Need help getting rid of popup called Messenger Service

[shaunus]

Does anyone know of this popup called messenger Service. It came
through as soon as i connected my modem and logged on and even when i
reformated the entire system and reinstalled just the barebones with an
internet connection it gets back through. It reads STO! WINDOWS
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Windows has found 55 Critical System
errors. To Fix the eroors do the following: 1. Download Registry
Update from www.regfixit.com 2. Install Registry update 3. Run
Registry 4. Reboot your computer. FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO
SYSTEM FAILURE !

How is this getting through onto my system I dont thinks its a virus.
Although it may lead to one, Im out of ideas please help !

Thanks


Shaunus

 

[DatabaseBen]

yeh,
there is no such pop up for a genuine messenger service.
you still have somekind of malware. For whatever reason,
pc's in the u.k. seem to be the most vulnerable. Must
be a server infection at the isp....

ultimately, you will need to run a system scan with
antiviruls. there are many, but stick with the ones
that users have had favorable experiences with.

my suggestion would be to download spyware terminator
with the clam av plugin. this can be used in addition
to msdefender.

also, i suggest you disable all startups in msconfig
and check the integrity of your firewall settings.

disable or delete any ports in the windows firewall (tab2),
ensure there is only one active connection (tab3)
and ensure there are "no" exceptions allowed (tab1).

diconnect from the net, reboot and run
your antiviruls above.....

 

[DatabaseBen]

life imitates art, so its said.

http://tech.msn.com/downloads/article.aspx?cp-documentid=812142

i have no doubt your famaliar with the analogy used in the above.....

 

[bud]

Does anyone know of this popup called messenger Service. It came
through as soon as i connected my modem and logged on and even when i
reformated the entire system and reinstalled just the barebones with an
internet connection it gets back through. It reads STO! WINDOWS
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Windows has found 55 Critical System
errors. To Fix the eroors do the following: 1. Download Registry
Update from www.regfixit.com 2. Install Registry update 3. Run
Registry 4. Reboot your computer. FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO
SYSTEM FAILURE !

How is this getting through onto my system I dont thinks its a virus.
Although it may lead to one, Im out of ideas please help !

Thanks


Shaunus

Use this little applet,
http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm

 

[DatabaseBen]

sorry, for not
being the original poster responding.

but i visited that website you provided
and frankly, i wouldn't touch it with
a ten foot pole beyond the url....

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Does anyone know of this popup called messenger Service. It came
through as soon as i connected my modem and logged on and even when i
reformated the entire system and reinstalled just the barebones with an
internet connection it gets back through. It reads STO! WINDOWS
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Windows has found 55 Critical System
errors. To Fix the eroors do the following: 1. Download Registry
Update from www.regfixit.com 2. Install Registry update 3. Run
Registry 4. Reboot your computer. FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO
SYSTEM FAILURE !

How is this getting through onto my system I dont thinks its a virus.
Although it may lead to one, Im out of ideas please help !

Thanks


Shaunus

If it's actually coming through the Windows Messenger service, you just turn
that service off to block these. You can be done in moments.

http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330904

===
WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, turn off the Messenger service. To do this,
follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel (or point
to Settings, and then click Control Panel).
2. Double-click Administrative Tools.
3. Double-click Services.
4. Double-click Messenger.
5. In the Startup type list, click Disabled.
6. Click Stop, and then click OK.

===

This service is turned OFF by default in XP SP2. Note that this messenger
service is not MS Messenger or MSN Messenger.

This is *not* a virus, it is a misuse of a legitimate Windows service.
However, as that service is intended for use by network administrators, it
just isn't needed by most people.

HTH
-pk

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Does anyone know of this popup called messenger Service. It came
through as soon as i connected my modem and logged on and even when i
reformated the entire system and reinstalled just the barebones with
an internet connection it gets back through. It reads STO! WINDOWS
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Windows has found 55 Critical System
errors. To Fix the eroors do the following: 1. Download Registry
Update from www.regfixit.com 2. Install Registry update 3. Run
Registry 4. Reboot your computer. FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO
SYSTEM FAILURE !

How is this getting through onto my system I dont thinks its a virus.
Although it may lead to one, Im out of ideas please help !

Note several things:

1. The popup is not Messenger Service itself. Messenger Service is a
legitimate component of Windows. However the Spyware on your system is
making use of Messenger Service to pop itself up.

2. Some people will undoubtedly tell you that you should get rid of
Messenger Service, and will tell you how to do so. That's bad advice, in my
view. Don't blame the legitimate vehicle the malware is using, blame the
malware itself. In fact, in this case, Messenger Service is providing a
valuable function--alerting you that the malware is present. If you turned
it off, you woul no longer see the popup, but you also wouldn't know you had
the malware.

3. Ignore,of course, the dire warnings from the malware-- " FAILURE TO ACT
NOW MAY LEAD TO SYSTEM FAILURE !"-- and do *not* do as it wants you to.

4. Go to Malke's Malware Removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and follow
the instructions there.

5. Make sure that you do not get infected with malware like this in the
future by always running with a firewall. The built-in Windows firewall is
OK, but almost any third-party choice is better.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Does anyone know of this popup called messenger Service. It came
through as soon as i connected my modem and logged on and even when i
reformated the entire system and reinstalled just the barebones with an
internet connection it gets back through. It reads STO! WINDOWS
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Windows has found 55 Critical System
errors. To Fix the eroors do the following: 1. Download Registry
Update from www.regfixit.com 2. Install Registry update 3. Run
Registry 4. Reboot your computer. FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO
SYSTEM FAILURE !

How is this getting through onto my system I dont thinks its a virus.
Although it may lead to one, Im out of ideas please help !

Thanks


Shaunus

Install and enable a firewall.

It's a scam, plain and simple. It's from a very unscrupulous
"business." They're trying to sell you patches that Microsoft provides
free-of-charge, and using a very intrusive means of advertising. It's
also demonstrating that your PC is very unsecure.

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few years,
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 most
definitely open to other threats, such as the Blaster, Welchia, and
Sasser Worms that still haunt 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 little or
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

Whichever firewall you decide upon, be sure to ensure UDP ports 135,
137, and 138 and TCP ports 135, 139, and 445 are all blocked. You may
also disable Inbound NetBIOS over TCP/IP). You'll have to follow the
instructions from firewall's manufacturer for the specific steps.

You can test your firewall at:

Symantec Security Check
http://security.symantec.com/ssc/vr_main.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym&plfid=23&pkj=GPVHGBYNCJEIMXQKCDT

Security Scan - Sygate Online Services
http://www.sygatetech.com/

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?

There are several essential components to computer security: a
knowledgeable and pro-active user, a properly configured firewall,
reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, and the prompt repair (via
patches, hotfixes, or service packs) of any known vulnerabilities.

The weakest link in this "equation" is, of course, the computer
user. No software manufacturer can -- nor should they be expected
to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. All too many people
have bought into the various PC/software manufacturers marketing
claims of easy computing. They believe that their computer should be
no harder to use than a toaster oven; they have neither the
inclination or desire to learn how to safely use their computer. All
too few people keep their antivirus software current, install patches
in a timely manner, or stop to really think about that cutesy link
they're about to click.

Firewalls and anti-virus applications, which should always be used
and should always be running, are important components of "safe hex,"
but they cannot, and should not be expected to, protect the computer
user from him/herself. Ultimately, it is incumbent upon each and
every computer user to learn how to secure his/her own computer.

To learn more about practicing "safe hex," start with these links:

Protect Your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp

Home Computer Security
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/

List of Antivirus Software Vendors
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;49500

Home PC Firewall Guide
http://www.firewallguide.com/

Scumware.com
http://www.scumware.com/




--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Use this little applet,
http://harmful link snipped....

I realize that you're trying to help, and that such an intent is
commendable, but please don't post potentially harmful advice.

Merely disabling the messenger service, as Gibson's utility does,
is a dangerous "head in the sand" approach to computer security that
leaves the PC vulnerable to threats such as the W32.Blaster,
W32.Welchia, and W32,Sasser worms.

The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups; they're
actually providing a useful, if unintentional, service by acting as a
security alert. The true problem is the unsecured computer, and your
only advice, however well-intended, was to turn off the warnings. Was
this truly helpful?

Equivalent Scenario: 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 you've been, replies, "Well, don't do that."

The only true way to secure the PC, short of disconnecting it from
the Internet, is to install and *properly* configure a firewall; just
installing one and letting it's default settings handle things is no
good. Unfortunately, this does require one to learn a little bit more
about using a computer than used to be necessary.

Gibson is a very poor source for computer security advice. Gibson
has been fooling a lot of people for several years, now, so don't feel
too bad about having believed him. He mixes just enough facts in with
his hysteria and hyperbole to be plausible. Despicably, Gibson is
assuming a presumably morally superior pose as a White Knight out to
rescue the poor, defenseless computer user, all the while offering
solutions that do no good whatsoever.

Perhaps you should read what real computer security specialists
have to say about Steve Gibson's "security" expertise. You can start here:
http://www.grcsucks.com/


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Guest]

Oh Sugar! Yes, I have the same problem with these popup ads trying to sell me
Win antivirus-- buy now-- Run scan --that will NOT close and has hijacked my
system Iwill do the fire wall, like you suggested as well, but adware does
not stop any of the pop up ads nor does my popup blocker and the X box is
always to the far- far left so you have to move all these ads over to even
try to close them . Please help Me , Sharon

PS ) please don't get in these obscure arguments and lose track of our
current problem....All attempts to locate and repair this have failed...
soon I will be overrun ...Okay, a bit dramatic but you get the point.

 

[LS \(V\)]

You may be the victim of the virus loaded as "Win-Anti-Virus Pro2006"
Search www.google.com for information on this critter.