Uninstalling Windows Messenger, having issues with it

[dan hoopla]

I am interested in uninstalling Windows Messenger in
favor of using MSN Messenger. I like having the extra
functionality of MSN Messenger, and hate having
redundant "messenger" icons in the system tray.

Thanks to Jonathon, when I initially looked into
disabling Windows Messenger, I followed instructions on
this web page:
http://messenger.jonathankay.com/allsteps.aspx?ID=7

Unfortunately, when I tried step one (exiting Windows
Messenger), I got an error. It said, "There are other
applications currently using features provided by Windows
Messenger. You must close these other applications before
you can exit Windows Messenger. These applications may
include Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, and
Internet Explorer."

The truth is that I have all four of these applications
installed.

What functionality in these four apps am I giving up by
uninstalling Windows Messenger? Shouldn't MSN Messenger
pickup where Windows Messenger leaves off, therefore not
cause me to give up functionality?

I read in another post that there is integration between
apps (which explains the error message) and that it has
has sometime to do with Contacts. I believe it was
Outlook Express that was mentioned.

In summary, I simply want to have MSN Messenger
available, not Windows Messenger. I also don't want to
give up functionality in other applications. Is there
any way to do this?

A comprimise might be to make Windows Messenger invisible
and not take over my MSN Messenger logins. That is, when
I'm logged into MSN Messenger, I don't want Windows
Messenger to override it somehow.

Thanks for your help.

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Dan,

It's not that you have those applications installed (obviously they come with Windows), but
assuming you've closed them down, do you have Norton Antivirus 2003 installed? Norton added a
new "instant messaging scanning" feature to Norton Antivirus 2003, which can conflict with
Messenger and cause this behavior. To stop it, open Norton Antivirus (Right-click on the
Norton Antivirus icon in the System Tray/Notification Area (by the clock), choose 'Open
Norton Antivirus'), click Options, then Instant Messenger then uncheck MSN Instant Messenger
and click OK. Even if you're not going to proceed with the uninstallation (see below), you
might want to uncheck this option as it will continue to load Windows Messenger, even if
you've disabled it.

MSN Messenger does not "take over where Windows Messenger left off", as they're designed to
both be able to be installed at the same time. However, the only real integration (that's in
Windows) is the Contacts in Outlook Express and Remote Assistance. As well, the Whiteboard
and Application Sharing (options in MSN Messenger 5 and Windows Messenger) will not function
without Windows Messenger being installed (but not necessarily running).

Instead of uninstalling completely, to retain full functionality in MSN Messenger, but not
have to bother with Windows Messenger, there is another way to disable it. Simply open up
the main Windows Messenger window, click Tools, Options, Preferences tab and uncheck 'Run
this program when Windows starts'. Then, if you do use Outlook Express, close it, then
download and run this .reg file (to disable it in Outlook Express):
http://messenger.jonathankay.com/downloads/stopmessenger_oe.reg
As well, to be sure it doesn't load, see the above note with Norton Antivirus 2003.

Finally, if Windows Messenger is currently loaded, just right-click its icon and choose Exit.
You can then use MSN Messenger 5 with full functionality, all functions in Windows will work,
and Windows Messenger shouldn't bother you.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Windows MVP, Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com


"dan hoopla" > wrote in message
...
> I am interested in uninstalling Windows Messenger in
> favor of using MSN Messenger. I like having the extra
> functionality of MSN Messenger, and hate having
> redundant "messenger" icons in the system tray.
>
> Thanks to Jonathon, when I initially looked into
> disabling Windows Messenger, I followed instructions on
> this web page:
> http://messenger.jonathankay.com/allsteps.aspx?ID=7
>
> Unfortunately, when I tried step one (exiting Windows
> Messenger), I got an error. It said, "There are other
> applications currently using features provided by Windows
> Messenger. You must close these other applications before
> you can exit Windows Messenger. These applications may
> include Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, and
> Internet Explorer."
>
> The truth is that I have all four of these applications
> installed.
>
> What functionality in these four apps am I giving up by
> uninstalling Windows Messenger? Shouldn't MSN Messenger
> pickup where Windows Messenger leaves off, therefore not
> cause me to give up functionality?
>
> I read in another post that there is integration between
> apps (which explains the error message) and that it has
> has sometime to do with Contacts. I believe it was
> Outlook Express that was mentioned.
>
> In summary, I simply want to have MSN Messenger
> available, not Windows Messenger. I also don't want to
> give up functionality in other applications. Is there
> any way to do this?
>
> A comprimise might be to make Windows Messenger invisible
> and not take over my MSN Messenger logins. That is, when
> I'm logged into MSN Messenger, I don't want Windows
> Messenger to override it somehow.
>
> Thanks for your help.

[dan hoopla]

Hello Jonathan,

Thanks for the detailed response. No issue with Norton;
I don't have it installed. I do, however, have another
antivirus installed.

Specifically dealing with disabling Windows Messenger,
without uninstalling it... I was not able to find a
checkbox that says 'Run this program when Windows starts'.

Here's what I did to confirm that I followed your
directions:

From the system tray, I clicked the windows messenger
icon. Selected "open" from the contextual menu to bring
up the windows messenger window.

From the windows messenger, I chose Tools > Options. The
options window appears.

From the Options window, I selected the Preferences tab.
This is where I understand that I should have seen "Run
this program when Windows starts."

Unfortunately, it was not there, nor was there anything
remotely similar. In fact, this is the choices I have:

General
- Allow this program to run in the background.
- Show me "away" when I'm inactive for [ x ] minutes.

Alerts
- Display alerts when contacts come online
- Display alerts when an instant message is received
- Display alerts when email is received.
- Play sound when contacts sign in or send a message

File Transfer
- Files received from other users will be put in this
folder: [ box ]

[ OK ] [ Cancel ] [ Help ]

As you can see, there is nothing that mentions running at
start up. I even checked the help system looking for any
mention of "start up", but nothing appears. Similarly, I
looked under every other tab in the Options window with
no luck.

In case it's helpful to know....
I'm running WinXP Home version 5.1 (build
2600.xpsp2.030422-1633 : service pack 1) and Windows
Messenger version 4.7 (4.7.2005).

Any thoughts on how to find this missing checkbox?



>-----Original Message-----
>Greetings Dan,
>
>It's not that you have those applications installed
(obviously they come with Windows), but
>assuming you've closed them down, do you have Norton
Antivirus 2003 installed? Norton added a
>new "instant messaging scanning" feature to Norton
Antivirus 2003, which can conflict with
>Messenger and cause this behavior. To stop it, open
Norton Antivirus (Right-click on the
>Norton Ant

ivirus icon in the System Tray/Notification Area (by the
clock), choose 'Open
>Norton Antivirus'), click Options, then Instant
Messenger then uncheck MSN Instant Messenger
>and click OK. Even if you're not going to proceed with
the uninstallation (see below), you
>might want to uncheck this option as it will continue to
load Windows Messenger, even if
>you've disabled it.
>
>MSN Messenger does not "take over where Windows
Messenger left off", as they're designed to
>both be able to be installed at the same time. However,
the only real integration (that's in
>Windows) is the Contacts in Outlook Express and Remote
Assistance. As well, the Whiteboard
>and Application Sharing (options in MSN Messenger 5 and
Windows Messenger) will not function
>without Windows Messenger being installed (but not
necessarily running).
>
>Instead of uninstalling completely, to retain full
functionality in MSN Messenger, but not
>have to bother with Windows Messenger, there is another
way to disable it. Simply open up
>the main Windows Messenger window, click Tools, Options,
Preferences tab and uncheck 'Run
>this program when Windows starts'. Then, if you do use
Outlook Express, close it, then
>download and run this .reg file (to disable it in
Outlook Express):
>http://messenger.jonathankay.com/downloads/stopmessenger_
oe.reg
>As well, to be sure it doesn't load, see the above note
with Norton Antivirus 2003.
>
>Finally, if Windows Messenger is currently loaded, just
right-click its icon and choose Exit.
>You can then use MSN Messenger 5 with full
functionality, all functions in Windows will work,
>and Windows Messenger shouldn't bother you.
>____________________________________________
>Jonathan Kay
>Windows MVP, Messenger
>Associate Expert
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
>Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
>
>
>"dan hoopla" > wrote in message
...
>> I am interested in uninstalling Windows Messenger in
>> favor of using MSN Messenger. I like having the extra
>> functionality of MSN Messenger, and hate having
>> redundant "messenger" icons in the system tray.
>>
>> Thanks to Jonathon, when I initially looked into
>> disabling Windows Messenger, I followed instructions on
>> this web page:
>> http://messenger.jonathankay.com/allsteps.aspx?ID=7
>>
>> Unfortunately, when I tried step one (exiting Windows
>> Messenger), I got an error. It said, "There are other
>> applications currently using features provided by
Windows
>> Messenger. You must close these other applications
before
>> you can exit Windows Messenger. These applications may
>> include Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, and
>> Internet Explorer."
>>
>> The truth is that I have all four of these applications
>> installed.
>>
>> What functionality in these four apps am I giving up by
>> uninstalling Windows Messenger? Shouldn't MSN
Messenger
>> pickup where Windows Messenger leaves off, therefore
not
>> cause me to give up functionality?
>>
>> I read in another post that there is integration
between
>> apps (which explains the error message) and that it has
>> has sometime to do with Contacts. I believe it was
>> Outlook Express that was mentioned.
>>
>> In summary, I simply want to have MSN Messenger
>> available, not Windows Messenger. I also don't want to
>> give up functionality in other applications. Is there
>> any way to do this?
>>
>> A comprimise might be to make Windows Messenger
invisible
>> and not take over my MSN Messenger logins. That is,
when
>> I'm logged into MSN Messenger, I don't want Windows
>> Messenger to override it somehow.
>>
>> Thanks for your help.
>
>
>.
>

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Hi Dan,

You can simply reinstall Windows Messenger if you wish to get the checkbox back, but a
quicker solution is just to use MSConfig (click Start, then Run, enter "msconfig" and click
OK), then click the Startup tab, uncheck the 'msmsgs' entry and click OK.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Windows MVP, Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com

"dan hoopla" > wrote in message
...
> Hello Jonathan,
>
> Thanks for the detailed response. No issue with Norton;
> I don't have it installed. I do, however, have another
> antivirus installed.
>
> Specifically dealing with disabling Windows Messenger,
> without uninstalling it... I was not able to find a
> checkbox that says 'Run this program when Windows starts'.
>
> Here's what I did to confirm that I followed your
> directions:
>
> From the system tray, I clicked the windows messenger
> icon. Selected "open" from the contextual menu to bring
> up the windows messenger window.
>
> From the windows messenger, I chose Tools > Options. The
> options window appears.
>
> From the Options window, I selected the Preferences tab.
> This is where I understand that I should have seen "Run
> this program when Windows starts."
>
> Unfortunately, it was not there, nor was there anything
> remotely similar. In fact, this is the choices I have:
>
> General
> - Allow this program to run in the background.
> - Show me "away" when I'm inactive for [ x ] minutes.
>
> Alerts
> - Display alerts when contacts come online
> - Display alerts when an instant message is received
> - Display alerts when email is received.
> - Play sound when contacts sign in or send a message
>
> File Transfer
> - Files received from other users will be put in this
> folder: [ box ]
>
> [ OK ] [ Cancel ] [ Help ]
>
> As you can see, there is nothing that mentions running at
> start up. I even checked the help system looking for any
> mention of "start up", but nothing appears. Similarly, I
> looked under every other tab in the Options window with
> no luck.
>
> In case it's helpful to know....
> I'm running WinXP Home version 5.1 (build
> 2600.xpsp2.030422-1633 : service pack 1) and Windows
> Messenger version 4.7 (4.7.2005).
>
> Any thoughts on how to find this missing checkbox?
>
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Greetings Dan,
> >
> >It's not that you have those applications installed
> (obviously they come with Windows), but
> >assuming you've closed them down, do you have Norton
> Antivirus 2003 installed? Norton added a
> >new "instant messaging scanning" feature to Norton
> Antivirus 2003, which can conflict with
> >Messenger and cause this behavior. To stop it, open
> Norton Antivirus (Right-click on the
> >Norton Ant
>
> ivirus icon in the System Tray/Notification Area (by the
> clock), choose 'Open
> >Norton Antivirus'), click Options, then Instant
> Messenger then uncheck MSN Instant Messenger
> >and click OK. Even if you're not going to proceed with
> the uninstallation (see below), you
> >might want to uncheck this option as it will continue to
> load Windows Messenger, even if
> >you've disabled it.
> >
> >MSN Messenger does not "take over where Windows
> Messenger left off", as they're designed to
> >both be able to be installed at the same time. However,
> the only real integration (that's in
> >Windows) is the Contacts in Outlook Express and Remote
> Assistance. As well, the Whiteboard
> >and Application Sharing (options in MSN Messenger 5 and
> Windows Messenger) will not function
> >without Windows Messenger being installed (but not
> necessarily running).
> >
> >Instead of uninstalling completely, to retain full
> functionality in MSN Messenger, but not
> >have to bother with Windows Messenger, there is another
> way to disable it. Simply open up
> >the main Windows Messenger window, click Tools, Options,
> Preferences tab and uncheck 'Run
> >this program when Windows starts'. Then, if you do use
> Outlook Express, close it, then
> >download and run this .reg file (to disable it in
> Outlook Express):
> >http://messenger.jonathankay.com/downloads/stopmessenger_
> oe.reg
> >As well, to be sure it doesn't load, see the above note
> with Norton Antivirus 2003.
> >
> >Finally, if Windows Messenger is currently loaded, just
> right-click its icon and choose Exit.
> >You can then use MSN Messenger 5 with full
> functionality, all functions in Windows will work,
> >and Windows Messenger shouldn't bother you.
> >____________________________________________
> >Jonathan Kay
> >Windows MVP, Messenger
> >Associate Expert
> >http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
> >Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com
> >
> >
> >"dan hoopla" > wrote in message
> ...
> >> I am interested in uninstalling Windows Messenger in
> >> favor of using MSN Messenger. I like having the extra
> >> functionality of MSN Messenger, and hate having
> >> redundant "messenger" icons in the system tray.
> >>
> >> Thanks to Jonathon, when I initially looked into
> >> disabling Windows Messenger, I followed instructions on
> >> this web page:
> >> http://messenger.jonathankay.com/allsteps.aspx?ID=7
> >>
> >> Unfortunately, when I tried step one (exiting Windows
> >> Messenger), I got an error. It said, "There are other
> >> applications currently using features provided by
> Windows
> >> Messenger. You must close these other applications
> before
> >> you can exit Windows Messenger. These applications may
> >> include Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, and
> >> Internet Explorer."
> >>
> >> The truth is that I have all four of these applications
> >> installed.
> >>
> >> What functionality in these four apps am I giving up by
> >> uninstalling Windows Messenger? Shouldn't MSN
> Messenger
> >> pickup where Windows Messenger leaves off, therefore
> not
> >> cause me to give up functionality?
> >>
> >> I read in another post that there is integration
> between
> >> apps (which explains the error message) and that it has
> >> has sometime to do with Contacts. I believe it was
> >> Outlook Express that was mentioned.
> >>
> >> In summary, I simply want to have MSN Messenger
> >> available, not Windows Messenger. I also don't want to
> >> give up functionality in other applications. Is there
> >> any way to do this?
> >>
> >> A comprimise might be to make Windows Messenger
> invisible
> >> and not take over my MSN Messenger logins. That is,
> when
> >> I'm logged into MSN Messenger, I don't want Windows
> >> Messenger to override it somehow.
> >>
> >> Thanks for your help.
> >
> >
> >.
> >