HOW to BLOCK messenger popups in AOL?

[Richard White]

Anybody know this?

I have a friend's pc, where I even disinstalled MS Messenger, and she's still getting these popups!

I can't apply the usual WindowsXP firewall, because she's using AOL to connect, and I can't view or
change the "properties" of the AOL dial-up configuration.

Putting on a firewall program such as ZoneAlarm would just totally confuse her each time it asked
for a program authorisation etc..

There must be a simple way to stop popups, or even "firewall" the PC under AOL???

Or not??

 

[relic]

Anybody know this?

I have a friend's pc, where I even disinstalled MS Messenger, and
she's still getting these popups!

That would be because they have nothing to do with Windows Messenger; they are
coming through the Messenger Service.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

I can't apply the usual WindowsXP firewall, because she's using AOL
to connect, and I can't view or change the "properties" of the AOL
dial-up configuration.

Putting on a firewall program such as ZoneAlarm would just totally
confuse her each time it asked for a program authorisation etc..

There must be a simple way to stop popups, or even "firewall" the PC
under AOL???

If she can't cope with a firewall, she shouldn't be connecting to the
internet. You can do the "Work Around" listed here: (But, it's a band-aid.
The firewall is the fix.)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330904

 

[Richard White]

That would be because they have nothing to do with Windows Messenger; they are
coming through the Messenger Service.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp



If she can't cope with a firewall, she shouldn't be connecting to the
internet. You can do the "Work Around" listed here: (But, it's a band-aid.
The firewall is the fix.)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330904

 

[Richard White]

That would be because they have nothing to do with Windows Messenger; they are
coming through the Messenger Service.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Duh? There's a difference between Windows Messenger and the Messenger Service?

Talk about confusing!

 

[relic]

Duh? There's a difference between Windows Messenger and the Messenger
Service?

Talk about confusing!

Don't forget MSN Messenger. *Three* different Microsoft things called
"messenger".
:-D

 

[Richard White]

Anybody know this?

I have a friend's pc, where I even disinstalled MS Messenger, and
she's still getting these popups!

That would be because they have nothing to do with Windows Messenger; they are
coming through the Messenger Service.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp [...snipped...]
If she can't cope with a firewall, she shouldn't be connecting to the
internet.

That's a really sill comment ... try this one for comparison:-
"Do you live in a house? Could you build your own?
If not, why should you be living in one? "

You can do the "Work Around" listed here: (But, it's a band-aid.
The firewall is the fix.)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330904

Wow ... so how come I can spend yonks searching through the Micro$haft Knowledge Base and not find
this?

More to the point, why on earth would Micro$haft provide a spamming facility?

 

[Richard White]

Richard White wrote: [...snipped...]

Duh? There's a difference between Windows Messenger and the Messenger
Service?

Talk about confusing!

Don't forget MSN Messenger. *Three* different Microsoft things called
"messenger".
:-D

OK - so what is each one / what's the differences?

 

[relic]

OK - so what is each one / what's the differences?

Windows Messenger 4.7 is the instant messaging program that is integrated with
(and a part of) Windows XP. It also integrates with Outlook Express
'Contacts' and supports file transfers, voice communications, etc. "XP to XP."

MSN Messenger 5.0/6.0 is an instant messaging program that can be added (note,
it doesn't /replace/ anything) to XP as a stand alone program (it doesn't
integrate to any XP element). If you desire add-on features "XP to 98," it's
better at it than Windows Messenger.

Messenger Service is intended for networks within an organization. The IT
department could broadcast messages to everyone on the network (such as, "Save
your work, the Server is shutting down in 15 minutes"). Unfortunately, the
spammers discovered that if they send messages to huge blocks of IP addresses
using (usually) Port 135, their spam got to your desktop if you didn't use a
firewall.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

You'll either need to find a 3rd party firewall that is compatible
with AOL, or have your friend switch to a real ISP that is compatible
with the real Internet..

AOL is an on-line content provider that ignores international
Internetworking standards in favor of its own proprietary products,
and has deliberately made its connection software incompatible with
both WinXP's built-in firewall and WinXP's Internet Connection Sharing
feature. AOL's proprietary connection applet is deliberately designed
to preclude your setting/adjusting any of its properties, to include
enabling/disabling WinXP's ICF and ICS.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



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

Anybody know this?

I have a friend's pc, where I even disinstalled MS Messenger, and

she's still getting these popups!

I can't apply the usual WindowsXP firewall, because she's using AOL

to connect, and I can't view or

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

They didn't intend messenger service as such, and it's normally a
valuable tool, particularly in a network environment. And they did
provide a means of preventing the spam - a built-in firewall.

Your friend's problem stems from her choosing to use an
security-incompatible on-line service provider that doesn't want its
customers to have control of their own PCs.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



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

That would be because they have nothing to do with Windows Messenger; they are
coming through the Messenger Service.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

[...snipped...]
If she can't cope with a firewall, she shouldn't be connecting to the
internet.

That's a really sill comment ... try this one for comparison:-
"Do you live in a house? Could you build your own?
If not, why should you be living in one? "

You can do the "Work Around" listed here: (But, it's a band-aid.
The firewall is the fix.)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330904

Wow ... so how come I can spend yonks searching through the

Micro$haft Knowledge Base and not find

 

[Matthew]

If you look around in the settings (I think) from the AOL menu bar, you will
find a window "pop-up" that has a link to some sort of AOL add-in that WILL
disable the messinger popups. Look around it does work in AOL 8.0. Ah yes
AOL, the internmet on training wheels
matthew

 

[Mike]

If you look around in the settings (I think) from the AOL menu bar, you will
find a window "pop-up" that has a link to some sort of AOL add-in that WILL
disable the messinger popups. Look around it does work in AOL 8.0. Ah yes
AOL, the internmet on training wheels
matthew

 

[Rosanne]

Anybody know this?

I have a friend's pc, where I even disinstalled MS Messenger, and she's still getting these popups!

I can't apply the usual WindowsXP firewall, because she's using AOL to connect, and I can't view or
change the "properties" of the AOL dial-up configuration.

Putting on a firewall program such as ZoneAlarm would just totally confuse her each time it asked
for a program authorisation etc..

There must be a simple way to stop popups, or even "firewall" the PC under AOL???

Or not??

Not having (or WANTING) AOL, my first question is "Will AOL work behind
a router?" That would seem, to me, to be the answer to this and many
other network-related issues. What it WON'T do is protect her from the
results of inviting the bad guys in - by clicking on an email
attachment, say...

A lot of folks think that they don't need a router because they've got
dial-up and aren't connected that long. Well, I track this mess on my
own machine, and there are times when I get 50 - 100 hits an hour. Not
all of them are as "innocent" as pop-ups. Some of them are trying to
plant files or take over. The very fact that your friend is getting
these popups shows how many hits even a dial-up gets.

Once a computer-savvy person set up the router for her, she wouldn't
have to do much with it - unlike ZoneAlarm. Personally, I run both.
And Spybot S&D. And AdAware. And a few other things. But then, I'm
paranoid

So if it works with AOL, I'd see if she could shell out the ~50 bucks
for a router and then set it up for her.

~ R