Windows Messenger - Not signed in

In Windows XP home edition, Serv. Pack 2, how do I get rid of the Windows Messanger, now with a cross through it, icon in my desktop start tray? TIA

 

Or, if you want to keep the program, right click on the icon in the tray and select exit. To keep it from running at startup, in Windows Messenger, click tools>options>preferences tab and uncheck the line that says "run windows messenger when windows starts ".

For MSN Messenger, click tools>options>general. There'll be a similar line there you can uncheck.

Also, if you use Outlook Express, open it and click tools>options>general and uncheck the line that says automatically log onto windows messenger (or something similar anyway).