Net messenge service: how to turn off

[Edwin Clark]

I keep getting little popup windows in the lower right of the monitor screen
asking me about updating .Net Messenger Service. This is something I don't
use. How do I go about removing it from my computer.

Edwin

 

[Chris Lanier]

Can I uninstall Windows Messenger in Windows XP?
http://www.petri.co.il/uninstall_windows_messenger.htm

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

This particular "sales method" is strikingly similar to the
"protection" rackets offered to small businesses by organized
criminals. Yes, it's a scam; no reputable business would need to
resort to extortion. Particularly since they're trying to sell you a
type of protection that is already available to you free of charge.

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few
months, 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 may well be open to other threats. Install and use a decent,
properly configured firewall. (Disabling the messenger service, as
some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does nothing to
secure your machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up with" these
messages and the problem they represent 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

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise you to do nothing
more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger
service 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 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?

Equivalent Scenario 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts,
and sets off the smoke alarm. You, not immediately seeing any
fire/smoke, complain about the noise of the smoke detector, and are
advised to remove the smoke detector's battery and go back to sleep.

Equivalent Scenario 2: 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 some of your respondents,
replies, "Well, don't do that."

I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such
bad advice are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping
you secure your system, but would rather give you a false sense of
security while ensuring that your computer is still open to
exploitation.


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

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

I keep getting little popup windows in the lower right of the monitor
screen asking me about updating .Net Messenger Service. This is
something I don't use. How do I go about removing it from my computer.

Edwin

You can turn the Messenger Service off. Go to Start/Run, type:
services.msc and press OK. Scroll down to the Messeger item and double
click it. In the Start Up Type line, click the drop down menu and select
Disabled. In the Status section, click the Stop button. Apply/OK.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

 

[Edwin Clark]

Edwin

You can turn the Messenger Service off. Go to Start/Run, type:
services.msc and press OK. Scroll down to the Messeger item and double
click it. In the Start Up Type line, click the drop down menu and select
Disabled. In the Status section, click the Stop button. Apply/OK.

Ronnie,

Thanks.

If I do this will it prohibit me from getting update notifications from
Microsoft?

Is there any way of distinguishing between legitimate requests from
Microsoft to update software and other types of messages? Am I correct in
assuming that little messages that popup in the lower right corner are
legitimate?

Edwin.

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Ronnie,

Thanks.

If I do this will it prohibit me from getting update notifications
from Microsoft?

Is there any way of distinguishing between legitimate requests from
Microsoft to update software and other types of messages? Am I
correct in assuming that little messages that popup in the lower
right corner are legitimate?

Edwin

Microsoft does not and will not communicate anything to you using the
Messenger Service. The Messenger Service has nothing to do with MSN
Messenger or Windows Messenger (Chat software). The Messenger Service only
has one function and that is to enable a network administrator to send
messages to all of the computers on their network. Someone found a flaw in
this service and they are using it to spam with. You will lose no
functionality by disabling this service.

The Messenger Service also has nothing to do with the Windows Update
Notification which notifies you of updates that are available.

The best way to make sure that you get all of the critical updates is to go
to the Windows Update website and look. You can do this in Internet Explorer
by selecting Tools/Windows Update. Do this every few days, it only takes a
minute and then you can be confident that your system is protected.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

 

[Edwin Clark]

Edwin

Microsoft does not and will not communicate anything to you using the
Messenger Service. The Messenger Service has nothing to do with MSN
Messenger or Windows Messenger (Chat software). The Messenger Service only
has one function and that is to enable a network administrator to send
messages to all of the computers on their network. Someone found a flaw in
this service and they are using it to spam with. You will lose no
functionality by disabling this service.

The Messenger Service also has nothing to do with the Windows Update
Notification which notifies you of updates that are available.

The best way to make sure that you get all of the critical updates is to go
to the Windows Update website and look. You can do this in Internet Explorer
by selecting Tools/Windows Update. Do this every few days, it only takes a
minute and then you can be confident that your system is protected.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

Ronnie,

Thanks very much for the information.

Edwin

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Ronnie,

Thanks very much for the information.

Edwin

No problem. Enjoy.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.