[tip] How to disable and then uninstall windows messenger

Hello!
I have probably reinstalled my operating system (windows xp from a restore cd) more than once and I usually get stuck with software other apps that comes with the operating system that I don't need, like windows messenger for example. Can't stand it! I don't like the messenger spam that I get with it because it feels like someone is looking into the inside of my computer so I found out two ways to rid myself of it. First I disabled it (I know you can do it via the control panel) by using a piece of software that I found by mistake from the Steve Gibson website:

http://www.grc.com/files/shootthemessenger.exe

You can use this nifty little app if you're lazy like me and don't feel like opening up the control panel to do it (or if you are a new user who doesn't know much about the control panel)
The info about that comes from this site here if you feel like reading more about it
http://www.grc.com/freepopular.htm

But if you're like me and you still don't like windows messenger lurking around (disabled or not) on your computer you can uninstall it by:

1. Click Start > Run and in the Open: box type the following command
2. RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
3. click okay or press enter when done
4. ta-da!!! no more messenger spam windows until the next time you reinstall your os
However:


Note: If you have Windows XP Service Pack 1 installed, you'll receive this error message:


Just click okay windows messenger will be nipped in the bud

Here is where I got the info about uninstalling messenger

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/tune-05.html

This is my first time in this forum or any forum and I'm not an expert but I would like to share some tweaks that I have discovered to someone who could use them

Hey just a little 'fyi' plz plz plz put the tags on the post they look like this [tip] or [tweak]

you can also go into msconfig to disable it from start up, but still have it on your system with out taking up cpu processing speed/time

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Goober Hey just a little 'fyi' plz plz plz put the tags on the post they look like this [tip] or [tweak]

I've done that one too (I think that was the very first thing I did when two years ago when I realized that I was getting spam from WINDOWS MESSENGER...thanks for reminding me about that one) but I also recommended uninstalling it for unfornuates like me with limited hard drive space that way you gain a little bit of space)

Hi, good tip for people that don't have SP1. Though this can be removed easily with SP1 and 2. If you want an easier way to remove WinMSN, try this:

1. Start | Run | RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
2. Start | Run | Regedit| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express
3. New DWORD: Hide Messenger | Value set to 2

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