diff -ur work/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.c work-fixed/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.c
--- work/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.c	2003-08-27 21:18:49.000000000 -0400
+++ work-fixed/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.c	2003-09-21 22:06:29.826719936 -0400
@@ -934,10 +936,9 @@
 	gaim_conversation_autoset_title(conv);
 
 	/*
-	 * Create a window if one does not exist. If it does, use the last
-	 * created window.
+	 * Create a new window if conversation tabbing is disabled
 	 */
-	if (windows == NULL) {
+	if (windows == NULL || ! gaim_prefs_get_bool("/gaim/gtk/conversations/tabs")) {
 		GaimWindow *win;
 
 		win = gaim_window_new();
@@ -2786,3 +2787,54 @@
 {
 	gaim_signals_unregister_by_instance(gaim_conversations_get_handle());
 }
+
+void gaim_tabstyle_update()
+{
+	GaimWindow * win = NULL;
+	
+	if(windows == NULL)
+		return;
+		
+	if(gaim_prefs_get_bool("/gaim/gtk/conversations/tabs"))
+	{
+		GaimWindow * win_iter = NULL;
+		/* consolidate all the windows into one */
+		win = (GaimWindow *)windows->data;
+		while(windows->next != NULL)
+		{
+			win_iter = (GaimWindow *) windows->next->data;
+			while(windows->next != NULL && windows->next->data == win_iter)
+			{
+				/* removing the last conversation takes care of destroying/removing 
+				   the window */
+				GaimConversation * conv = gaim_window_remove_conversation(win_iter, 0);
+				gaim_window_add_conversation(win, conv);
+			}
+		}
+		update_conv_indexes(win);
+		gaim_window_show(win);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		GList * check = windows;
+		/* expand all tabbed windows.  There should be only one (if any),
+		   but we might as well handle the case that this isn't true. */
+		/* note here that since gaim_window_new appends the new window to
+		   the end of the windows GList, these windows will be checked as well.
+		   Of course, they will only have one conversation, so the loop will not
+		   get executed, but rather only update_conv_indexes and gaim_window_show */
+		while(check != NULL)
+		{
+			win = (GaimWindow *) check->data;
+			while(gaim_window_get_conversation_count(win) > 1)
+			{
+				GaimWindow * t_win = gaim_window_new();
+				gaim_window_add_conversation(t_win, gaim_window_remove_conversation(win, 1));
+			}
+			update_conv_indexes(win);
+			gaim_window_show(win);
+
+			check = check->next;
+		}
+	}
+}
diff -ur work/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.h work-fixed/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.h
--- work/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.h	2003-08-25 10:12:25.000000000 -0400
+++ work-fixed/gaim-0.68/src/conversation.h	2003-09-21 19:49:30.000000000 -0400
@@ -1250,6 +1250,11 @@
  */
 void gaim_conversations_uninit(void);
 
+/**
+ * Changes to and from tabbed and untabbed chatting
+ */
+void gaim_tabstyle_update(void);
+
 /*@}*/
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
diff -ur work/gaim-0.68/src/gtkprefs.c work-fixed/gaim-0.68/src/gtkprefs.c
--- work/gaim-0.68/src/gtkprefs.c	2003-08-25 11:42:38.000000000 -0400
+++ work-fixed/gaim-0.68/src/gtkprefs.c	2003-09-21 19:49:58.000000000 -0400
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@
 /* XXX for grab_url */
 #include "gaim.h"
 
+/* for gaim_tabstyle_update() */
+#include "conversation.h"
+
 #define PROXYHOST 0
 #define PROXYPORT 1
 #define PROXYUSER 2
@@ -2445,6 +2448,8 @@
 	button = gtk_button_new_from_stock (GTK_STOCK_CLOSE);
 	gtk_size_group_add_widget(sg, button);
 	g_signal_connect_swapped(G_OBJECT(button), "clicked",
+							 G_CALLBACK(gaim_tabstyle_update), prefs);
+	g_signal_connect_swapped(G_OBJECT(button), "clicked",
 							 G_CALLBACK(gtk_widget_destroy), prefs);
 	gtk_box_pack_end(GTK_BOX(hbox), button, FALSE, FALSE, 0);
 	gtk_widget_show(button);