Some folks love instant messaging programs like Windows Messenger. They love to be interrupted, and they like to bug their friends. Other folks hate messaging programs, and they loathe seeing Windows Messenger slurping up memory as its dastardly little icon rests next to their computer’s system clock.

Unlike most Windows XP accessories, Microsoft made Windows Messenger particularly difficult to uninstall. Control Panel’s “Add or Remove Programs” area, where users could remove traditional programs like Paint and WordPad, simply didn’t list Windows Messenger. Thankfully, Windows XP’s service packs make the hatchet job much easier, but Windows Messenger can be removed even if you haven’t installed a Service Pack.

Since Messenger’s removal process differs depending on whether or not your computer has the Service Pack, always check for the Service Pack before trying to remove Messenger.

Checking to see if your computer has the Service Pack installed

Many people have downloaded and installed Windows XP’s Service Packs through Windows Update. Also, most new computers come with Windows XP’s Service Packs pre-installed. To see if your computer has the Service Pack, click the Start button, right-click My Computer and choose Properties.
When installed, the Service Pack adds the words “Service Pack 1”, like in the figure to the left, or Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3, which is even better. (Service Pack 2 contains all of Service Pack 1, along with other Windows fixes.)

Killing Messenger on computers that have Service Pack 1 installed

Installing any of the three Service Packs will list Windows Messenger as a removable item in the Windows Components area. Here’s the step-by step for removing Windows Messenger if your computer has a Service Pack installed:

1. Open Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Choose Add or Remove Programs.
3. Select Add/Remove Windows Components.
4. Click to remove the checkmark next to “Windows Messenger”.
5. Click the Next button.
6. Click the Finish button.
7. Restart your computer.

Removing Messenger on computers that don’t have Service Pack 1

If your computer doesn’t have a service pack installed, purging Windows Messenger is more difficult. Microsoft forces you to take a sneaky backdoor route. Here’s what to do:

1. Verify that your computer doesn’t already have the Service Pack installed, or these steps will lead to a confusing “unregistering the ocx 16422” error message and possible further problems.
2. Copy the boldface sentence below. (To copy the sentence, highlight it with your mouse, right-click it, and choose Copy from the pop-up menu.)

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection%windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

3. Click the Start button, choose Run, and paste the sentence into the “Open” box. (To paste it, right-click inside the “Open” box and choose Paste.)
4. Close your Internet browser, MSN, Windows Messenger, and Outlook Express, if they’re running.
5. Click the Run window’s OK button.

When you restart Windows XP, Windows Messenger will no longer sit by your computer’s clock, hogging memory and resources. However, it may still reappear when you load Outlook Express, a curable problem described below.

Stopping Windows Messenger from reappearing with Outlook Express

Sometimes the little beast just doesn’t give up. For instance, even after you go through the trouble of “uninstalling” the darn thing, Windows Messenger still pops up whenever you run Outlook Express — which some people do every time they start Windows.
To stop Outlook Express from dragging Windows Messenger back onto your System tray, follow these steps:

1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Choose Options from the Tools menu.
3. Click the General tab.
4. Click to remove the checkmark from the box marked, “Automatically log on to Windows Messenger.”
5. Click the OK button.
6. Choose Layout from the View menu.
7. Click to remove the checkmark from Contacts.
8. Click the OK button to close the Window.

The ugly truth about Windows Messenger

Actually, the steps on this page simply keep Windows Messenger from automatically running when you start Windows XP. The Messenger program still lives on your hard drive, waiting to be called into service. That’s because Microsoft says that Windows Messenger’s “Messenger Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)” is necessary for Outlook 2002, Outlook Express 6, and the Remote Assistance feature.

For more technical information about Windows Messenger, Microsoft offers this page with instructions on editing the registry. If you’re not comfortable editing the registry, please don’t, as a small typographical error can make both you and your computer very, very unhappy.

Finally, if you’re using MSN Messenger instead of or with Windows Messenger, check out Jonathan Kay’s Web site for information.

Sometimes, the most useful features of a new operating system aren’t mentioned in the billion dollar marketing campaign. Here a few of my favorite tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Windows XP. None of these are earth shakers, but I’ll bet you’ll begin incorporating at least a few of them into your own copy of XP. Click to read more »

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As soon as you begin to type something — a Web site in Internet Explorer, for instance, a credit card into an online form, or several other items — Windows XP often races in to help. It sends down a little box, as seen below, listing items you’ve typed in previously.

Some people find it handy to tap the down arrow key and pluck an oft-typed phrase from Windows XP’s “AutoComplete” list. Others prefer to keep Windows XP from looking over their shoulder and jotting down their words. If you don’t like Windows XP spying on you, here’s how to make it stop.
Click to read more »

Microsoft took great pains to tidy up Windows XP’s appearance, leaving the Desktop as bare as possible. The My Computer icon and My Documents icon no longer wait for your click along on the Desktop’s edge, as they did in previous Windows versions. Like everything else, they’re now packed onto the Start menu.

Some programs still attempt to sprinkle their icons next to the Taskbar’s clock for easy access. But Windows XP wants that area clean, too; Windows XP automatically launches a robot to hide the icons — unless you tell it to stop.

Most of all, I miss the Quick Launch Toolbar – that little strip of frequently used icons that once sat next to my Start menu. In the old days, a single click on a favorite icon in the Quick Launch toolbar brought that program to life. Windows XP’s clean new look forces users to click the Start menu and swim through its waterfall of cascading menus to find just about any program.

But when Windows XP takes away a former feature, it usually includes an option to put that feature back in place – if you know how. Here’s how to put the Quick Launch Toolbar back to its spot next to the Start menu. Click to read more »