"I can not go to Skype. Possible causes and their solution

For no one will be a revelation if we say about the incredible importance of the Internet for a modern person. We constantly go online, we put "husky", we talk with our friends from all over the world. That's - we say! A few years ago, this could only be dreamed, but today video calls are an everyday reality, which no one surprises.

If you are a more or less experienced PC user, then almost certainly at least once used the program Skype. It appeared for a long time, but the real peak of its popularity was in recent years. In many ways this is due to the fact that the world is spreading high-quality and fast Internet.

But only the most reliable program can fail. There are a lot of topics on the forums like this: "I can not go to Skype" - what to do? "Of course, someone is responsible, and some users immediately start calling for technical support, but it takes a very long time.

The problem is that the problems are not always typical, and the fermentation of hundreds of pages of thematic forums is an occupation for the amateur. To make it easier for you to determine the cause of the problem, please read our article. In it, we tried to collect and summarize the most typical disruptions of Skype, which are most often encountered.

Features of Windows 8 / 8.1

In the new operating system from Microsoft, there is a great opportunity to ask permission to access the Internet for each specific program. By default, all applications are allowed to access the Network, but there are exceptions. For example, users often change the settings themselves, and then they ask: "Why can not I go to Skype?"

Fortunately, it is extremely easy to help this problem. First press the "Win + I" key combination. If you do not know, the "Win" key is a button with the image of the Microsoft "window". Located in the lower left corner of the standard keyboard. The settings menu opens, in which you need to select the "Change computer settings" item, which is located at the very bottom of the window that opens.

This is where inexperienced users come in most often, who create hundreds of topics "I can not go to Skype on Windows 8," which appear daily on Microsoft forums.

A menu in the Metro-style will open, where you must click the "Privacy" button with the left mouse button. In the window that opens, allow Skype access to the webcam and microphone by moving the corresponding sliders.

It often happens that the problem is in Microsoft itself. For example, because of problems with central servers, sometimes thousands of users can not access their accounts. However, sometimes the problem is caused by the fact that users have not updated the version of Skype for a long time. Old programs do not always support the recently adopted standards, which makes normal communication impossible.

Delete the old application

In the latter case, you simply delete the old version of the program. In no case should you install a fresh release on top of the old one. Of course, recently it is quite acceptable, but in this case no one can guarantee you no bugs. As practice shows, they often move into a new program.

The problem is solved quite simply: reinstall the application using standard Windows tools. To do this, first click on the "Start" button, then look for "Control Panel" in the menu that opens.

In the appeared dialog box there is a section "Programs and components". Click on it with the left mouse button, after which the system displays a list of all the programs that are installed on your computer. It should find "Skype", then click on it with the left mouse button and click on the "Delete" button, which is located at the top of the working window.

After that, the uninstaller will automatically run, which completely removes the old version of the utility from the hard disk of your computer. Once the "Wizard" has completed its work, download the new version of the application and install it. Unfortunately, with problems like "I can not get into Skype", which are constantly found on the forums of technical support, you can run into even after that. What to do in this case?

Cleaning the registry - "our everything"

It may very well be that the utility is unable to work because of some old libraries and traces in the registry, which often remain after the work of the standard uninstall program. In order not to interfere with this, we suggest that you use the excellent utility Your Uninstaller. In the English-speaking segment of the Internet, it is the "solution # 1" when there are any problems with the removal of applications from the computer.

Working with Your Uninstaller

Using the utility is extremely simple. Run the program, after which a window with large application icons installed on your system immediately appears. Do you see the Skype icon? Select it with the left mouse button, then click on the "Delete" button, which is easy to find by drawing with a trash can. The Uninstall Wizard dialog box opens. Once again, check whether you are going to "demolish" the program, then click on the "Next" button.

The program will automatically scan the hard disk and the registry, searching for any remaining traces from the application. Important! When you start scanning, it is best to choose the "average" method of investigation, because with the advanced method the utility can completely remove something important.

By the way, who most often faces the problem "I can not go to Skype"? The answer is simple. Users who like to "delete" programs, simply erasing their folders from the hard drive. In this case, to hope for adequate behavior of the system and programs is simply silly, as in the registry and on the hard disk there remains a huge number of erroneous records and scraps of system libraries that interfere with the start of Skype.

Tips from Microsoft

If you tried all of the above methods, but there is no effect, you can use the instruction from the manufacturer. When I can not get into Skype, the application icon constantly hangs in the tray, but the main working window does not start. If you observe something similar in your case, right-click the application icon, then select "Exit" in the pop-up menu that appears.

Then you need to click on the "Start" button, find the "Run" field, and then enter the following command:% APPDATA% \ Skype. After that, you can press the Enter button. A folder with files will open, among which you will need to find the shared.xml document. It contains all the parameters that affect the launch of the application. Remove it. Since the program can not find the previously configured settings, it starts with the default settings.

If you can not find the hidden file

Many people can not get into Skype simply because they simply do not see the above file. This is due to the fact that under normal conditions it is hidden, and therefore users are not visible.

How can you find it in this case? Nothing is easier! In this case, you need to enable the display of hidden files. To do this, click on the "Start" button, select "Control Panel" there. Carefully look at the list that opens before you, then click the "Folder Options" link with the left mouse button. In the dialog box that opens, click on the "View" tab, and then check the "Show hidden files, folders and drives" option. You can click on "OK". Everything, nothing more to do.

After this, you can repeat the entire procedure described above. We erase it from the hard drive safely, after which we again try to enter Skype. Alas, but even after that, often there are outraged exclamations: "I can not go to Skype" !!! "What to do in this case?

Advice from experienced users

As is known, many solutions to even complex problems are sometimes sought spontaneously, empirically. Is not an exception, and the case when a certain user, tormented by the thoughts of the kind: "Why can not I go to Skype?" - I tried all conceivable and unthinkable methods of solving this problem.

Strangely enough, but the appropriate solution was to create a new user account in Windows. Important! Experienced it was found that it is best to do a new "Guest". Strangely enough, but often under a new account, Skype is starting to work exemplary. Users say that this policy is most effective in the case of Windows XP.

The author of the article agrees with the last statement. Exactly the same method at one time managed to launch the game Half-Life in those old days when the discs were exclusively pirated.

Experience all the benefits of mobility!

If you are still using Windows XP, Skype may not start because of incompatibility with some old versions of the libraries in this system. The only working solution in this case may be to use a portable version of the program. Do not think that you can only run it from a flash drive: portable programs start perfectly and from directories on your hard drive.

By the way. If after a virus attack in the system there was no important library kernel32.dll, in another way you can not launch Skype. Most of all its working modules will not work, and therefore you will not be able to communicate with friends exactly.

Damage to program files

Very often, problems begin after the upgrade of Skype. "I can not go into it," users write. In this case, the errors are due to the fact that a "crooked" steady update was blocked by some module of the program. Most often, this is allowed only after reinstalling the application, but sometimes you manage to get by with "little blood".

Go to this address: "C: \ Documents and Settings \ Your account name in Windows \ Application Data \ Skype \ your Skype account name". Delete the directory that is located at the end of this path. It contains the main parameters governing the launch of the program. As a rule, after this, the application manages to start normally.

But we would still advise you to roll back to the old version (if you have an installation kit) or try reinstalling the utility. So it is safer, and problems with unexpected errors of the application are guaranteed to be avoided.

Viruses or Trojans?

Many users, who had the patience to finish reading the article before this title, probably wilted annoyingly. Indeed, recently it has become fashionable to get rid of all the problems with programs on the machinations of malicious viruses, even if they have absolutely nothing to do with it.

But to underestimate the likelihood of infection of the computer is also not worth it. Check the system with a normal anti-virus scanner, running it from a flash drive or CD. Harm from this will not be exact, and the security of your data you will provide.

Themselves antivirus programs

Because of what else can such complaints of users appear: "I can not go to Skype"? The error of data transfer is relatively often due to the fault of the antivirus and firewalls themselves, which simply block access to the Internet. Very often this happens after the program is updated, after which its main files change. The anti-virus can decide that the utility has been injected with malicious code, blocking it in "preventive purposes".

In this case, you should add the application executable file to the exceptions. Since there are hundreds of anti-virus applications to date, it will not be possible to describe this in detail. You yourself have to look for instructions on the website of the software manufacturer. The same goes for the firewall. Very often, selective opening of ports used by Skype for data transmission helps. First open port 8080.

Even after this, a user may object: "I can not go to Skype!" The blue screen is the only evidence that the program is running at all! "Well, we'll have to look for alternative solutions to problems.

A bit about the platitudes

So we have analyzed the most fundamental reasons for Skype's incorrect behavior . But as practice shows, the application often does not work because of the most usual human carelessness. What do you think, because of what users write: "I can not go to Skype"? Unable to establish a connection - this is the first reason you can not talk to your friends!

In 80% of cases it is caused by either problems with your Internet provider, or by problems with the router (if you use it). It happens that users banally forget to check the status of the network cable, which children or pets like to pull out so much.

Now you know why I can not get into Skype.