Need registry hack to disable MS Messenger for good!

[ScrewFace]

Hello. I want to eliminate those annoying ads that pot thru even when you're not browing the net! Right in the middle of Quake a pop-up pops-up so to speak and ruins my game. I had a book that had all kinds of useful registry hacks but, alas, I can't find it. Please give me the registry hack to disable MS Messenger for good! Thanks.:beer:

 

[fredtam]

Why don't you just disable it.

Edit: wasn't thinking and gave wrong instructions. Thanks bacillus for pointing it out.

 

[bacillus]

I think perhaps its the messenger service that you want to disable under services rather than MS messenger!

 

[SpeedFreak03]

Not to be a smartass, but disabling the service is only a bandaid for the real issue, which is that you have ports open to the "world". I assume you run windows xp. I would enable XP's firewall to make sure that you aren't having any security issues.

 

[Shamrock]

Start>Settings>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs>

Off to the left is an option to completely uninstall windows components....just uncheck the MSN messenger and you're done. That is if you want to uninstall it...I did, and even deleted the directory with the files it left behind

 

[NesuD]

Originally posted by: SpeedFreak03
Not to be a smartass, but disabling the service is only a bandaid for the real issue, which is that you have ports open to the "world". I assume you run windows xp. I would enable XP's firewall to make sure that you aren't having any security issues.

last i saw the firewall wouldn't block those. router does a very nice job of blocking them though. I disagree on the bandaid description. It only happens because winxp by default enables the messenger service which in the vast majority of home systems is basically useless. Most people have never heard of sending a net send message over a network. the only hole is the service waiting to recieve the message that is what allows it in not an open port.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: NesuD

Originally posted by: SpeedFreak03
Not to be a smartass, but disabling the service is only a bandaid for the real issue, which is that you have ports open to the "world". I assume you run windows xp. I would enable XP's firewall to make sure that you aren't having any security issues.

last i saw the firewall wouldn't block those. router does a very nice job of blocking them though. I disagree on the bandaid description. It only happens because winxp by default enables the messenger service which in the vast majority of home systems is basically useless. Most people have never heard of sending a net send message over a network. the only hole is the service waiting to recieve the message that is what allows it in not an open port.

It's a bandaid, the recent worms provided that. These people have no business running open ports on the net (their isp's should be blocking them by default anyway, but thats a different argument)

Bill

 

[batmang]

msconfig in the run
disable it in their... takes 30 seconds.

 

[leolaw]

Originally posted by: Shamrock
Start>Settings>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs>

Off to the left is an option to completely uninstall windows components....just uncheck the MSN messenger and you're done. That is if you want to uninstall it...I did, and even deleted the directory with the files it left behind

I assumed that he is actually talking about the Windows Messager, not the MSN messanger

 

[Mitzi]

ScrewFace, there is the MS Messenger Service and MSN Messenger, the IM client. The pop-ups you are prolly getting could come from either...suggestions...

First, block the port the MS Messenger service uses (can't remember what it is off the top of my head...anyone??) using a software firewall or at your hardware router.

Secondly, if you don't use MSN Messenger get rid of it... See here!.

Done.

 

[crisp82]

Its a DOS service that you want to disable that runs automatically, allowing pop-ups etc. It is the Messenger service, not MSN. Start > Run > Services.msc. Disable the messenger service. Get Zone Alarm and enable the XP Firewall.

This should fix it for ya

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: crisp82
Its a DOS service that you want to disable that runs automatically, allowing pop-ups etc. It is the Messenger service, not MSN. Start > Run > Services.msc. Disable the messenger service. Get Zone Alarm and enable the XP Firewall. This should fix it for ya

There is no such thing as a 'DOS' service. I think you simply meant to say a windows service?
Bill

 

[Boonesmi]

Click Start > Run and in the Open: box type the following command (press OK when done):
copy/paste the command on the line below

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove





the nice thing about this method is that it doesnt affect outlook express or anything else, it just gets rid of messenger

**edit** by the way ive used this method multiple times on multiple computers for multiple people. its never caused any kinds of system problems or unwanted side effects... and if afterward you want messenger you can aways reinstall it (and the nice thing about that is once you reinstall it, it acts like any other messenger program. it isnt integrated into the OS like it is default)

 

[stash]

^^^

That is not what the original poster was asking for. That is Windows Messenger, not the messenger service.

 

[Peabody]

Is this link what you are looking for?

 

[yukichigai]

I recently found where Windows Messenger hides to start up automatically in XP: the DCOM folder under Component Services. It's listed as "Messenger UI <something>";(can't remember, too lazy to look) you can modify the Launch Permissions under the Security tab to prevent System (WinXP) from starting it. It leaves the program there if you want to access it yourself but keeps it from automatically starting and logging on every time the computer starts up or you connect to the internet.

P.S. As for Messenger -- the one that does the popups -- it's located in Services under Administrative Tools, though I'm sure plenty of people have said that already.

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
I recently found where Windows Messenger hides to start up automatically in XP: the DCOM folder under Component Services. It's listed as "Messenger UI <something>";(can't remember, too lazy to look) you can modify the Launch Permissions under the Security tab to prevent System (WinXP) from starting it. It leaves the program there if you want to access it yourself but keeps it from automatically starting and logging on every time the computer starts up or you connect to the internet.

It's just a weeee bit easier to click Tools->Options->Preferences in Windows Messenger's main UI, and then uncheck RWWS, to do the exact same thing.

 

[crisp82]

Originally posted by: bsobel

Originally posted by: crisp82
Its a DOS service that you want to disable that runs automatically, allowing pop-ups etc. It is the Messenger service, not MSN. Start > Run > Services.msc. Disable the messenger service. Get Zone Alarm and enable the XP Firewall. This should fix it for ya

There is no such thing as a 'DOS' service. I think you simply meant to say a windows service?
Bill

meh!

 

[ScrewFace]

Thanks very much, guys. I disabled Windows Messenger like you said and now the annoying pop-ups are history! YeeHaw!!!:beer:

P.S. I'm givin' y'all a 10 if possible!

 

[Wiktor]

Don't know how the poster solved the problem but the proper way to stop Windows Messanger (including msmsgs.exe) is:

run regedit
go to Local Machine -> Software -> Policies -> Microsoft
create a new key named Messanger
go to that new key
create a new key named Client
go to that key, so now you are in Local Machine -> Software -> Policies -> Microsoft -> Messanger -> Client
create a new DWORD value PrevenRun
modify the value to 1 (PreventRun = 0x00000001)
quit the editor

That's it! (It is all described in an MS knowledge database article)

What's wrong with other methodes:

Uninstalling in the Add/Remove Windows components - doesn't uninstall Windows Messanger, doesn't stop msmsgs.exe from running, but no icon in the Start Menu. (only WindowsXP SP1)

Running the command RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove - no more Windows Messanger, but that can cause other trouble and is not recommended by MS.

Havn't tried the services.msc methode (but I think it's also good).

(Oh and I recently noticed that msmsgs.exe causes increased CPU usage every 2 minutes, on both of my pc's synchronized, which results in some seriouse lag on the gateway pc. That;s why I had to figure out how to disable it for good).

 

[DOSfan]

Of course, people could always go to Gibson Research Corperation.

Steve Gibson does a wonderful job of repairing these kinds of mistakes.

DCOMbobulator, and Shoot the Messenger are the relevent programs, but while you are there take a look at what else is available. I am fond of ShieldUp! myself. It proves that Zone Alarm is a damn good free firewall.

Hope this helps ya'll.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: bsobel

Originally posted by: NesuD

Originally posted by: SpeedFreak03
Not to be a smartass, but disabling the service is only a bandaid for the real issue, which is that you have ports open to the "world". I assume you run windows xp. I would enable XP's firewall to make sure that you aren't having any security issues.

last i saw the firewall wouldn't block those. router does a very nice job of blocking them though. I disagree on the bandaid description. It only happens because winxp by default enables the messenger service which in the vast majority of home systems is basically useless. Most people have never heard of sending a net send message over a network. the only hole is the service waiting to recieve the message that is what allows it in not an open port.

It's a bandaid, the recent worms provided that. These people have no business running open ports on the net (their isp's should be blocking them by default anyway, but thats a different argument)

Bill

how's that? I don't know. If there ISP blocked their ports, then my ports would get blocked too... And I don't like that one bit.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: drag


how's that? I don't know. If there ISP blocked their ports, then my ports would get blocked too... And I don't like that one bit.

Agreed, ISP's blocking ports amounts to a 21st century intrusion of freedom of speech IMO. (ok, might be stretching it a little bit) Who's to decide what's an evil packet and what's not? Just because people use it to spam and annoy you doesn't mean that I might not use it as a simple messaging app (shoot me if I ever do). Then they start blocking the Kazaa ports because some people use it to trade MP3's (or so I hear) although others use it to transfer large, legitimate files p2p (someone's gotta be doing it somewhere =]).

And I would definitely recommend a hardware filewall over WinXP's but you can configure it to block these messages.

Just to add yet another option for killing the messenger application, you can disable it via group policy.

 

[lucky9]

steve gibsons site has shoot the messenger, another usefull utility is xpdite, and another is unpnp. enjoy