Are people aware that there are TWO Messenger coming with windows? One that is
Windows Messenger, and one that is named
Messenger Service, which is something completely different? I assume Drebbel is aware of that and refers to the first?!
If it is only my copy of Windows, than all these tools have been made by strangers with just my little person in mind!

Neither on my nor on other systems I was ever able to disable the loading of Messenger when Windows reboots by the usual procedures explained in FAQs from the net, or how you usually would activate and deactivate such services. It has something to do with Microsoft policies of pushing their products along with their OS, like the trouble around Java or the Media Player. The problem of removing the Messenger is intentional, not a random event. For many people it simply does not work to deactivate it as expected, thus they created tools to deactivate it from outside (and allow to activate it again, if wanted). The German wikipedia clearly states that Windows Messenger is integral part of Windows XP Home
and does not have any visible deinstallation routine - you cannot remove it by the usual methods and from within windows. It is a reduced version of MSN Messenger 8.0, called windows Messenger It is the same for XP Home and XP Pro.
http://www.chunkypig.com/msn/windows...er_remover.php
http://www.soft32.com/download_20927.html
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/R...essenger.shtml
What these tools do is probably essentially just what is explained in this short description.
http://www.updatexp.com/disable-messenger-msn.html
Since I never have used any of the tools I linked to above, I still recommend to use the XP-antispy which I have used since years and can confirm that it works reliable in all it'S many functions. Link in my first reply.
Maybe different standards of windows Updates have adressed the issue, and now it is no more an issue. I haven'T checked for that. If Drebbel hasn'T updated his Windows since longer time, he may want to check for that possebility.
And I don'T tell people a
fourth time to deactivate Messenger from outside the internal Windows options in case the internal functions do not work for them!

:rotfl: