Short answer, you need to disable Windows Messenging in your services panel. (Not the same thing as MS Instant Messenger-- it’s intended for use on a LAN.)
I don’t use XP, so I can’t give you any detail on how to do this. Using the Windows help function and searching for “Messenger” or “Network services” ought to point you in the right direction.
Oh, and the reason that that particular bit of spam appears to be gibberish is that it’s point-of-origin is Korea. If you had korean-language support installed it would look a bit less cryptic.
It’s in Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services. You want to set Messenger to Disabled and Manual, so it isn’t activated unless you want it activated.
Note: I am not responsible if something somehow goes wrong. (Don’t worry, just covering my ass.)
“Windows 98 & ME Windows Messenger Service cannot be disabled”.
That’s because it doesn’t exist. “WinPopup” or equivalent software is required to get “SMB Messages” under Win95/98/ME, and that’s not on any default Windows installation I’ve ever seen.
Try it. Go to a command prompt, do
NET SEND <computer or username> THIS IS A MESSAGE
You’ll see the popup on NT/2K/XP machines with the Windows Messaging service installed, but won’t see it on 95/98/ME.
Incidentally, this is a great way to annoy people.