Chances are if you’re using any Microsoft messaging service at all it’ll be Windows Live Messenger rather than the default Windows Messenger that comes with Windows XP. Perhaps you don’t use any Microsoft messaging service at all, and therefore you have no use for the default Windows Messenger – So when it appears in your system tray and says that it’s running then it’s a total waste of CPU cycles and resources. Windows Messenger makes these unexpected appearances because Outlook, Outlook Express, and even some Microsoft Web pages make it load automatically at times. Closing it down, on the other hand, can be quite a pain. Wouldn’t it be better to be rid of it once and for all?

Fear not; you can do just that; and here’s how to do it:

Some websites advise you to do it by making an alteration to the local group policy with the Group Policy Editor using the following procedure:

1. Access the Run dialog box by pressing [Windows]R.
2. In the Open text box type Gpedit.msc and click OK to launch the Group Policy Editor.
3. Go to Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Windows Messenger.
4. Double-click the Do Not Allow Windows Messenger To Be Run setting.
5. In the resulting dialog box, select the Enabled option and click OK.
6. Close the Group Policy Editor.

That’s all very well if you’re running Windows XP Professional; but useless if you have XP Home as it can’t be done in XP Home.

Here’s a way to accomplish the operation in both XP Home and XP Professional; and it has nothing to do with the Group Policy Editor.

Windows Messenger is a Windows Component; so let’s remove it as such:

Click Start>Control Panel, (Ensure that the Classic View is applied to the Control Panel.) and click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

In the sidebar on the left; click the Add/Remove Windows Components icon.

Near to the bottom of the list that appears you’ll see Windows Messenger. (You’ll have to scroll down to find it.) Next to the entry on the left you’ll see a checkbox with a tick in it. Click the tick so that it vanishes and click on Next.

Windows will remove the Windows Messenger component.

(Please note: Doing this removes the default Windows Messenger that ships with the operating system ONLY. It doesn’t uninstall Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger.)

Click Finish and close.

Target Neutralized.