How do I talk on LAN?

Chatting on the LAN

Chats

The need to exchange information and synchronize actions with other users of the local network is perfectly clear and does not need to be described. The Windows developers understood this when they implemented the messaging feature in their operating system. This option is not the most convenient, but it has one undeniable advantage - it is always at hand.

Text messaging in Windows 2000/XP/2003 systems is done from the command line. To send a message to another machine, start the console and type the command: net send 192.168.1.3 text_message, where 192.168.1.5 is the IP address of the computer where the message is sent (you can use the network name of the machine).

Not everyone may find it convenient to send messages this way, in which case the graphical interface followers can go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management (or run the command compmgmt.msc in the Start menu). In the window that appears, select Action > All Tasks > Send Console Message, and click Add to add the desired computers to the list of recipients.

Messages sent with Windows tools appear in a pop-up window. In this way, you can call the user who is playing a game or watching a movie - the message window will minimize almost any full-screen application.

Third party developers are not slacking, and as a consequence there are a great many programs for communicating in the local network. We will talk about the two most worthy and modest in terms of system resource consumption.

Softros LAN messenger app is one of the most popular programs for local network messaging. The program's interface is made in the style of the well-known program ICQ, which provides convenient communication and allows new users to easily cope with the interface of the program. The application doesn't require a mandatory connection to the internet or a dedicated server for full functionality. All users have equal access to the capabilities of the program.

The main features of the program:

- contacts contains a list of users with whom you often communicate, and also allows you to determine whether your computer is on or off;

- overview of the network environment with the ability to send messages to the selected computer;

- placement of users into groups with the ability to send multicast messages;

- the ability to create a pending message for a user who is currently turned off;

- quick response to a message with a single mouse click;

- logging of message history with easy viewing and filtering;

- visual notifications: blinking dialog in the system tray, pop-ups and prompts when a message is received or when a user changes his status

- audio events (with the possibility of choosing your own file);

- support of smiles;

- sending files to one or more recipients at once.

If you want to have a private conversation, you can exchange private messages or create a private chat that is available only for you and your interlocutor.

Voice communication

Organization of the exchange of text messages is a rather trivial task, but the emotional part of the conversation suffers a lot when using this kind of communication. Moreover, not everyone has skills of typing fast, which can complicate the communication in chat and cause a sleepy interlocutor, who will be waiting for an answer for half an hour.

Audio communication freed from the listed disadvantages requires additional expenses for equipment: microphone (preferably with headphones), full duplex audio card (able to play and record sound simultaneously).

Among programs for voice communication NetVoice can be singled out. It is not too resource intensive and normally works on processors from 400 MHz. Despite the fact that the sound quality is not ideal (there are interferences and distortions), it is easy to understand all the words and intonations. The program is easy to use, just run it on all the machines you want to communicate with.

NetVoice supports several communication modes.

- Conference. Up to 5 users can communicate simultaneously in this mode. To organize a conference, one of the participants has to connect in this mode and the others connect to him or her in the usual way.

- Radio station. In this case, one of the users acts as a sound source, and the rest - as listeners. This mode provides one-way voice communication and is well suited for notifying users.

- Auto Answer. You can record an audio message that will automatically play when you access the computer in your absence.

In case there are problems with audio communication, NetVoice has a built-in test messaging service.

Video calling

The most accessible and easy-to-use audio and video communication system is the NetMeeting program included with Windows. To start installation, run the conf command from the Start menu. You will need to enter your registration data (name, surname, e-mail), then the Local Area Network connection type, and in the final step, specify the audio playback volume and microphone volume.

Using NetMeeting is simple. In the address bar, simply enter the IP address or network name of the computer you want to connect to, and wait until the "other end of the line" responds to you.

In addition to voice and video calls, NetMeeting lets you exchange files, run collaboration applications (e.g., Word or Excel), and create a group drawing in a simple graphics editor.

You can adjust picture and sound quality in the Tools>Options menu.

The disadvantages of NetMeeting include low quality of transmitted images and small window size.

Where is NET SEND command in Windows 10, Windows 7, Vista?

Guys, today I'm going to talk about something that many people asked in the forums in which I participate.

What is NET SEND command?

The  Windows XP "Messenger" service became so famous, that many users use it by command line. Who has never seen someone click on "Start", "Run" and type "NET SEND username "Where are we having lunch today?". The NET SEND command is part of the Windows XP messenger and only works if this service is activated. Many companies have abolished the use of NET SEND just for this reason. I once saw a coworker typing "NET SEND * Hello! 

When entered, the command simply sent instant messages to all users who are connected to the same network. Imagine about 500 people received the message. Lucky for him he wasn't fired after that event, but NET SEND option was deactivated.

NET SEND is not only used for play. By the way, using it as a joke is just one of its uses. Several software apps use it as a way to exchange messages, even with database servers, as I witnessed.

The question, on Windows Vista and consequently on Windows 7, 10 is: Where is our dear friend NET SEND? Try typing the command and you will have a surprise: the "NET" service still exists, but the SEND function has been removed.

MSG command is successor of NET SEND command

And now? Don't be sad: Microsoft has implemented a replacement for NET SEND: MSG command. That's right: MSG. Just type this command at the command prompt and you will see that there are several ways to use it, including the simplest being similar to your grandfather NET SEND. Here is just one example, typed at the Windows 7 command prompt with the simplest syntax possible:

MSG <user> <message>

Example: "MSG Alex Hello World" 

(where "Alex" is the name of the target user, on the network)

Result of using the "MSG" command

As simple as that? Absolutely. The syntax reminds me of the old NET SEND. It is also possible, as in NET SEND, to send a message to a user with a specific server name. See the syntax below:

MSG <server>>user>>message>

Just type "MSG" and see all the available options:

Anyway, If the company where you work allows the use of MSG, you can go back to the old command-line conversation: "MSG Alex when lunch?" 

Note: MSG does not need the active messenger service.

Possible errors when sending messages:

After some comments on functioning problems, I made new tests and came to the solution of some common errors.

"Error 5 getting session names".

Possible reason: if you are on a domain network and the message is not sent, you may need to change the "AllowRemoteRPC" registry key to "1″" on each local machine in the following REGEDIT path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server

<user> does not exist or is disconnected

 The machine that would receive the message needs to have the source user as the administrator of the destination machine. Example: user "john" wants to send a message to user "fred". The machine used by the "fred" user must have the "john" user as an administrator. I am trying to find more information in case the user cannot be the administrator.

 Problem of messages sending between Windows 10 and Windows Vista/7, XP machines, or vice versa.

I did not find ways of integration for sending by "MSG" command from Windows 10, 7, XP machines to Windows XP machines as well as NET SEND from Windows XP machines to Windows Vista/7/10 machines.

Other errors: always check the firewall. In some situations, I noticed that the firewall was the problem that blocked the exchanges of messages. Some network security policies can also block sending. In this case, it is necessary to check with the network administrator.

Can I use any simple LAN messaging application without typing all these boring commands?

Yes, there are lot of applications that could replace these commands. And they works perfect between different Windows systems. You can send messages between old Windows XP and latest Windows 10 easily.