disabling messenger

  • Thread starter Thread starter sickofmessenger
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sickofmessenger

gone for 2 days came back to over 300 pop-up ads. How do
I disable messenger?
 
sickofmessenger said:
Gone for 2 days came back to over 300 pop-up ads. How do
I disable messenger?
Click to expand...

If these are truly "Messenger" pop-ups, they can be banished by enabling
the XP
built-in firewall (which should be done anyway). See HELP & SUPPORT for
easy instructions. "Messenger" can then be made MANUAL, under START|
ALL|ADMINISTRATIVE|SERVICES. Double-click the item then click the
arrow to the right of the Startup box, to make that change.

If this is a program that has been inadvertently installed on your PC,
running ADAware may enable its removal. http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Read the instructions, download, install and run the program. The basic
utility is free.

If the pop-ups are site-related - the page that is being visited - then a
pop-up blocker may help. http://google.com Search for "ad blocker".
Or install and use a new-generation browser that has pop-up blocking,
such as NetScape "streamline Navigator only" from http://sillydog.org/narchive

It will selectively block pop-ups and images, and is much more customizable
than I.E. For more...
sis the newgroup.

Or visit http://mozilla.org for links to browsers using similar technology.
 
Greetings --

Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"

This type of spam has become quite common over the past year, and
unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It demonstrates
that you haven't been taking sufficient precautions while connected to
the Internet. Your data probably hasn't been compromised by these
specific advertisements, but if you're open to this exploit, you may
well be open to other threats, such as the Blaster Worm that recently
swept cross the Internet. Install and use a decent, properly
configured firewall. (Merely disabling the messenger service, as some
people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does almost nothing to
truly secure your machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up with"
the security gap represented by these messages is particularly
foolish.

Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise you to do nothing
more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger
service, by itself, is a "head in the sand" approach to computer
security. The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups;
they're actually providing a useful, if annoying, service by acting as
a security alert. The true problem is the unsecured computer, and
you've been advised to merely turn off the warnings. How is this
helpful?


Bruce Chambers

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