I still have the old Windows Live Messenger.  I never upgraded to Windows Essentials.  If we are being forced to have Skype, then how come Windows Live Messenger still allows me to sign in even though my email account now says Outlook instead of Hotmail?   I have no need for IM, text messages, contacts, photo gallery, video, games, emoticons, or any social media such as Facebook.  I don't even have a cell phone.  That's all I want is to be able to send/receive a plain old fashioned email.  Therefore, can I keep the plain old Windows Live Messenger by not manually upgrading to Skype, or will it eventually automatically upgrade to Skype the same way Hotmail automatically became Outlook?  Please help - I'm 68 years old, so I'm not part of the computer generation.  I never understood why I needed the old Windows Live Messenger to begin with - why being connected to the internet and having a my.msn.com homepage wasn't enough in order for me to go to other websites.

Heather,