Leave the "Yahoo! Messenger has stopped working" window up; if you dismiss this window, the process will go away.

The first step to resolve Yahoo! Messenger crashes on Windows XP is to uninstall runtime components:

Links to procedures to help resolve issues with Yahoo! Messenger crashing or freezing, including the error messages:

Messenger for webcam conversations and calls is fun and exciting. Of course, you need a functioning webcam to do this! This video helps you identify and solve any issues you might be having. What to Do If...

Select Messenger Select My Webcam Select Messenger

This article will provide steps to troubleshoot the following issues: Yahoo! Messenger crashing or freezing on Windows 7

This article will provide steps to troubleshoot the following issues: Yahoo! Messenger crashing on Windows Vista

If another program has crashed for some reason, it might not have released your webcam successfully. Try closing all programs and restarting your computer.

option is selected. Go down to the Contact Action Bar | verify whether the Show Offline Contacts

Try closing all applications that are currently running. Other applications may have crashed or exited without releasing your camera.