VPN causes MSNMSGR & MSMSGS to fight for control

[Scott McNair]

I've got MSN Messenger 6.1 installed on my home machine, and Windows
Messenger loads on its own (even though I supposedly uninstalled it thru
Add/Remove Programs). I've got a VPN connection that keeps my home machine
attached to my work network, and I've got the VPN set to auto-reconnect on
a lost connection. The problem is, every time the VPN reconnects, Windows
Messenger decides it wants to log in, and disconnects me from MSN
Messenger.

Is there a way to make this stop?

Even better, is there a way to just get rid of Windows Messenger
altogether?

 

[sam]

hi scott, this link to the knowledge base might help you
to stop windows messenger.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;302089

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Scott,

Whenever Messenger detects that you've "reconnected", it too will reconnect. To stop this
behavior, you'll simply need to disable Windows Messenger from starting automatically (and
therefore reconnecting). To do so, open it up (click Start, then Run, type "msmsgs" and
click OK), click Tools, Options, Preferences tab and uncheck 'Run this Program when Windows
starts' or 'Run Windows Messenger when Windows starts' (depending on version) as well as
'Allow this program to run in the background' or 'Allow Windows Messenger to run in the
background' (depending on version). This won't remove Windows Messenger, so features like
Remote Assistance, Whiteboard and Application Sharing will continue to work, but it will let
it stay out of your way.

Also, do you have Norton Antivirus installed? Recent versions of Norton Antivirus added a
new "instant messaging scanning" feature, which can conflict with Messenger and cause it to
also keep starting. To stop it, open Norton Antivirus (Right-click on the Norton Antivirus
icon in the System Tray/Notification Area (by the clock), choose 'Open Norton Antivirus'),
click Options, then Instant Messenger then uncheck MSN Instant Messenger and click OK.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com