windows messenger mayday [NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
My nephew was here last week and activated Windows Messenger.
Now whenever his pals log on to chat, I get windows popping up with all their silly messages. Tried to find it in Start>Add and Remove Programs but it is not listed there. Got frustrated and deleted anything that came up on the Search program under "Messenger" still no joy. I mean Really No Joy. As in how much "Yo, what's happening" "No much, you?" can one adult take?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
My nephew was here last week and activated Windows Messenger.
Now whenever his pals log on to chat, I get windows popping up with all their silly messages. Tried to find it in Start>Add and Remove Programs but it is not listed there. Got frustrated and deleted anything that came up on the Search program under "Messenger" still no joy. I mean Really No Joy. As in how much "Yo, what's happening" "No much, you?" can one adult take?
From the Messenger window: Tools Options General and unclick run Messenger on startup.

-Skip
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
My nephew was here last week and activated Windows Messenger.
Now whenever his pals log on to chat, I get windows popping up with all their silly messages. Tried to find it in Start>Add and Remove Programs but it is not listed there. Got frustrated and deleted anything that came up on the Search program under "Messenger" still no joy. I mean Really No Joy. As in how much "Yo, what's happening" "No much, you?" can one adult take?
control panel-add/remove programs - Windows messenger - remove program.
 
bbchien said:
control panel-add/remove programs - Windows messenger - remove program.

Nah. It ain't that easy. You don't REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want Microsoft in your life? It takes a registry edit.

You can ask it nicely to not run:
http://messenger.msn.com/Help/#LQ22

But to really kill it...
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_messenger.htm

Apple Quicktime is another hard to kill one, like Real anything. Quicktime is on my memory-challenged laptop and no matter how many times I disable "Quick start in the task bar" it comes back. I'll get it when I get a round tuit. Probably another reg edit.

IT'S MY COMPUTER, GUYS. I didn't think that MY meant it belonged to Bill Gates or such.
 
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Mike's right.... another non-optional "optional" componant...

(learned that the hard way long time ago when I took my desktop back...)
 
If you have XP Pro, its pretty easy - just use gpedit.msc

Funny how MS does not have that in XP Home.....

Evil, Evil, Evil.... mumbling, walks away....
 
i think it is logging in anytime someone im's him. Maybe I will login as a different new (unlikely) name and i wont get bothered anymore. None of the other things worked.
 
what you could do is block all his buddies - not hard - or - change your status to invisible to everyone. they would never know you are online.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
i think it is logging in anytime someone im's him. Maybe I will login as a different new (unlikely) name and i wont get bothered anymore. None of the other things worked.

nope - logs in automatically when you boot up, I bet. so the password is in the system. you could go down to the status bar on the lower right, find teh little green msn man, right click it, and exit it each time..

messenger is nice to have and many folks have it - just change your name.

or you could mess with them and pretend you are your nephew. "hey, I'll treat you to the new Batman flick" or whatever. ha! (will also mess with your nephew)
 
here's a new twist:

new laptop has the prior messenger on it. I immediately DL the new one. cannot find the old one to un-install it. like Dave says - add/remove doesn't show it.

I don't want two messengers on my computer, how to delete the old one? the same business as above? I don't want to delete both, just one.
 
woodstock said:
what you could do is block all his buddies - not hard - or - change your status to invisible to everyone. they would never know you are online.

hmmm think this will work ok, he still needs to use the service from his home.
Right now, when he logs in, I get a message saying Ive been dropped. (but I dont think I can use that to really fix the problems)
 
Dave,

If you're using a firewall like ZoneAlarm, you can go into the firewall and block access by MS Messenger to the internet. That will stop the buddies problem.

I've completely disabled it & removed it with the registry entry, and I block it at the firewall.

If you don't use it, don't leave the port open.
 
woodstock said:
here's a new twist:

new laptop has the prior messenger on it. I immediately DL the new one. cannot find the old one to un-install it. like Dave says - add/remove doesn't show it.

I don't want two messengers on my computer, how to delete the old one? the same business as above? I don't want to delete both, just one.

Prolly what happened is that the new version overlaid itself on top of the old one, as some of the files are bound to be the same. So there is nothing to delete.

This is a guess!

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
Prolly what happened is that the new version overlaid itself on top of the old one, as some of the files are bound to be the same. So there is nothing to delete.

This is a guess!

-Skip


I would have thought so? but every time I boot up it prompts me to download the new and improved MSN messenger. I always say no but it's annoying. maybe I should let it and it can clean out the cobwebs.
 
woodstock said:
I would have thought so? but every time I boot up it prompts me to download the new and improved MSN messenger. I always say no but it's annoying. maybe I should let it and it can clean out the cobwebs.

You'll probably want to do that, unless you're sure that the one you have is fully patched with all the updates.

Microsoft bugs.
 
Run this reg key - It should prevent messenger from running.

Just save it to your disk (desktop is easiest), rename it anything ending in ".reg" and then double click it. When it asks if you want to continue, say yes...

I had to rename it as POA does not allow .reg uploads apparently....

Scott
 
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My "Messenger" is installed under \program files\messenger. You could always rename the directory. That will stop it from starting at all. After you've rebooted, just delete it.
Another thing you can do is once messenger has started, click tools, options, preferences, and turn off automaticly start messenger at windows startup.
If you use messenger, one of the many options allow you to change the user you sign on as.
Good luck. Like most things on PCs, the software presumes it is the only thing the machine exists for.
 
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