|
|||||||||||||
Previous Page | |||||||||||||
|
The Definitive Guide to Disabling/Removing MessengerMicrosoft has force fed a component named, alternately, "Windows Messenger," "MSN Messenger," or ".NET Messenger" to Windows users the world over. Further complicating this is the fact that there is also a service ( what's a service? ) in Windows NT, 2000 and XP named...you guessed it, Messenger. The messenger service should be disabled by default in Windows XP Service Pack 2, but even so that leaves many systems with this mostly useless service running. A few final notes before continuing on:Outlook XP and later will occasionally exhibit slow startup behaviour if Messenger is removed and the integration with Outlook has not been turned off. This can be turned off in Outlook by clicking on Tools - Options and then clicking on the Other tab. Clear the checkbox next to "Enable Instant Messaging in Microsoft Outlook". Internet Explorer will also call up Messenger when you visit the Hotmail website, and you cannot exit Messenger once it has been started until you close all instances of Internet Explorer that may be running. Disabling the Instant Messenger ClientMethod #1: Disable The Instant Messenger Client With a Group PolicyThis method will ONLY work with Windows XP Pro, as Home does not provide the Group Policy Editor!
Method #2: Remove The Instant Messenger Client Using Windows' Add/Remove FeatureWindows XP Home and Pro Only. The Instant Messenger client does not appear in the list of Windows components, and this trick will make it show up for easy removal.
Method #3: Completely Remove The Instant Messenger Client With a Run CommandThis will completely remove Messenger from any version of Windows. On other versions of Windows, however, there will be an entry in the Add/Remove section of the Control Panel, so this is usually unnecessary. Also, the only way to get it back after this process is to download and reinstall it!
You will see two dialog boxes during this process. The first confirms that you wish to remove Messenger:
And then a second dialog appears when all is complete, alerting you to the fact that the little bugger is gone from your system: Disable the Windows Messenger serviceThis applies to Windows NT, 2000, and XP (Pro and Home). This is not the instant messaging client !
Windows NT users should note that the Services applet looks completely different than it appears in Windows 2000 and XP, but the steps are nearly identical. If you are concerned that stopping the messenger service will cause problems, take heart. It is rarely used for benign purposes, and if you are logging into a corporate domain, the corporate policy will override whatever change you make here. | ||||||||||||
|