Windows XP Messenger is generally not
required by the home user. It is intended primarily for use on a
network such that the
Network Administrator can send short messages to the users
online. It has been used, however, by outside sources which
result in unwanted popups. The normal home user can turn it off
by one of two ways. The first is probably the easiest. That
is to
download a small, free utility to turn it off.
To uninstall Windows Messenger, download the file
xp_messenger_remove.vbs to a location on your computer. When
it is done downloading, navigate to the location that you saved it to,
and double click on the file. You may be prompted that Messenger
must be closed to continue. When this is done, Messenger should
be removed.
If you don't care to download or want to disable it manually, the
following is the procedure for stopping the program.
1. Click Start->Control Panel
2. Click Performance and Maintenance
3. Click Administrative Tools
4. Double click Services
5. Scroll down and highlight "Messenger"
6. Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
7. Click the STOP button.
8. Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar
9. Click OK
This procedure will work for Windows XP or Windows 2000