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Messenger Service Popups

Popup windows while you're surfing the net are one thing, but now its possible for you to get popups by just being connected to the Internet. Have you gotten a popup like the image shown at right? These types of "messages" are received through the "net send" Messenger service in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

The "net send" Messenger service can be used by unauthorized users of your computer, without gaining any kind of privileged access, to cause a pop-up window to appear on your computer. Lately, this feature has been used by unsolicited commercial advertisers to inform many Internet users about a "university diploma service". Not only do users have spam coming into their email inboxes, but Windows users now have spam popping up on their screen.

The best way to stop these popups is by installing and configuring a personal firewall. This also secures your computer against many other unauthorized uses. There are hundreds of differ net personal firewall options available to computer users. Unfortunately, Tri Way Net cannot support their installation and configuration.

Another way to stop Messenger service popups is to disable the Messenger Service. If the service isn't running on your computer, it cannot be used. Please note that some programs, including anti-virus applications, may require the Messenger Service to send you alerts. Disabling the Messenger service may cause some programs to be unable to function properly.

To disable the "net send" Messenger service in Windows 2000 and Windows XP:

1. Log onto the computer as Administrator or as a user with administrative privileges.

2. Open the Control Panel, double click Administrative Tools, and double click Services.

3. Highlight Messenger in the list of Services, go to the Action menu and select Properties.

4. Select Disabled from the Startup Type drop down menu. This will keep the service from running when the computer is started. Click OK.

5. With Messenger still highlighted in the list of Services, click the stop button on the tool bar. This stops the service if it is currently running.

6. Close the Services window, Administrative tools, and Control Panel.