# How do I get rid of these popups? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658 "2003-04-01T06:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/1 "2003-04-01T06:45:45Z")
I get about two or three of these a day - not usually when I’m websurfing, (usually when the computer is idle for a while). I’m running WinXP. They look like message boxes, and just consist of text and an “ok” box at the bottom. The title on the window is “Messenger Service” No graphics, and all the text is in the default message text style. I have run Ad-aware. It isn’t finding anything. Not sure what else I can/should do to find what is causing this? Any suggestions? Anyone know what’s causing it? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/2 "2003-04-01T06:53:26Z")
Those might be pop-up ads that the site is launching, nothing to do with spywares or adwares - just javascript-based popups. If those are bothering you, try Opera 7.0, and under File-\>Quick Preferences, select how you want to deal with the pop-ups. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/3 "2003-04-01T06:58:49Z")
It’s part of WinXP, not just random popups. To disable them, go to Control Panel-\>Services and set Messenger to Manual and stop it. The messages will disappear. This is a loophole spammers found in XP’s built in messaging system, and is independent of MSN/Windows Messenger IM service. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/4 "2003-04-01T07:19:46Z")
1. Disable the windows messaging service on your machine 2. Install a hardware or software firewall 3. Use a local proxy such as The Proxomitron to supress unwanted web content. -FK ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/5 "2003-04-01T21:14:36Z")
I don’t seem to have a Control Panel\> Services. (I have CP, obviously, just no “Services.”) Is there anywhere else it might be? ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/6 "2003-04-01T21:22:23Z")
Follow these steps. This should do it for you. SFP – Click on the Start button in the taskbar – Open Control Panels – Go to Administrative Tools (XP users may need to go to ‘Performance and Maintenance’ first, then Administrative Tools) – Double-click on Services – Scroll down to Messenger – Double-click on Messenger – Change the Startup type to “Disabled” – Click Stop to stop the service ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/7 "2003-04-01T21:24:10Z")
If you go to “Run” and type in msconfig, click the Services tab, and uncheck the box in front of Messenger and reboot, it should prevent it as I think it’s different from MSN Messenger (the IM prog). A firewall should prevent it, too, my router’s does. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-rid-of-these-popups/165658/8 "2003-04-01T22:18:47Z")
This question is becoming a perennial favorite! Check out [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=168627), or [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s&threadid=171430).