Windows Messenger Service
Has this ever happened to you? You are busy working on a project and all of a sudden a very annoying message pops up wanting you to by something. Since you are not surfing the Internet, what's going on?
By now you probably know that the spammers and other miscreants are always trying to get to you one way or another. Now the spammers have found a way to make one of Windows' features work for them. Instead of using email to try to get you to buy they are using Windows Messenger Service. Now don't get this confused with Windows Messenger.
Windows Messenger Service is supposed to be used by someone on a LAN. It is a handy way to let employees know something important, like "Save your work, the system is going down." Of course most of us know that Windows Messenger is a quick way to talk to friends.
Come the ever sneaky spammers looking to find a new way to get your attention, "Aha! We'll use Windows Messenger Service! That will get their attention!"
Unless you work for a company that uses Windows Messenger Service, you can turn it off and here's how. If you find you need it later, it's easy to turn it back on.
In Windows XP
Click Start->Control Panel
Click Performance and Maintenance
Click Administrative Tools
Double click Services
Scroll down and highlight "Messenger"
Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
Click the STOP button.
Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar
Click OK
In Windows 2000
Click Start-> Programs-> Administrative Tools->Services
Scroll down and highlight "Messenger"
Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties.
Click the STOP button.
Select Disable or Manual in the Startup Type scroll bar
Click OK
In Windows NT
Click Start ->Control Panel
Double Click Administrative Tools
Select Services-> Double-click on Messenger
In the Messenger Properties window, select Stop,
Then choose Disable as the Startup Type
Click OK
Unfortunately in Windows 98 or Windows ME the service cannot be disabled.
If you need to turn the service back on, just go through the same steps you used to turn it off and select Auto.