How-to: Get Skype working again [updated]

Tweets from Skype users around the world say they are still experiencing sign-in problems this morning, especially those who use Skype on computers that run Windows. Skype seems to have found a fix for the problem and has posted some instructions to help users sign-in on its blog. I was able to log into my own account on both my Android phone and my laptop to make VoIP calls just moments ago so either I was never affected or the outage is really over. Follow these instructions from Skype to see if they can get you back online (also copied below). Let us know in the comments whether Skype is working for you.

[Update] Some users still cannot log into Skype today despite following the instructions below. Skype has just released an update for Windows users, which you can download here.

The Mac update will be available tomorrow (May 27); users are asked to follow Skype on Twitter and Facebook for updates on the upcoming fix.

No new solutions are available for Linux users at the moment. The instructions for a manual update (as outlined below) should do the trick for you, according to Skype.

Instructions from Skype to fix sign-in problems:

Windows

1. Click Start, type run and press Enter. (On Windows XP: Click Start and then Run.)
2. Type the following and click OK.
%appdata%\skype
3. Locate and delete the file shared.xml.
4. If you cannot find this file:
   1. Click Start, type run and press Enter. (On Windows XP: Click Start and then Run.)
   2. Type the following and click OK.
   control folders
   3. In the View tab, ensure that Show hidden files and folders is enabled.
   4. Repeat steps 1-3.

5. Restart Skype.

Mac

1. Open Finder and locate the following folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Skype
2. Delete the file shared.xml.
3. Restart Skype.

Please note that the ~ sign means your home folder. You can find your home folder by opening Finder and selecting Go > Home from the menu bar or pressing Command (Apple), Shift and H keys at the same time.

Linux

1. Go to the following folder:
/home/YourLinuxUserName/.Skype
2. Delete the file shared.xml.
3. Restart Skype.

Remember: The Skype folder is a hidden folder - please check Show hidden files in your file browser to view and access it.