my love/hate relationship w/ msmsgs.exe

There is Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger and then there is Windows Messenging Service. The latter is removed easily via Steve Gibson's Shoot the Messenger mentioned by Close_Hauled earlier in this thread.

For Windows Messenger/MSN messenger you have to be very careful how you remove this or OE may be very slow to start. I have always used Doug Knox's method which is the command Eliot posted. Kelly's Korner also recommends Doug Knox's method. If you had the contacts pane open in OE then you should also do this to avoid extreme slowdowns in OE opening after Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger is removed.

"Note: This will prevent a long delay when opening Outlook Express if you have the Contacts pane enabled. To prevent this, click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express

Right click in the right pane and select New, Dword value. Give it the name Hide Messenger Double click this new entry and set the value to 2."

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_messenger_remove.htm
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_messenger.htm

The one disadvantage to removing Windows Messenger is that it is required for Remote Assistance to work. I just told a vendor of a product I have had for many years and use everyday and am now beta testing the Pro version that I would not let him come into my computer to see why WinPcap is not working with his application because to do Remote Assistance I would have to reinstall Windows Messenger which would put that horrible Messenger back in OE. Yes, I could get rid of it again....but I hate MSN messenger. I think MS should have a dedicated messenging program that works only as a part of Remote Assistance and not instead use that nasty, obnoxious Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger. So, as a result of my extreme reluctance to install MSN Messenger again, even for a short while, I have to use an older version of this application which works without WinPcap and I cannot upgrade to SP2 because then the application will not work as WinPcap is required for it to work with SP2 but not SP1a which I am currently using.

So, if one thinks they will ever use Remote Assistance (and more and more vendor troubleshooting is being done that way as well as users wanting to fix parent's, friend's, etc computers which are physically located far away from them) then one of Kelly's suggestions for disabling instead of removing Windows/MSN Messenger might be best.

 

FINALLY that stupid msmgs isn't sitting in the background with no way to stupid from loading! I was searching all over the place for this, thanks!

 

Just wanted to say that I had problem with msmsgs.exe running every 30 seconds and used XP-Antispy to get rid of Messenger and now no more problem. Thanks for the good advice..still valid almost two years later!