Skype works on Windows. Why doesn't Skype launch on Windows XP? After the update, Skype does not work: no sound, no video image

Skype occupies one of the leading positions among programs designed for communication. The advantage of the application is that in addition to messaging, it can be used for audio and video calls with any subscribers. However, some users are faced with the problem that it does not work Skype. In many cases, you can fix it yourself, you just need to figure out the cause of the problem.

Why Skype doesn't work

If the application stops launching or an empty window opens when you click on the icon, then the reason may be problems with the Internet Explorer browser. After Microsoft acquired the utility, the developers tied it to the Internet browser.

When authorizing in the application, ActiveX operation and access to Java Script built into Internet Explorer are required. But as a result of a virus infection or user actions, the default settings in the browser may change. Because of this, problems occur with authorization or with the contact list in Skype. In order to fix the problem, you need to reinstall the Internet browser or update to the latest version. If these steps do not help, then you need to try the following algorithm of actions:

Please note that programs that were installed on the PC after saving this point will be automatically deleted during recovery.

If Skype does not work due to problems with the IE browser, then it is recommended to try running the old version of the application, without using Internet browser components. To do this you need to complete the following steps:

Problems that cause the messenger to stop working can arise for various reasons. Therefore, first of all, you need to understand what led to the error in order to try to fix the problem yourself.

In this lesson I will tell you how to quickly launch Skype on your computer. We will learn how to open Skype without the program and talk about how to restore its functionality.

How to quickly launch Skype

First, I’ll tell you about the easiest way to start. This is just for those who don’t have the time or desire to understand.

If everything is entered correctly, a full-fledged Skype will open. Here you can correspond, call, send video messages. This will happen through your account - just like in a regular program. Those you communicate with will not feel the difference.

How to restore the program

I just showed you how to log into Skype if it doesn’t open on your computer. In principle, you can stop there, but many people still find it more convenient to use a regular program. Therefore, next I will show how to restore its operation.

Logging in through the browser is more suitable for temporary use - when you urgently need to open the program, and there is no time to figure out what's what.

Windows 7, 8, 10

Most often, Skype does not open due to the fact that the version of the program on the computer is outdated. This can be solved by updating it.

1 . Open the official website skype.com

2. Click “Download Skype” and wait for the file to download.

For Windows 8 and 10, installation occurs through the Application Store (Microsoft Store).

3. Open the resulting file. It is usually located in your Downloads folder.

4 . Install the program.

When finished, a shortcut will appear on the Desktop and Start.

Windows XP

On a computer with Windows XP, Skype does not work at all. It cannot be installed or updated. This is due to the fact that XP is an outdated system and is not supported by developers.

The only option is to use the web version. That is, open Skype in a browser, as I showed in .

But even in this case, the program may not start. Then you need to make a special shortcut and open the application only through it. The method works if you have Google Chrome or Opera.

1 . Right-click on the Desktop → New → Shortcut.

2. Paste the following text if you have Google Chrome:

"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -user-agent="Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/73.0.3683.103 Safari/537.36" https www.skype.com/

Or this text if you have Opera:

"C:\Program Files\Opera\launcher.exe" -user-agent="Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/73.0.3683.103 Safari/537.36" https://web .skype.com/

A new icon will appear on your desktop. This is where you need to open the program. Just close the browser window before starting.

If it doesn't open after the update

If you've updated Skype and it still won't launch, the first thing to do is restart your computer. Did not help? Then follow the further instructions until the program works.

These instructions will help restore the operation of the computer version if it does not open at all - it freezes, crashes. If your problems are related to something else, look for an answer.

Solution 1: Delete the folder

1 . We close the program. To do this, right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager”.

In the “Processes” tab, find Skype in the list and remove the task (end the process).

If there is no such process, close the window and proceed to the next step.

2. Press the Windows keyboard key () and, without releasing it, press the key with the letter R. A window will open, where we paste %appdata% and click “OK”.

3. We delete the Skype folder and try to launch the application.

On a note . All your contacts and messages will remain as they are stored on Microsoft servers. So don't worry - nothing will be deleted!

Solution 2: Uninstall the program

This way you will completely remove the program from your computer. Now we clean the registry in CCleaner: Registry → Search for problems → Fix selected. It is advisable to create a backup copy before doing this.

After that, delete the folder (see) and reinstall Skype (see).

All your contacts and messages are not erased when you uninstall the program, since they are stored on the Internet - on Microsoft servers.

Solution 3: Reset Internet Explorer settings

The Skype program is connected to the Internet Explorer browser. And sometimes it starts to glitch precisely because of him. The solution is to reset your browser settings.

Windows 7: Start → Control Panel → set “Large icons” at the top right → Internet Options → Advanced → Reset.
Windows 10: right click on Start → Settings → type in the search bar Browser properties→ Advanced → Reset.

Solution 4: Disabling Antivirus and Firewall

Try disabling your antivirus and running the application. If it opens, it means that the antivirus is blocking its operation. To fix this, add Skype to the exceptions.

The same goes for the firewall: turn it off and try to start the program. If it works, then you need to add it to the exceptions.

How to disable the firewall:

Windows 7: Start → Control Panel → put “Large icons” at the top right → Windows Firewall → Turn Windows Firewall on or off (left) → disable both.
Windows 10: Right-click on Start → Settings → Network and Internet → Windows Firewall → turn off in “Domain Network” and “Private Network”.

Solution 5: Modifying the shortcut

This is a temporary fix. It does not solve the problem, but simply helps to launch the program one-time.

1 . We close the application (see).

2. Place the shortcut on the Desktop: Start → Programs → right-click on Skype → or .

3. Right-click on the shortcut that appears and select “Properties”.

4 . In the “Object” field on the “Shortcut” tab, add a space and the text /legacylogin at the end of the line and click OK.

Now the program can be opened on your computer, but only through this shortcut.

Other reasons why Skype may not work:

Viruses
Unstable Internet
DirectX version below 9.0
Processor up to 1 GHz, RAM up to 512 MB
Problematic version of the program

For example, a couple of years ago, a new version of the application refused to work on some laptops. Over time, the developers solved the problem, but this happened only after several months.

Types of reasons

First of all, let's look at the main types of reasons that may cause problems with the performance of the described messenger. They can be divided into the following categories:

Software problem (crazy update, deleted files, software incompatibility, etc.).
Hardware problem.

If you just installed Skype on your computer and could not launch it, then first check the compatibility of your gadget according to the official system requirements. If the reason is related to hardware, then you won’t be able to solve the launch problem using software changes - try using Skype on a mobile device or another PC.

PC requirements

Although the messenger is not too demanding on hardware, like modern games, for example, it is still recommended to check the system requirements. This may be one of the reasons why Skype does not start. For stable operation of the program you need:

Operating system Windows XP or later.
Processor with a frequency of 1 GHz or higher.
Minimum 512 MB of RAM.
DirectX 9.

If your computer meets the system requirements, but the messenger still does not work, then proceed to the following reasons.

Reinstallation

First of all, try reinstalling. Sometimes it happens that a program may stop working due to incorrect installation or due to virus infection. This is the most common reason why Skype does not start on a computer.

First you need to remove the old version of the program. To do this, go to the "Control Panel" and go to the "Uninstall programs" section. Next in the list, find Skype and delete it.

To download the new version and install it, you must follow these steps:

Go to the official Skype website.
On the main page, click the "Download Skype" button.
Select the Computer tab and click Download.
Wait until the installation file is downloaded.
Run the file and follow the instructions that appear.

Now try launching the program again through “Start” or “Desktop”. Log in to your account and check its functionality.

Rolling back updates

Developers often release new versions of updates that are extremely unstable on PCs. Over time, patches appear that correct all errors. Until a stable version of the messenger is released, you can roll back to the previous one. To do this, you need to find the archive with the previous update and install it on your PC. On software sites you can find almost any Skype update of different years and versions. The main thing is to download the Skype that is compatible with the architecture of your operating system, so that there are no problems with launch and operation.

Another option that can solve the problem is a portable version of the messenger. Portable doesn't need to be installed - you download the exe file and just run it. Next, open the file and log in with your account.

Virus check

If the methods described above did not help you, then be sure to scan your computer for viruses. You can do this using standard Windows Defender if you use eight or ten. To do this, go to “Settings” and click on the “Update and Security” section. Open the Windows Defender tab and then click the Scan Now button.

If you use Windows XP or Vista, you will have to use third-party antivirus software. On the Internet you can find a number of free antiviruses to choose from.

Now let's look at the reasons why Skype does not start, which are associated with individual generations of the Windows operating system.

For Windows XP, Vista and 7

The developers have released a special patch that you can download to your computer. If this option does not help to start the program, then you need to update or uninstall Internet Explorer.

The fact is that in version 5.5, Skype is tied to the IE browser in the Windows XP and 7 operating systems. When launched, the messenger accesses scripts that are located in IE. Since the user can make changes to the browser settings (viruses can also do this), a problem arises in launching and authorizing the messenger. We figured out why Skype won't launch on Windows XP. Now we need to fix this problem.

To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

Close all programs and browser.
Now restart IE.
Using the "Service" button (like a gear in the upper corner of the window) open the menu.
Select "Internet Options" from the menu.
In properties, go to "Advanced" and click on "Reset".
In the menu that opens, select the "Delete personal settings" option.
Close your browser and restart. The next time you turn on the browser, the settings will be restored.

Now try launching Skype again and check if it works. If this method does not help, then follow these steps:

open "Task Manager" and close the running skype.exe process;
go to the system partition of the hard drive and open the Program Files folder;
in this directory, find the Skype folder;
right-click on the skype.exe file and click “Create a shortcut on the desktop”;
now go to the shortcut properties via RMB;
go to the “Shortcut” tab;
in the “Object” field, add the command /legacylogin to the written line;
save the changes and launch the Skype shortcut.

Why doesn't Skype launch on Windows 7?

On the Windows 7 operating system, problems often arise with the performance of Skype after downloading updates. To fix this problem, you need to do the following:

Open the Run window via the Start menu or the Win+R key combination.
Copy the command %LOCALAPPDATA%\Skype\Apps\ into the line and press Enter.
In the folder that opens, find the directory with the name of your login and delete all the files in it.
Now launch Skype again.

Why doesn't Skype launch on Windows 10?

The Windows 10 operating system comes with a new version of Skype that runs by default. Many users respond negatively to this experiment, preferring the classic version. Go to the messenger website and click the "Download" button. On the page that opens, you will see a note stating that you already have a new Skype. Scroll down the page and select the “Download” button where it offers to install the classic version of the program.

Web version

If none of the methods described in the article helped, but you urgently need to log into the messenger and start communicating, then use the online version of the service. Log in to your account using your login, email or phone number. After entering the data, click the “Login” button. The only disadvantage of this version is that you will have to keep your browser open all the time. On weak computers, this solution can be a problem.

Bottom line

We have considered all troubleshooting options that are suitable for all operating systems and the main OS separately. If you are unable to resolve the problem, please contact support. You can find the form to fill out on the official Microsoft website. The company's employees will try to sort out this issue as quickly as possible and give you practical advice on launching Skype.

Today we will talk about another technical problem - Skype will not load, which any Skype user may encounter. Why Skype does not start on the computer, for what reason this happens, and what actions can be taken to solve this problem - let's figure it out.

Reasons and solution

The main reason that Skype does not launch on Windows XP is that the user installs a version of the program that is not suitable for this operating system. XP is an objectively outdated platform; working with it has its own peculiarities. In addition, the messenger can only be installed on XP SP3; the program no longer works with SP2.
If Skype does not load on Windows 10, the reason is most likely that at the same time the program is launched, the operating system is installing updates. By the way, the application itself can be updated, the picture will be the same - .
When Skype does not start on Windows 7, it is likely that the user has not installed the current version of the application. Windows 7 users can turn off notifications about the availability of program updates, and therefore are often not aware that a new version has been released. Check for updates and download the package if available. And then try opening the messenger again.

Why doesn't Skype start on my computer or laptop yet? Very often this happens simply because there is no Internet connection or the data transfer is insufficient. Check the connection, and if there are problems with it, fix them.
Why doesn't Skype start even though there is Internet? It happens that. Very often this situation is encountered by users who have an antivirus or Firewall installed - these programs can block Skype. To avoid this, the messenger must be added to the list of allowed programs and applications.
Conversely, Skype does not load due to the fact that the computer or laptop has undergone a virus attack. Malware interferes with the operation of all processes on the device; to eliminate it, scan your PC with an antivirus.
It happens that the messenger does not load the software window due to the fact that a technical glitch occurred on the main Skype server. In this case, you need to wait until the technical support staff fixes the problems - this usually does not take much time. You can check the server status here - https://support.skype.com/en/status/

What should you do if you followed all our advice, checked data transfer, updates, etc., but Skype still won’t load on your laptop or computer? The following instructions will help:

- Here's what to do if the messenger does not start: completely close the program and end the Skype process in the "Task Manager" (press CTRL+ALT+DELETE simultaneously to open it)

- Open the command line using the WIN+R key combination and enter the command “%appdata%\skype”

- Or follow the path on your device C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\skype

In the folder that opens, you need to find and delete the file called “shared.xml”, and then restart the application

This method works in most cases.
By the way, before taking any action, if technical problems arise, try restarting your computer or laptop - there are often cases when the problem is easily solved in just such a simple way.

Update from June 3, 2015
eliminating the error when launching Skype Fatal "Error: Failed to load libraty "dxva2.dll" on Windows XP.

Options to solve the problem:
1. Download Skype 7.4.0.102 - older but working version
2. Use
3. Download the dxva2.dll file and copy it to the c:\Windows\System32 folder in Windows XP

"dxva2.dll"

Method 1. Skype does not work, reset its settings by deleting the configuration file.

1. Completely close the program (in the tray near the clock on the Skype icon, click “Exit”), then:

"Start" - "Run" - copy the text into the window that opens %appdata%\skype and press "Enter".

In the folder that opens, you need to find and delete the file shared.xml

If this action does not help,

Method 2. After deleting the current profile, reset Skype settings

1.Press the Windows key combination + R, then enter %appdata% into the window

Rename the Skype folder, for example, to Skype1, or delete it altogether.

Now we launch Skype, taking into account that the chat history and profile settings will not be saved, but you don’t have to worry about your contacts.