Background messenger running

[win98se]

Windows xp HE

I would like to know how/why the new messenger upgrade is always running in
the background whether or not I set it to run on bootup.
It is very undesireable to be visible to all of my contacts just because I
connect to the internet. The only time I want to receive messages from my
contacts is when I intentionally launch messenger. How can this designed
behavior be stopped without removing this version of msnmessenger? These
kind of stealthy services running without informing the user are unethical,
in my opinion. Am I mistaken, or was this new behavior ever mentioned before
the installation ran? This auto-run does not appear in either the msconfig
startup items nor the Start Menu/Startup folders. Why is it buried in user
account management, passport.NET jargon???? Even after removing the .NET
logon it is still a running processes. Why?


Thanks

 

[WindowsXP-he]

Well, Lo, and behold! That background running of MS messenger after removal
of the Passport.NET signon account was NOT the program design, it was the
glitch that John pointed out, caused by Norton AntiVirus 2003. Norton AV
was the culprit that was launching msmsgr as a process running in the
background.

Thanks again, John