Skype has released a new version of its Windows software to fix the problem that has been preventing some users from logging in and making calls since yesterday, and plans to issue a similar update to Mac users later today, the company said.
Skype, which is in the process of being sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion, previously gave users instructions on how to fix the problem, which involved deleting a "shared.xml" file.
More on Skype: Microsoft not to blame for Skype rejecting open source company
"We issued some instructions which would allow you to get back online, but understand that they're fairly technical, and have been working hard to produce a version of Skype for Windows that fixes this problem automatically," Skype said in a system status update late yesterday. "If you're using Skype for Windows, and have experienced problems logging in, please update Skype to the latest version now. We plan to release an update to Skype for Mac tomorrow [Friday]."
Linux users still have to fix the problem manually, but I think Linux users are smart enough to handle it.
Still unknown is what caused the Skype outage. Skype said it affected only a small percentage of users, but hasn't explained the cause. Skype has at least updated its status page to reflect the outage, however. Even after issuing yesterday's fix instructions, the status page had claimed for a while that sign in and registration were "all working normally."