Windows Messenger - Not Signed In

Hello, I am new to this forum and arrived here after finding a reference from a Google search. However, the thread that I thought might help me did not resolve my issue. It's really just an annoyance but I'd like to understand it and fix it. I am running Win XP, and some months back (I think after I installed an SP upgrade), there started to appear in my system tray an icon with a red X on it, that says "Windows Messenger - Not Signed In ". This icon only appears when I have Outlook Express 6 running; it goes away when I close that app. What is strange is that I don't use Messenger and have never installed Messenger on my PC ... when I check Add/Remove Programs list it is not there, and I tried the command line uninstall and it failed since there was no software to unistall. Also, I have gone into the
Outlook Express/Tools/Options/General dialog box and made sure that the "Automatically Log On to Windows Messenger" checkbox is unchecked. I even checked it, unchecked it, etc. but the icon still remains in my system tray. Any suggestions? Its hard to understand why an icon related to a program I don't have is complaining?? Thanks much!

 

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/tune-05.html

Can't seem to find a way to uninstall Windows Messenger? Well, there is a way: Click Start > Run and in the Open: box type the following command (press OK when done):

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove


You can just copy/paste the bolded command above in the Open: box from the Run command.

Note: If you have Windows XP Service Pack 1 installed, you'll receive this error message:

Error unregistering the OCX 16422

Just click OK, Windows Messenger will still be removed.

 

Thanks!!

Thanks so much goddez1 for your prompt response and for the fix. It worked!
I'm very happy to have found this forum

 

Your most welcome djs8833. Thank you for the update. I was happy to help out.

 

Thanks a million goddez1 and thanks also to djs8833 for raising the problem that I similarly faced. It's solved now. Happy New Year to you both.