messenger service pop ups

  • Thread starter Thread starter al
  • Start date Start date
A

al

I keep recieving pop ups on my computer that have Messenger
servie across the top, they arrive with out warning and are
a pain. I can come pack to my computer after a few hour and
have nothing but pop up advertisments on my screen I can
find no way to stop or turn them off could please inform me
how to turn this feature off or how to block them. if this
is not a microsoft feature then micro soft need to address
it. is there anyone out there that can help

thanks in advance
 
[This followup was posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics and a
copy was sent to the cited author.]

I keep recieving pop ups on my computer that have Messenger
servie across the top, they arrive with out warning and are
a pain. I can come pack to my computer after a few hour and
have nothing but pop up advertisments on my screen I can
find no way to stop or turn them off could please inform me
how to turn this feature off or how to block them. if this
is not a microsoft feature then micro soft need to address
it. is there anyone out there that can help

thanks in advance
Click to expand...
You can choose whether to disable messenger service or not, but this
only cures the symptoms, not the cause. The REAL solution to this is a
good firewall. The built-in XP firewall will do, but my advice is to get
a third-party one such as Zonealrm, Kerio etc.
 
Greetings --

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few
months, 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. Install and use a decent,
properly configured firewall. (Disabling the messenger service, as
some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does nothing to
secure your machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up with" these
messages and the problem they represent 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 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 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?

Equivalent Scenario 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts,
and sets off the smoke alarm. You, not immediately seeing any
fire/smoke, complain about the noise of the smoke detector, and are
advised to remove the smoke detector's battery and go back to sleep.

Equivalent Scenario 2: You over-exert your shoulder at work or
play, causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes
excruciating pain whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to
a doctor and say, while demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when
I do this." The doctor, being as helpful as some of your respondents,
replies, "Well, don't do that."

I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such
bad advice are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping
you secure your system, but would rather give you a false sense of
security while ensuring that your computer is still open to
exploitation.


Bruce Chambers

--
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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
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