Is it possible to instant message, using an MSN account (not just some random chatroom...) kind of like X-Fire does? (X-Fire is just chat, no instant message integration)

I have a completely full SCREEN based game, and once it makes the DirectX full screen call, theres no turning back. If you click off the screen, or press the Windows key or minimize, it mimizes, and you have to wait for it to re-render everything again.

Game in SPECIFIC: The Sims 2 (SEASONS and Pets)
OS: Windows Vista (SP1)
Plenty of RAM (2GB)
CPU isnt usually overloaded while playing the game, only while loading it.
What I usually do is run the game in windowed mode instead of full mode and it often resolves all video / performance issues when you WANT to switch from game to IM.

I did a quick search for running SIMS2 not full screen and came up with the following:

Quote

"The Sims 2" and expansion packs can be played in a window instead of full screen. To play in windowed mode, right click on the shortcut on your desktop, choose properties, and add -w to the shortcut.