Vista - Contact list disappeared before my eyes

Hello, I have had the strangest thing happen to me when i logged on windows live messenger this Christmas: my contact list went from about 100 contacts to 25, I could literally see the number dropping. Any ideas on what caused this? And any chance I can restore my contact list?

I'm running windows xp btw.

I have a strong feeling that this is somehow related to me logging on on another computer the day before, my grandfathers, who has vista (hence my posting on this forum).

"paradiselost" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message
news:6aa82f425b975928426337e80ac996a5@xxxxxx-gateway.com...
You haven't provided details of your operating system, and I don't know
whether you are running the latest stable version of WLMessenger - or
one of the subsequent beta release. If you are running a beta release,
that may have some bearing on the problem.

If your sign-in identity is based upon an email account xxx@xxxxxx,
xxx@xxxxxx, or xxx@xxxxxx, then your contacts list is maintained
on a server at Microsoft. If so, the "disappearing" contacts phenomenon
almost certainly occurred, when you connected to the Internet and WLMail
signed into your identity on the central server.

Synchronization is supposed to be a "two-way street". In other words,
if you use WLMessenger or WLMail to add or delete contacts, all changes
should be reflected on the central server. However, upward
synchronization has always been slightly flaky - and even when it works,
synchronization can take a while to complete.

That is why I always advise closing WLMessenger and WLMail, before
making any changes to your contacts list. Then, use your web browser to
sign into your account via the webmail interface - and edit your
contacts on-line. Next time WLMessenger or WLMail signs in, using your
Microsoft Live identity, complete downward synchronization should occur
promptly.

I can only suggest you sign in via the webmail interface - to see
whether your contact list is intact. If necessary, you can use the
webmail interface to import any missing contacts directly from Outlook
or Outlook Express - or indirectly from Outlook, Outlook Express, Yahoo
Mail, or GMail (via a CSV file), or Windows Contacts.