# Is there a simple way to disable MSN Messenger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783 "2006-01-20T04:01:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/1 "2006-01-20T04:01:08Z")
Is there a simple way to disable MSN Messenger or otherwise prevent its use on our computer? (and, if so, a simple way to re-enable or unblock the program?) Thanks for this! P.S. My daughter will hate me if this works ☹ but you gotta do what you gotta do. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/2 "2006-01-20T05:47:12Z")
Yes. I finally got so fed up with popups and spyware that I manually trashed MSIE: put it in the trash and emptied it. I have had opportunity to regret it since, but I’ve managed to get over it. I hate Bill Gates. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/3 "2006-01-20T05:55:22Z")
Have you ever tried that funky search engine [called Google](http://www.google.com/search?q=disable+msn+messenger&sourceid=mozilla&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/4 "2006-01-20T05:58:05Z")
Click on Start | Run. Enter this: RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/5 "2006-01-20T06:15:13Z")
Read the OP, peeps. He doesn’t want to permanently remove it. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/6 "2006-01-20T06:21:35Z")
Hey, thanks **DarrenS**! And, **Duckster** , what is this Goggle of which you speak? What are the annual fees? And where can I learn how to use it? More seriously, if I or anyone else on this board who has some modicum of specialized knowledge were to sneer, “check Google”, “do a search”, or “I found the answer with my first hit on Yahoo search, did you even try?”, we’d never have to answer another question. In my estimation, virtually every medical question I’ve seen posted on the SDMB is easily answerable with a web simple search (or, alas, is too silly to even have an answer). So, thanks again **DarrenS**. Much obliged. In subjects in which I’m totally ignorant, I feel a lot more comfortable getting a succinct answer from I “know” rather than hope that I’m interpreting some web article accurately. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/7 "2006-01-20T06:25:26Z")
… getting a succinct answer from someone I “know” rather … ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/8 "2006-01-20T07:02:37Z")
I’d say the best (and free) is Shoot-the-Messenger, from Steve Gibson of Gibson Research (producer of the famous SpinRite Disk Repair software). It’s available at [http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm](http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm) He has several other free utilities available at [http://www.grc.com](http://www.grc.com) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/9 "2006-01-20T09:46:24Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I’d say the best (and free) is Shoot-the-Messenger, from Steve Gibson of Gibson Research (producer of the famous SpinRite Disk Repair software). > > It’s available at [http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm](http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm) > > He has several other free utilities available at [http://www.grc.com](http://www.grc.com) From the link, > [@](#): > > Windows Messenger Service > > The first thing to understand is that the Windows Messenger Service is completely different from, and not in any way related to, “MSN Messenger”, “Windows Messenger”, or any other well-known instant messaging system. Therefore, disabling the Windows Messenger service will have no effect upon your use of any other instant messaging applications. > > Several considerations make this something of a problem: > > ``` > For network messages to be received, the receiving machine must open a port to actively listen for incoming network packets. That means that an Internet server must be running in the computer to service the incoming messages. The entire industry is still learning the hard way — with Code Red, Nimda, SQL Slammer, and the never exploited (yet) UPnP vulnerability — that leaving unneeded and non-maintained open servers running on the Internet is a bad and dangerous practice. Yet this has been Microsoft's continuing practice. What's worse is that, out of the box, Windows does this to end-user consumer machines. > > ``` > > The Messenger Service is another example of an Internet server that is running, by default, in all versions of Windows from NT through XP. It’s a bad idea. > Even if some group of users on a local area network (LAN) were using the built-in Messenger Service to send short notes and alerts to each other, it’s a good bet that no one ever intended for it to be used out on the wide area Internet network (WAN). The fact that the Messenger Service “went global” as Windows-based personal computers were put onto the Internet was probably an accident of history and an oversight by Microsoft. Or perhaps Microsoft just didn’t care. Either way, it’s a good bet that no typical Internet end user who knows what’s going on needs or wants to have it running. > Since the first release of Windows 1.0, people have never stopped complaining about how slow and resource-hungry Windows is to boot and operate. It’s things like leaving unneeded, unwanted, and never used services running — exactly like Windows Messenger — that tie up RAM, burn CPU cycles, and consume other system resources. It adds up to slowing everything down. > > Turning off unneeded services and not running unnecessary programs is always a good idea. so it’s got nothing to do with MSN Messenger, but it’s still a REALLY good thing to do! IMNSHO every security tip Steve Gibson has on his site is a MUST DO! ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/10 "2006-01-20T14:21:10Z")
Yeah, Windows Messenger is nothing to do with MSN Messenger – but it is evil nonetheless. It’s one of the first things I disable whenever I perform a new XP install for someone. (I think it comes pre-disabled in SP2 installs, now that I think about it) For reference, disabling Windows Messenger is as easy as clicking Start-\>Run, entering “msconfig” clicking on the “startup” tab and unchecking the entry “msmsgs” I’ve never used MSN Messenger but I believe it can also be found here as an entry labeled “msnmsgr.exe” – unchecking that will disable MSN from running the next time you reboot. To re-enable, follow the same steps and check “msnmsgr.exe” and reboot. ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/11 "2006-01-20T14:49:31Z")
I’m assuming your daughter is spending too much time chatting on MSN messenger and you are trying to limit it. I wouldn’t bother with any technical solutions to try and disable/enable the program. She can easily get around just about anything you do, including using a different chat client that can connect to the MSN service. Sorry, you have to do the parent thing and actually enforce the rules yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/12 "2006-01-20T15:16:59Z")
> [@LionelHutz405](#): > > I’m assuming your daughter is spending too much time chatting on MSN messenger and you are trying to limit it. I wouldn’t bother with any technical solutions to try and disable/enable the program. She can easily get around just about anything you do, including using a different chat client that can connect to the MSN service. Depends on how technically inclined she is, but you are probably correct. Not only are there different clients, but there’s web-based interfaces. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-simple-way-to-disable-msn-messenger/340783/13 "2006-01-20T21:38:15Z")
The only thing I can think of is blocking access to the program through a firewall and then password protecting the firewall. However, that won’t stop her from using the web client.