Windows Messenger.
- Go to Start\Programs\Administrative Tools\Services
- Right click Messenger, click stop
- Right click Messenger, click Properties, change startup type to disabled.
Microsoft Messenger. (Little green man icon)
- Open Microsoft Messenger
- Click Tools\Options
- Change to Preferences tab
- Deselect run this program automatically when windows starts.
- Open Outlook Express
- Under Tools/Options/General, deselect Automatically log on to Microsoft Messenger.
If you are using Outlook Express, you can also prevent users from manually running Windows Messenger by:
1. In Outlook Express, click Options on the Tool menu.
2. On the General tab, click to clear the "Automatically log on to Windows Messenger" check box.
2. Click OK.
To prevent Windows Messenger from signing in when you run Outlook:
1. In Outlook, click Options on the Tools menu.
2. On the Other tab, click to clear the "Enable instant messaging in Microsoft Outlook check box.
3. Click OK
Pro version:
1. Click Start > Run, type gpedit.msc, then press Enter.
2. Double-click the following items to expand them:
Local Computer Policy
Computer Configuration
Administrative Templates
Windows Components
Windows Messenger
3. Double-click "Do not allow Windows Messenger to run" and click Enable.
4. Click OK, then quit the Group Policy snap-in.
Or stop Windows Messenger by going to Windows Explorer, find
C:\Windows\Inf> locate the SYSOC.INF file. Open with Notepad> Find
the string "msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7" (without
the quotation marks). Replace it with,
"msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7" (without the quotation
marks) You are removing the word "hide." Now, click Start> Control
Panel. Double click Add or Remove Programs> Click Add/Remove Windows
Components> Remove the check mark next to Windows Messenger.
One last tweak, Click Start> Run and then enter: "RunDll32
advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC Remove"
(without the quotation marks) Click Ok. (Note the spaces after
RunDll32 and INFSection)
There are a number of different ways to disable or remove windows messenger from windows XP so here are 2 suggestions.
1. Got to Start then Run and enter the following and click ok:
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
(If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 1 you will receive an error "Error unregistering the OCX 16422")
2. You can also remove Windows Messenger through Add/Remove Programs, however if you do not have SP1 installed it will be hidden from Add/Remove Programs.
If this is the case you first need to unhide it:
First locate sysoc.inf in your Windows or Windows\inf directory (ex. C:\Windows\Inf).
Open the file in notepad (right-click -- open with...) and look for the line:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove "hide" from this line leaving the commas before and after it.
Go to Start -- Settings -- Control Panel (Start -- Control Panel in XP view)
Go to Add/Remove Programs and select Add/Remove Windows Components.
Uncheck Windows Messenger at the end of the list.
Click Next
Click Finish.