How do I get rid of the Windows Messenger on Windows XP?

How do I get rid of the Windows Messenger on Windows XP?

This question was answered on April 12, 2002. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Windows XP systems will, by default, launch Microsoft's Windows Messanger program whenever they are booted Windows Messanger is Microsoft's Instant Messaging program that is trying to compete with ICQ, AOL's AIM and Yahoo's entry in this arena.

You can remove it from your system all together so that it won't keep appearing by following these instructions that are posted at the Microsoft web site:

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The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows Messenger 4.0

Microsoft Windows Messenger 4.5

Microsoft Windows Messenger 4.6

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IMPORTANT : This article contains information about editing the registry Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to prevent Windows Messenger from running By default, Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition install Windows Messenger, and the user interface does not provide a way to remove or to uninstall Windows Messenger

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING : Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved Use Registry Editor at your own risk

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD)

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To prevent Windows Messenger from running, use one of the following methods

Windows Messenger 4.0 or Later on a Windows XP Professional-Based Computer

Click Start , click Run , type gpedit.msc , and then press ENTER

Double-click the following items to expand them:

Local Computer Policy

Computer Configuration

Administrative Templates

Windows Components

Windows Messenger

Double-click Do not allow Windows Messenger to run , and then click Enabled

Click OK , and then quit the Group Policy snap-in

NOTE : Group Policy Editor (Gpedit.msc) is not available on Windows XP Home Edition-based computers

Windows Messenger 4.0 on a Windows XP Home Edition-Based Computer

Start Windows Messenger

Click Options on the Tools menu

Click the Preferences tab, click to clear the Run this program when Windows starts check box, and then click OK

NOTE : This procedure does not prevent users from manually running Windows Messenger, but it does prevent Windows Messenger from running automatically each time that you start Windows If you use Outlook Express, Windows Messenger may start automatically each time you run Outlook Express To prevent Windows Messenger from running when you run Outlook Express, perform the following steps:

In Outlook Express, click Options on the Tools menu

On the General tab, click to clear the Automatically log on to Windows Messenger check box

Click OK

Windows Messenger 4.5 or Later on Windows XP Home Edition-Based or Windows XP Professional-Based Computers

Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe)

Locate and click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft

On the Edit menu, point to New , click Key , and then type Messenger for the name of the new registry key

Locate and click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger

On the On the Edit menu, point to New , click Key , and then type Client for the name of the new registry key

Locate and click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client

On the Edit menu, point to New , click DWORD Value , and then type PreventRun for the name of the new DWORD value

Right-click the PreventRun value that you created, click Modify , type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK

Quit Windows Messenger.

About the author

Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on April 12, 2002

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