Windows messenger - can I remove it?

I am using Windows xp home...and it has the Service pack 1 installed on it

I did some reading online and i guess the notepad thing makes windows appear as removable, but the last service pack i installed did that already. This is where I read that,


www.andyrathbone.com/tips/messenger.html,

So, I went to add remove windows components and unchecked the box for messenger, and it started, but then I got an error

Error in C:\ProgramFiles\messenger\msgsc.dll
Missing entry: HideIcons

I clicked ok, and it finished doing whatever it was doing, but messenger is still here. What a nightmare!!

I also got the Regedit command to work, and I finished that without a hitch. Messenger is still in my program folder, but it didn't start up when I restarted my computer or got online. So maybe its been messed with enough! I'll let ya know if it comes back to haunt me again

 

Well, the Regedit thing certainly worked, but it also keeps msn messenger from running as well. I got it put back the way it was, and I'm back to square one again.

 

Well - sorry to say but I'm out of ideas including any I can search up from the Net.

I haven't worried much about this whole thing since I only run XP-pro on the network at home and at work and gpedit works perfectly to block the thing.

Maybe someone else will chime in with a fix that will work for you.

 

I appreciate all of your help on this. I may not have gotten the windows messenger to leave me alone, but I certainly learned a lot about the computer. Thanks so much.

 

Brandi - while I was looking around for an answer to another post I happed on a forum that is only about IM topics. You might find some information or a solution there.

BigBlueball.com.

And for what it's worth, I think most of us who know stuff about PCs learned it when we had problems and were bashing around trying to solve them. You tend to run across lots of things that don't help with the immediate problem but can be very handy later.

 

OK, I'm back, I think there's something wrong with the way my computer is set up, windows is messed up or something, cause when I try to delete it through add/remove, i get the following message

Error in C:\ProgramFiles\messenger\msgsc.dll
Missing entry: HideIcons

What does this mean? I'm sure if I could fix the missing entry I could get it to go away. Any ideas?