INSTANT MESSENGER

[Luis]

How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
feature of the operating system

Luis

[Danny Bleu]

Delete it.

"Luis" > wrote in message
...
How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
feature of the operating system

Luis

[Nicholas]

Luis --

Here are some suggestions:

A New Window Appears When You Visit Some Web Sites
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=3Dkb;[LN];Q308446=20

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=3Dkb;en-us;330904&sd=3Dtec=
h

Essential Security Tools for Home Office Users
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=3D/technet/colu=
mns/security/5min/5min-105.asp=20

If you wish to solve your pop-up problems once and for
all, consider purchasing and installing a third-party program
designed to do just that:

Norton Internet Security 2003
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/nis_pe/

-- Includes Norton AntiVirus 2003
-- Includes Norton Personal Firewall
-- Includes prevention of annoying web pop-ups
-- Includes Parental Controls
-- All in one, easy-to-install package


--=20
Nicholas

-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
--------

"Luis" > wrote in message:
...

| How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
| internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
| an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
| feature of the operating system
|=20
| Luis

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Does the title bar of these pop-ups read "Messenger Service?"

This particular "sales method" is strikingly similar to the
"protection" rackets offered to small businesses by organized
criminals. Yes, it's a scam; no reputable business would need to
resort to extortion. Particularly since they're trying to sell you a
type of protection that is already available to you free of charge.

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few
months, and unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It
demonstrates that you haven't been taking sufficient precautions while
connected to the Internet. Your data probably hasn't been compromised
by these specific advertisements, but if you're open to this exploit,
you may well be open to other threats. Install and use a decent,
properly configured firewall. (Disabling the messenger service, as
some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and does nothing to
secure your machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up with" these
messages and the problem they represent is particularly foolish.

Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise you to do nothing
more than disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger
service is a "head in the sand" approach to computer security.

The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups; they're
actually providing a useful service by acting as a security alert. The
true problem is the unsecured computer, and you've been
advised to merely turn off the warnings. How is this helpful?

Equivalent Scenario 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts,
and sets off the smoke alarm. You, not immediately seeing any
fire/smoke, complain about the noise of the smoke detector, and are
advised to remove the smoke detector's battery and go back to sleep.

Equivalent Scenario 2: You over-exert your shoulder at work or
play, causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes
excruciating pain whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to
a doctor and say, while demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when
I do this." The doctor, being as helpful as some of your respondents,
replies, "Well, don't do that."

I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such
bad advice are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping
you secure your system, but would rather give you a false sense of
security while ensuring that your computer is still open to
exploitation.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH


"Luis" > wrote in message
...
> How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
> internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
> an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
> feature of the operating system
>
> Luis

[BigJIm]

go to program files and rename MSNmessanger to anything else.
"Luis" > wrote in message
...
> How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
> internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
> an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
> feature of the operating system
>
> Luis

[Bruce]

Luis:
This isn't the Instant Messenger that people use to communicate but a
service that is used on corporate networks for network admins to send
messsages to the other workstations on it's network. Unless you are on a
corporate network, you can disable it easily.

Right click "My Computer" and select Manage.
Select "Services and Application"
Select "Services"
Scroll down and find the service called "Messenger". Double click on it.
Change the drop down box to "disable". Then click on "Stop Service".
click Ok until you're back at the desktop.
That's all there is to it.



--
Bruce
"Luis" > wrote in message
...
> How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
> internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
> an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
> feature of the operating system
>
> Luis

[Perdita X. Nitt]

Bruce wrote:
> Luis:
> This isn't the Instant Messenger that people use to communicate but a
> service that is used on corporate networks for network admins to send
> messsages to the other workstations on it's network. Unless you are
> on a corporate network, you can disable it easily.
>
> Right click "My Computer" and select Manage.
> Select "Services and Application"
> Select "Services"
> Scroll down and find the service called "Messenger". Double click on
> it. Change the drop down box to "disable". Then click on "Stop
> Service". click Ok until you're back at the desktop.
> That's all there is to it.

Er, no...there's more to it than that...Disabling the service - and advising
others to do so - is just about as stupid and foolish as ignoring the ads
altogether - read Bruce Chambers's post to learn why. Or does the last
paragraph of his post apply to you...?

"I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such bad advice
are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping you secure your
system, but would rather give you a false sense of
security while ensuring that your computer is still open to exploitation."


--
Perdita X. Dream

Please help us to help you
http://groups.google.com
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Please note that the reply address is fake.
Keep all posts to the groups as private requests for assistance
(i.e. email/IM) cannot be acknowledged. Thank you.

[PCyr]

Ignore Luis. See Nicholas and Bruce's response.

--
Check out http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com for amazing tweaks and fixes

Member of "Newsgroups are for everyone" (Perdita X. Twitt is a
self-appointed, self-righteous, ruthless, bitchy net-cop too!)

Email address is fake to prevent SPAM.
Real email address is pcyr2000 AT hotmail DOT com
Change the obvious to the obvious.
------------------
"Danny Bleu" > wrote in message
...
> Delete it.
>
> "Luis" > wrote in message
> ...
> How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
> internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
> an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
> feature of the operating system
>
> Luis
>
>

[PCyr]

Ignore BigJIm, he is giving you misleading, and problematic advice. See
Nicholas and Bruce's response.

--
Check out http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com for amazing tweaks and fixes

Member of "Newsgroups are for everyone" (Perdita X. Twitt is a
self-appointed, self-righteous, ruthless, bitchy net-cop too!)

Email address is fake to prevent SPAM.
Real email address is pcyr2000 AT hotmail DOT com
Change the obvious to the obvious.
------------------
"BigJIm" > wrote in message
t...
> go to program files and rename MSNmessanger to anything else.
> "Luis" > wrote in message
> ...
> > How do you disable the INSTANT MESSENGER which is used by
> > internet spammers to intrude instantly by popping up with
> > an advertisement on your screen using the instant messenger
> > feature of the operating system
> >
> > Luis
>
>

[PCyr]

Now now Cass, the first line is warranted, the second isn't - not just yet
at least.

--
Check out http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com for amazing tweaks and fixes

Member of "Newsgroups are for everyone" (Perdita X. Twitt is a
self-appointed, self-righteous, ruthless, bitchy net-cop too!)

Email address is fake to prevent SPAM.
Real email address is pcyr2000 AT hotmail DOT com
Change the obvious to the obvious.
------------------
"Perdita X. Nitt" > wrote in message
...
> Bruce wrote:
> > Luis:
> > This isn't the Instant Messenger that people use to communicate but a
> > service that is used on corporate networks for network admins to send
> > messsages to the other workstations on it's network. Unless you are
> > on a corporate network, you can disable it easily.
> >
> > Right click "My Computer" and select Manage.
> > Select "Services and Application"
> > Select "Services"
> > Scroll down and find the service called "Messenger". Double click on
> > it. Change the drop down box to "disable". Then click on "Stop
> > Service". click Ok until you're back at the desktop.
> > That's all there is to it.
>
> Er, no...there's more to it than that...Disabling the service - and
advising
> others to do so - is just about as stupid and foolish as ignoring the ads
> altogether - read Bruce Chambers's post to learn why. Or does the last
> paragraph of his post apply to you...?
>
> "I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such bad
advice
> are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping you secure your
> system, but would rather give you a false sense of
> security while ensuring that your computer is still open to exploitation."
>
>
> --
> Perdita X. Dream
>
> Please help us to help you
> http://groups.google.com
> http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> Please note that the reply address is fake.
> Keep all posts to the groups as private requests for assistance
> (i.e. email/IM) cannot be acknowledged. Thank you.
>
>
>
>