Pop Ups

[Patrick]

The only thing I have found to get rid of pop-ups is to
restart my computer. Not something you want to do when
you are working on something.

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Patrick,

Do these "pop-ups" that are appearing have "Messenger Service" in their titlebar? If so, what
you're seeing is the Messenger service built-in to Windows, *not* Windows Messenger (which
are two different things) which spammers are exploiting -- this is not Microsoft, nor can
Microsoft control them anymore then they can control spam to your e-mail inbox.

To get rid of these pop ups, you'll need to disable the "Messenger Service", click Start,
then Run, enter "services.msc"and click OK. Scroll down to "Messenger", select it,
right-click and then choose Properties. Under startup type, choose 'Disabled' and then
choose the 'Stop' button. After the service is stopped, click OK. Nothing in Windows or any
real third-party applications should be effected by this.
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Windows MVP, Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com

"Patrick" > wrote in message
...
> The only thing I have found to get rid of pop-ups is to
> restart my computer. Not something you want to do when
> you are working on something.

[Amethyst]

Patrick wrote:
> The only thing I have found to get rid of pop-ups is to
> restart my computer. Not something you want to do when
> you are working on something.

The ports in question (137-139) are also used for more nefarious purposes
(trojans use them to 'phone home'). The only effective way (despite what Mr
Kay will tell you) is to install a firewall. The native
one will work at a pinch, though it only works one way (incoming not
outgoing). Disabling the service is like sweeping bills under the carpet -
you can't see them anymore but, if you don't deal with them the consequences
could be serious.

Install a firewall, configure it to block those ports, and rest, safe in the
knowledge that nothing can attack your computer.

Please don't shout. Posting all in caps is considered incredibly rude and
also makes your post incredibly hard to read.


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Cassandra
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