If you know what your doing with the registry then there is no problem. Why is everyone afraid of playing with the registry? It's hard to totaly fuck up the system by editing the registry. Unless you change the main parts of it like the Shell. As long as you make a backup your fine.
Ok, here's the instructions to remove Windows Messenger by hand:
Uninstall "Hidden" Windows Components
Apparently, Microsoft didn't want you to be able to remove some apps. You can editing the SYSOC.INF file, which is located in the C:\WINDOWS [or your Windows XP directory]\INF folder. Open it with Notepad or another editor.
Under the [Components] heading, you'll see a whole bunch of parameters for various Windows applets. Some of them contain the word "hide." Those particular programs, which include Windows Messenger (msmsgs), Terminal Server, Pinball, and others, are installed on your XP system, but their entries are hidden from and Add/Remove dialog.
To remove Windows Messenger, edit hide out of the line that reads
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
so that it looks like this:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
Save the file, close it, and open the Add/Remove Program applet. Click on Windows Components button and you'll see Windows Messenger listed. Uncheck it and click Next to purge that silly program from your system.
Feel free to edit hide everywhere it appears in the SYSOC.INF file to reveal other removable Windows XP components.
Fred Langa said:The lingering popup problem should be able to be controlled one of two ways, assuming you truly have disinfected the PC. As a fast first step, I'd suggest you run the free "Shoot the Messenger" tool from Gibson Research ( http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm ); this helps ensure that Windows Messenger service is disabled; and that Messenger-based popups can't get through. (Note: Don't be confused by the name. Windows Messenger is a system level network function different from the "MSN Messenger" chat toy.)
I suppose TCP was trying to say that if you're just doing the usual edits (UI and some performance stuff, maybe others). If you're trying to, say, edit services or file types, then all bets are off.
Comments
One error could cause a hosed system.
-Q
-Q
Uninstall "Hidden" Windows Components
Apparently, Microsoft didn't want you to be able to remove some apps. You can editing the SYSOC.INF file, which is located in the C:\WINDOWS [or your Windows XP directory]\INF folder. Open it with Notepad or another editor.
Under the [Components] heading, you'll see a whole bunch of parameters for various Windows applets. Some of them contain the word "hide." Those particular programs, which include Windows Messenger (msmsgs), Terminal Server, Pinball, and others, are installed on your XP system, but their entries are hidden from and Add/Remove dialog.
To remove Windows Messenger, edit hide out of the line that reads
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
so that it looks like this:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
Save the file, close it, and open the Add/Remove Program applet. Click on Windows Components button and you'll see Windows Messenger listed. Uncheck it and click Next to purge that silly program from your system.
Feel free to edit hide everywhere it appears in the SYSOC.INF file to reveal other removable Windows XP components.
Here's a link to Steve Gibson's app that removes it and it's called
"Shoot the Messenger":
http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm
Fred Langa said:The lingering popup problem should be able to be controlled one of two ways, assuming you truly have disinfected the PC. As a fast first step, I'd suggest you run the free "Shoot the Messenger" tool from Gibson Research ( http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm ); this helps ensure that Windows Messenger service is disabled; and that Messenger-based popups can't get through. (Note: Don't be confused by the name. Windows Messenger is a system level network function different from the "MSN Messenger" chat toy.)
For the complete topic here's a temporary link of Fred's article:
http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-12-09.htm
Thump
-Q
-Q