"Steve T" said:
There is a way to disable this feature but you must have
administrative priviledges on your PC.
To prevent these popups you need to disable a service
called "messenger" (which has nothing to do with windows
messenger)
Really, this is a bad idea. Didn't you learn anything from the Blaster
worm? These messenger popups are telling you something very interesting
that isn't in the message - they are screaming "your network allows
unauthorised packets into your machine".
Are you running an Internet server? No? Then you don't need incoming
network connections. Don't disable the messenger, disable the nasty data -
you do this by installing a firewall. You can either get a dedicated box
(mucho dinero), or use material you already have. If you're connected
through a "DSL / Cable Router", you can almost certainly configure that to
disallow incoming connection requests (see your manual or the product
manufacturer's web site for further details) - if not, then you'll want to
do this in Windows.
Windows XP comes with a handy dandy firewall that can easily block these
unwanted intrusions into your day. Just turn it on - it's really simple.
Here's an easy-peasy explanation, with sub-pictures for the hard of reading:
<
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.
asp>
By disabling the Messenger Service, you would stop the popup messages, but
not the inflow of malicious packets. By enabling the firewall, you stop the
inflow of malicious packets (and thus the popup messages stop without you
having to disable a service that you may find useful later).
By enabling the firewall, you also stop most attacks like the recent Blaster
worm, because they, too, rely on malicious packets making it into your
system. It's no substitute for staying patched (because your deviant uncle
may give you a CD of his latest piece of piracy, with viruses attached), but
it curbs/slows most incursions.
Alun.
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