Disk I/O error when I try to sign in to Skype?

Sometimes you may see a "Disk I/O error" when attempting to sign in to Skype.

To resolve this problem, please make sure that you are using the latest version of Skype.

However, if the same error happens again, follow these steps:

1. Quit Skype. If you can see the Skype icon in the taskbar (at the bottom right of your screen), right-click it and select Quit. If you cannot see the Skype icon, use Task Manager to close Skype: press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and click Start Task Manager. In the Applications tab, select Skype and click End Task.

2. Make sure that you can see hidden files.

   On Windows XP:

   1. In Windows Explorer, go to Tools > Folder Options.
   2. Click the View tab.
   3. Under Hidden files and folders, tick Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.

   On Windows Vista / Windows 7/ Windows Server versions:

   1. Click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Folder Options.
   2. Click the View tab.
   3. Under Advanced settings, tick Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.

3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the following folder:

   On Windows XP:

   • C:\Documents and Settings\\ApplicationData\Skype

   WindowsVista / Windows 7/ Windows Server versions::

   • C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Skype

   Where is your Windows user name.

4. Locate the folder with the same name as your Skype Name and delete it.

   This will delete your chat history. To save your chat history, copy the file main.db and the “chatsync” folder to another location. You will be able to transfer them back (described in step 6, below). Please note that we cannot guarantee your entire chat history will be restored.

5. Restart Skype and sign in with your Skype Name and password. If you forget your password,these instructions tell you what to do.
6. The folder you have deleted will be recreated. If you saved your chat history files (described in step 4, above) transfer them back into the folder with the same name as your Skype name.