Don’t shoot the Messenger, remove it

MSN Messenger is a great hub of utilities for audio, web cam video streaming as well as text chatting. It also has a built-in whiteboard, screen sharing, file sharing, and even remote support tools. It can even serve as a source of some great business communications.

But what will you do if you never use it, and don’t plan to, either? Why does it automatically load and annoy users every time they log on to Windows?

MSN Messenger is installed with Windows XP by default. It is also set to load in your system tray when Windows boots. Look at the bottom right of your computer screen, near the clock, for the little blue person.

To remove if from your computer, open Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows components. The very last item is MSN Messenger. Remove the check mark and click OK.

You may need your Windows XP CD ROM to locate the source files. It’s an annoyance – to require a CD when removing software. It may be that Windows XP requires other files as necessary replacements for files you are uninstalling.

To disable MSN Messenger from starting automatically with Windows, double-click on it to open it. As mentioned, you can also locate it down by the clock, on the right-bottom corner. It’s the little blue person.

If you have never set it up before, you may be prompted to do so. Use Windows Passport. Click Cancel to bypass this step. Once MSN Messenger is open, click on Tools, Options, and then the Preferences tab. There are two check marks to remove. First, remove the check mark called Run Windows Messenger When Windows Starts, and last, remove the check mark called Allow Windows Messenger To Run In The Background.

This will stop MSN Messenger from loading with Windows, and from running down in the system tray, by the clock. If you removed it from your Add/Remove Programs list, then consider it gone from your computer.

If you ever need it reinstalled, simply go back to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Windows Accessories, and put the check mark back.