1. You are viewing our forum as a guest. For full access please Register. WindowsBBS.com is completely free, paid for by advertisers and donations.

Disabling windows messenger in Outlook Express

Discussion in 'Internet Explorer & Microsoft Edge' started by mikenowo, 2004/01/15.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. 2004/01/15
    mikenowo

    mikenowo Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2002/01/23
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    0
    I have two email IDs and on one under the "Tools" menu "Windows Messenger" is greyed out/disabled. When I switch to the other email acct, it tries to use WM and it is no longer greyed out in the TOOLS menu. It seems I set something to disable WM in OE but can't remember where (have compared all the settings/options and they are identical between the email accounts).

    I even have 'Automatically logon to WM" disabled (unchecked) on both IDs yet one still tries to use it!

    HOW do I disable it in my other email address (annoying WM!)

    Thx,
     
  2. 2004/01/15
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    It´s strange that people have so many issues with Windows Messenger. In another thread someone had trouble getting automatically logged in ...... :eek: ...... which I have tried to avoid for as long as I have had XP.

    I unticked all the appropriate boxes in Outlook Express and in Windows Messenger itself but to no avail. I got randomly logged in and it was a real nuisance having to tell people that it was a mistake and that I didn´t have the time to "chat ".
    I did however not want to remove it completely because sometimes I do have the time.

    Last week I found a registry hack and since then I haven´t had any random auto logins.

    See Remove Windows Messenger from Outlook Express which removes the integration with Outlook Express but retains the option to run it as a stand alone.

    HTH,
    Christer
     

  3. to hide this advert.

  4. 2004/01/15
    mikenowo

    mikenowo Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2002/01/23
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    0
    Ok, thx... odd that it's disabled for one of my IDs yet not the other though, even though both are set teh same? MUST be a bug.
     
  5. 2004/01/15
    mikenowo

    mikenowo Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2002/01/23
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    0
    Ok, that registry change worked fine. Thx!
     
  6. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news!

    When I fired this thing up today, my friend Eddie came from nowhere asking "Are You still having trouble with Messenger? ".

    There was no sign what-so-ever that I had been automatically logged in. When the integration with OE was there I saw the symbol in the task bar being green instead of red-crossed.

    Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I for easy access on this computer is permanently logged in to hotmail.

    No matter what ...... :mad: ...... this thing is starting to get on my nerves ...... :mad: ...... !

    Christer
     
  7. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    I have never used Microsoft Outlook but opened it to check the settings and unticked "Activate Instant Messaging ".
    I know it´s a long shot but something is triggering the random automatic login.

    I have two more options to try but I´ll try them one by one to find out which of them might provide the solution.

    Christer
     
  8. 2004/01/16
    Steve R Jones

    Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

    Joined:
    2001/12/30
    Messages:
    12,279
    Likes Received:
    246
    Find the messenger folder and rename it. No way it can start up.
     
  9. 2004/01/16
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

    Joined:
    2003/03/08
    Messages:
    2,402
    Likes Received:
    2
    Here's a permanent solution:
    Start>Run>
    RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

    Then switch to ICQ.

    Johanna
     
  10. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Steve,
    I don´t want that.

    The best solution would be if Microsoft made those damned tick-boxes work properly. It seems to me that a running Windows Messenger is so important to Microsoft that I´m almost suspicious of it.

    I want to use it on my discretion and not getting randomly connected in spite of my settings.

    The question is if it really is at random or if it is an intentional Microsoft Bug?

    Johanna,
    I would be very lonely at that place.

    We are a group of people who have decided on Messenger for discussons that require quicker conversation than E-mails. Most of the others like or don´t mind to be logged in as soon as they fire up their computer.

    Again, I don´t want to uninstall it, I want to use it at my discretion which means that I want those tick boxes disconnected from the random generator.

    Christer
     
  11. 2004/01/16
    mikenowo

    mikenowo Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2002/01/23
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    0
    AHA! *WHERE* did you find this? The only box I could find referencing Messenger in OE was 'Automatically logon to WM' in the 'General' tab. Where is this 'Activate Instant Messaging' located exactly? That may solve my prob...

    BTW, I as well still want the ability to run Messenger on my own, since some people I know use it (others use ICQ, and yet others AIM). So I'm riddled with IMs for communication's sake <sigh>

    thx,
     
  12. 2004/01/16
    Steve R Jones

    Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

    Joined:
    2001/12/30
    Messages:
    12,279
    Likes Received:
    246
    "The question is if it really is at random or if it is an intentional Microsoft Bug? "

    I doubt it's intentional but it is a bug.



    "The best solution would be if Microsoft made those damned tick-boxes work properly. "

    True. In a perfect world.....But since they don't, you have a half a dozen work arounds.
     
  13. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Microsoft Outlook is a different critter to Outlook Express. Microsoft Outlook comes bundled with Office.

    In Outlook Express > Tools > Options > General, there is a tick box to enable/disable autologin on Windows Messenger. This tick box should be gone after doing the registry hack.

    In Microsoft Outlook > Tools > Options > Other, there is a tick box to activate/inactivate Instant Messaging.

    In Windows Messenger itself, the built-in XP variant, Tools > Options > Settings, there are two tick boxes, one to "start at Windows start" and one to "allow running in the background ".

    I have unticked all those boxes but when I start Windows Messenger manually and then close it, it "disappears into the taskbar which makes me suspect that it runs in the background no matter what I do.
    It also shows up in Task Manager as a running process.

    I´m getting increasingly inclined to believe that it is an intentional Microsoft Bug!

    I have still to do the two last registry hacks to see if there is a difference but I´d be veeery surprized if there is!

    Christer
     
    Last edited: 2004/01/16
  14. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Okey, the two final (?) registry hacks have been done and they are:

    Disable Windows Messenger in Outlook

    Remove Windows Messenger from Internet Explorer

    Now it´s "sit and wait" to see what happens.

    When manually started, it still disappears into the taskbar when closed.

    It still shows up in TaskManager and after a reboot with "nothing" started it is at 7.608 kB memory usage. Opening and closing the applications give the following:

    OE open = 7.616 Kb
    OE close = 7.688 kB
    MO open = 7.672 kB
    MO close = 7.684 kB
    IE open = 7.688 kB
    IE close = 7.688 kB
    WM open/login = 7.632 kB
    WM logout = 7.708 kB
    WM close = 1.536 kB slowly increasing to 3.096 kB

    Nothing much happens when opening and closing the applications apart from when closing Windows Messenger.

    It is running in the background which it isn´t supposed to with the settings I have - disregarding the registry hacks.

    Now, what else ...... :confused: ......

    Christer
     
  15. 2004/01/16
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

    Joined:
    2003/03/08
    Messages:
    2,402
    Likes Received:
    2
    Christer,
    Messenger's intense desire to be on and running was my original reason for killing it off. I didn't post the permanent fix for you, because you said plainly that you just wanted to be able to control it. I posted that fix for anyone reading the thread who wanted to know how to make Messenger go away, forever. I tried everything to control it, and it always came back, or it fought with Norton because it still wanted net access. It was a tenacious and pernicious bugger. Do I believe MS intentionally set up Messenger to be difficult to disable, and for MS to be able to control it at their discretion? Yes, I do. That is why I came to the conclusion that I was better off without it. I am not paranoid, and I don't believe MS is nefarious, but I'm still cautious and suspicious.

    Have your friends considered Trillian? It reliably handles a number of IM programs. If you do find a way to completely control Messenger, I hope you post it for posterity. Good luck.

    Johanna
     
  16. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    I sure will do that because if I´m successful ...... :D ...... it is a victory worthy of a small bragging!

    Christer
     
  17. 2004/01/16
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Thought that I should mention that I have tried Disable Windows® Messenger in Windows® XP Pro before and just to check, I did them again with these results:

    Disabling auto start didn´t work. WM still shows up in TaskManager.

    Disabling completely works. WM doesn´t show up in TaskManager and it can´t be started manually.
    This is however not what I want.

    I use the Contacts Pane but did not experience any delay. Maybe that´s down to the other registry hacks that I have done.

    I have undone the changes in this post to be able to evaluate the previous ones.

    Now I will primarily "sit and wait" for the first random auto login on WM and maybe browse a bit for more information but my expectations are low ...... :( ...... I´ve done a lot of browsing on this issue.

    Christer

    I forgot to mention that as soon as the latest changes according to Doug Knox were undone, WM reappeared in the TaskManager. I didn´t have to reboot or anything. Something in the background is constantly trying to start it and is successful most of the time.
     
    Last edited: 2004/01/16
  18. 2004/01/16
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

    Joined:
    2003/03/08
    Messages:
    2,402
    Likes Received:
    2
    I use the contacts pane, and have disabled/removed Messenger, and there is no delay at all with OE. I do not have a Messenger Support option or dialog in Tools, Options, General, either.

    This is the key to the puzzle. Get it out of Task Manager, and the problem should be solved. I was not able to do that until I killed it with the the run command I posted above (which is from Windows Help-Net. Anybody ever hear of them?)
    ;)

    Johanna
     
  19. 2004/01/16
    mikenowo

    mikenowo Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2002/01/23
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    0
    Yeah, I knew that.. just hadn't noticed that you mentioned Outlook and not OE. In any case, you've verified that I had the correct box unchecked in OE.
     
  20. 2004/01/23
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
  21. 2004/01/23
    ltoews

    ltoews Inactive

    Joined:
    2003/08/28
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Aren't there two different messengers?

    Maybe you've already been over this, but I recall reading that Windows Messenger is different from MSN Messenger.

    As I recall, Windows Messenger is not a program for chatting on-line, but is for internal components of Windows to send messages to each other. The concern was that this service created a vulnerability to attack by nasty viruses. Because of this security concern, Microsoft published info on how to disable/remove Windows Messenger.

    I've come in late on this topic, but I don't think that removing Windows Messenger is going to solve your problems with MSN Messenger.

    Lorin
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.