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. 2004/01/23
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

    Joined:
    2003/03/08
    Messages:
    2,402
    Likes Received:
    2
    ltoews

    If you would have read the thread or clicked on the links Christer posted, you would have understood that we were talking specifically about MSN Messenger, and disabling its automatic start up capabilities. Your distinction between the two Messengers is correct.

    Johanna
    who is noting that the confusion has nothing to do with Christer's computer not speaking English...:D
     
  2. 2004/01/23
    Welshjim

    Welshjim Inactive

    Joined:
    2002/01/07
    Messages:
    5,643
    Likes Received:
    0
    Forgive me, I am too lazy to digest this long thread, but from a quick scan, it seems there are problems with uninstalling MSN Messenger and/or Windows Messenger. Or maybe Christer has already solved the problem.
    I know MSN Messenger can be uninstalled from Control Panel|Add/Remove Programs, and I would be surprised to learn Windows Messenger cannot also be uninstalled the same way. I run neither, so no experience. But both are legitimate MS programs and should be uninstallable.
    Here is a thread from another forum that may be of help, if any help is still needed.
    http://discussions.virtualdr.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=761937

    ltoews--There are three Messenger programs, just to add to the confusion. See my post in the link above.

    As mentioned, if all is well, please just ignore this. :eek:
     

  3. to hide this advert.

  4. 2004/01/24
    RShady

    RShady Inactive

    Joined:
    2002/08/17
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    Christie:

    I assume task manager shows msnmsgr.exe as running?
    And do you have Norton AntiVirus 2003?

    If both of the above are true, try the following:

    Open Norton and click on Options.
    Click on Instant Messenger and UNCHECK MSN
    Instant Messenger. Click OK and close-out NAV.

    Now you can terminate msnmsgr.exe in task manager and
    you will never see it running in the background again
    unless you start MSN Mess.

    Norton HAD a bug in it where it kept msnmsgr.exe
    running in the background. However, the latest LiveUpdate
    for NAV corrects that problem.

    Hope this solves your problem.
     
  5. 2004/01/25
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Hello all,
    thanks for Your comments!

    To clarify:

    I´m discussing Windows Messenger which is integrated in Windows XP and I have msmsgs.exe running in Task Manager.

    I have never used MSN Messenger, I don´t even know where it is. In "All Programs" I can only find MSN Explorer which I believe has MSN Messenger integrated.
    I have no plans to start MSN Explorer even once since I don´t want to take the risk of initiating another pain in the lower rear end of my anatomy.

    I have disabled the Messenger Service.

    Regards,
    Christer
     
    Last edited: 2004/01/25
  6. 2004/01/25
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Hi Roger!

    I do have Norton AntiVirus 2003 but I have msmsgs.exe running in the background, not msnmsgr.exe.

    I went to Norton AntiVirus and unchecked that box and msmsgs.exe went away by itself.

    NAV has all current updates but the problem is still there. Maybe that´s down to the fact that I´m using Windows Messenger and not MSN Messenger?

    However, don´t I need that protection when I decide to use Windows Messenger?

    Thanks,
    Christer

    By the way, I´ll keep that box checked for the time being to see if the registry hacks have been successful.
     
  7. 2004/01/26
    RShady

    RShady Inactive

    Joined:
    2002/08/17
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    Christer:

    Msnmsgr.exe is for MSN Messenger. When you use MSN Messenger, yes you need the Norton protection so keep
    the box checked.

    OK, if you are not running MSN Messenger then you
    must be running Windows Messenger. In the start menu
    go to Administrative tools>Services and right-click
    Messenger choose Properties and in the drop down
    menu for startup type choose disable. In the next section
    down for Service Status, if it is started, click on Stop.
    Then click Apply and OK. Windows Messenger will no
    longer start and will no longer show up in task manager.

    Norton has nothing to do with Windows Messenger.
     
  8. 2004/01/26
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Roger,

    This is not correct!

    Three posts up I tried to explain the differences between the critters:

    Windows Messenger and Messenger Service are NOT the same, they have NOTHING in common except a very similar name which is a bad choice on M$ part.

    As I mentioned earlier, I have the Messenger Service disabled.

    You´re correct that I don´t use MSN Messenger ...... :rolleyes: ...... I have enough trouble with the other one!

    I´d like to rephrase that: Norton SHOULD HAVE nothing to do with Windows Messenger but obviously it messes with any variant of Messenger it finds. When I unchecked that box in NAV, Windows Messenger disappeared from the Task Manager.

    This whole mess is very prone to confusion and finding out that NAV is a factor too was annoying. Can´t Norton keep their sticky fingers out of anything ...... :mad: ...... ?

    As I have indicated by my choice of words, maybe we interpret the name Messenger the wrong way ...... ;) ...... ?

    Christer

    Edited:

    Of course, NAV should protect us when we are using Messenger, the MSN or Windows variant but why does NAV start the bloody thing when I have no need for it?
     
    Last edited: 2004/01/26
  9. 2004/01/26
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    I have asked Symantec Support for a comment on this subject. My experience with SS is that they are fairly quick about replying but the contents of their reply is not always of much help so, let´s see what this will trigger:

     
  10. 2004/01/26
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

    Joined:
    2003/03/08
    Messages:
    2,402
    Likes Received:
    2
    First off, until this thread, I didn't realize there were 3 Messengers, not two. I thought MSNMessenger and Windows Messenger (the one Christer is trying to leash) were the same. Big difference, and I am sorry for any confusion I may have inadvertently caused. But Christer's carefully researched challenge to rein in the beast confirms my experience with Messenger. I have always nuked it at install because it kept coming back! (Yes, I am a Norton user, too!) So, this glitch is NOT new, it has been going on for at least 2 years. I am looking forward to Symantec's response and Christer's evaluation, and sticking with ICQ!

    Johanna
     
  11. 2004/02/01
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    I received a response from SS during the weekend and it was a "non-answer ", dodging the question and telling me what I told them ...... :rolleyes: ......

    I of course replied ...... :eek: ......

    ...... :p ...... and I´m eagerly awaiting a new lesson in avoiding a question. This one will probably be a stunning masterpiece!

    Christer
     
  12. 2004/02/01
    Johanna

    Johanna Inactive Alumni

    Joined:
    2003/03/08
    Messages:
    2,402
    Likes Received:
    2
    Gee... I wanna get a job at Symantec support!! I know how to cut-n-paste, too!!

    :D

    Johanna
     
  13. 2004/02/01
    LindaHewitt

    LindaHewitt Inactive

    Joined:
    2004/01/31
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hi Christer,

    I am a nubie to MSN Messenger and I have just been exploring the menu bar. There are actually two items which need to be unchecked in the Options box. I assume that both items are unchecked.

    The first is do NOT automatically sign me in and the

    second is do NOT automatically start me up when I get on the internet.

    "Why does NAV start a process that it has no business starting? "

    Did you define NAV as the product to check any Messenger attachments in the options box? If I understand the NAV specs, the NAV only works in terms of receiving attachments. It doesn't even work on text being sent back and forth.

    I am going to go and disable this. I don't use NAV, I use Panda but since I do not intend to receive attachments this way, there is no reason to have this enabled. I went and deleted any reference to my AV and then I unchecked it.

    Now to my questions:

    Maybe I am dense and I am using W2K, but I couldn't find any reference to Messenger Service. I found it when I looked under Messenger instead of Windows Messenger.

    I disabled it in two places. The first was

    and the second was I disabled in the startup type and in the Hardware Profile1 area under the Logon tab.

    I have disabled Windows Messenger in Outlook Express but I couldn't figure out where to do it in Outlook 2000?

    Linda



    :confused:
     
  14. 2004/02/01
    LindaHewitt

    LindaHewitt Inactive

    Joined:
    2004/01/31
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Christer,

    I will go back and look at your instructions for Outlook and I have not yet disabled Windows Messenger in IE.

    Linda
     
  15. 2004/02/01
    LindaHewitt

    LindaHewitt Inactive

    Joined:
    2004/01/31
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Since I am not currently having a problem, I have decided to not disable Windows Messenger in IE or in Outlook until I can find more detailed information as to why they are there.

    But I sure learn a lot from surfing these threads. Thanks everybody.

    Linda
     
  16. 2004/02/01
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Hi Linda!

    I posted a reference to this thread in the "Is Messenger Safe" thread because I think that they are connected. I´m as confused as anyone else and part of the confusion is that things work differently in different operating systems.

    I have isolated three "Messengers ":

    1) Messenger Service which I believe is only applicable to Windows XP. It is disabled in Control panel > Administrative tools > Services.

    2) Windows Messenger which comes with Windows XP. This is what I´m trying to use at my own discretion and not someone elses. It is integrated with Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and if installed, Microsoft Outlook (bundled with Office).
    There are check boxes to uncheck to prevent WM from autostarting with OE and MO but the registry hacks that I did removes the integration all together. The check boxes are either removed from OE or greyed out in MO and there is not a sign of it in IE.

    3) MSN Messenger which I know nothing about. I believe that it is integrated in MSN Explorer but when I opened that application and was taken through a "registration process ", I didn´t complete it and exited a.s.a.p.

    Since I´m not using Win2K or Office2K I can´t follow Your steps but if Outlook 2000 is anything like Outlook XP then the check box is in Tools > Options > Other > Instant Messaging.

    I have a hotmail account and it use it as kind of a trash account that I provide when I don´t want to disclose my primary e-mail addy. I check it almost every day and I have set it to automatically log in when I return. I thought that this may be part of the problem and logged out from hotmail but I was still logged in automatically on Windows Messenger and I have not found where to prevent it, if at all possible.
    Hotmail is now back to automatic.

    Christer

    By the way:

    They are there for "our convenience" but I believe that there are alternative motives ...... :rolleyes: ...... !
     
  17. 2004/02/03
    Newt

    Newt Inactive

    Joined:
    2002/01/07
    Messages:
    10,974
    Likes Received:
    2
    I have isolated three "Messengers ":
    1) Messenger Service which I believe is only applicable to Windows XP. It is disabled in Control panel > Administrative tools > Services.


    Nope. All NT systems from 3.0 (maybe earlier but I started on NT with the 3.0 version) on have included this service.

    On XP (and maybe earlier versions) you won't see it under your running processes though. The exe line is
    c:\windows\system32\svchost.exe -k netsvc
    so it will simply be running inside one of the three or four or five or whatever instances of svchost.ext you see there.

    NT4/2K will have it as
    c:\winnt\system32\services.exe
     
  18. 2004/02/03
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Newt,
    thanks for the information!

    I´ve only spent a few hours on a Win2K machine and You know what I did ...... ;) ...... or rather tried to do.

    I had a hunch that the Messenger Service wasn´t new with XP ...... :p ...... but it was a fifty-fifty bet which I took instead of keeping my mouth shut.

    Christer
     
  19. 2004/02/03
    noahdfear

    noahdfear Inactive

    Joined:
    2003/04/06
    Messages:
    12,178
    Likes Received:
    15
    Christer,

    I know it's not the answer you're looking for, but maybe you could move the messenger folder to another location and create a shortcut to the executable for easy access when you do want to use it. That would not only disable it's autostarting by ANY means, but if NAV currently monitors the msmsgs.exe, it should still recognize it and monitor it when YOU start it.

    BTW, I'm expecting the answer to your repeated question to Symantec to be something like what AOL would say to; Q: "Why does AOL make approximately 1500 changes to my registry when installed?" A: "Uuuuh.........." :) (but I will continue to hope that they give you a PROPER answer)
     
  20. 2004/02/04
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff

    Joined:
    2002/12/17
    Messages:
    6,560
    Likes Received:
    71
    Dave,

    I have actually played with the thought of either moving msmsgs.exe to a different folder or to rename the file and as You say, create a shortcut.
    I´m not as sure as You are, though, that it will be a permanent solution since I have read about people trying to uninstall it and it gets put back by something. I´m sorry to say that my teflon coated memory prevents me from remebering where I read it.

    That´s however one for the future since I want to see what happens with the other changes I have made and so far so good ...... :cool: ...... no random logins for 2½ weeks now. Before the changes, it was a more or less daily occurrence!

    I have forgotten about keeping the board updated on my correspondence with SS and below I quote their response to my latest, probably final question on this issue:

    I understand the answer like this:

    When NAV protects Your computer, e.g. the E-mail scanning, it puts something like a proxy server on the incoming port and redirects the E-mails to take a peek into them and either clear them for delivery or when finding a virus, redirecting it to the quarantine.

    When You have asked it to protect the Windows/MSN Messenger, then NAV has to start that process in order to be able to "integrate itself ".

    Does this make sense to anyone else but me?

    Christer
     
  21. 2004/02/04
    noahdfear

    noahdfear Inactive

    Joined:
    2003/04/06
    Messages:
    12,178
    Likes Received:
    15
    We knew that much! The question was "WHY? "

    I like your explanation/theory much better Christer! That at least makes sense and actually explains the 'Why?' :)
     
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.