particular language. Likewise, if the site administrator removes all foreign language forums from the site, the language list will no longer appear. Back to top

Recognition System

What are these little stars under my user name? The MSDN Forums now includes a basic recognition system to gauge your participation in the community. you. Back to top

How are my points calculated? Different actions on the site will provide you with different points. See the chart below for things you can do to earn points. Action Points You reply to a question or bug thread started by another user 2 Your reply is marked as the answer 10 Your reply is voted as being helpful 5 x (# of votes) Your reply to a bug thread is marked as a workaround 10 You submit a bug that is resolved as fixed by Microsoft 20 A bug you submitted is validated by another user 4 x (# of validations) Back to top

Can I lose points? Yes. If a post you made is deleted you will lose any points that you gained for that post. If a post you made is unmarked as being either an answer or workaround, you will lose the points you originally gained. Back to top

How many points do I need to get a particular star rating? This chart shows the breakdown of each star level. Stars Points 0 0 1 1 ~ 750 2 751 ~ 2000 3 2001 ~ 7500 4 7501 ~ 15000 5 15001+ Back to top

Won’t some people try to manipulate the system? Yes and where we determine that this is happening we reserve the right to either deduct points or ban the account. Back to top

How long will it take for my points to be awarded? It may take up to 24 hours for points to be reflected by the system. Back to top

Are points worth anything? Recognition points have no value; they are simply a reflection of your participation in the forums. Back to top

What should I do if I don’t get the points I should receive? There may be cases where you feel that the system has not properly awarded you points for a particular action. While we’ve taken precautions to cover all scenarios, errors may still occur. If you feel that your points are showing a significant error, please report it to the Bug Reports for Forumsforum. Back to top

Glossary of Terms

Community The Community is you, other users, and the interactions among all the users; some of those interactions will happen through this online forum and other Microsoft Community properties. This allows you to get your questions answered, share ideas, and learn more about the products and technologies that interest you. Back to top

Forum Moderator An individual selected by the site administrator to ensure the high quality of the Forums discussions. By default a moderator can perform any number of tasks within a particular forum or set of forums. This includes approving posts, moving posts, deleting posts, editing posts, or banning users. If you have a problem with a particular forum, the best place to start is with a moderator. Back to top

NNTP "Network News Transfer Protocol," the name of a protocol that controls the request and exchange of Usenet messages; some Forums will be configured to replicate to Newsgroups which in turn can be accessed via NNTP by using an NNTP newsreader such as Outlook Express. Back to top

Post An individual message in a discussion thread group. Back to top

Spam The "junk mail" posts that are sometimes posted to Forums (or replicated from posts created in Newsgroups). Also, "junk mail" or other unwanted, unsolicited messages that you may receive in your regular e-mail account if you use your actual, unmodified e-mail address in a discussion group. Back to top

Thread A collection of posts that reference each other. The posts in a thread are displayed in chronological order, with the original post at the top and each reply indented and beneath the post to which it is replying. Each reply may be replied to as well. The different types of threads are identified by the icon next to the thread title in the thread summary. Back to top