Disable Messenger MSN

Not every user of Windows XP wants to use MSN Messenger.

However if you try and set the options so that MSN Messenger does not load when Windows XP loads up. You often find that this does not work and MSN Messenger appears in the system tray again!

(NB - If you came her looking for an article on Disabling the Messenger Service, then read this article: http://www.updatexp.com/messenger_service_spam.html  )

Now there are a couple of methods to Disable Messenger MSN.

This is my personal favourite:

Step 1) To Disable Messenger MSN from running go to the start menu and select RUN. In the window that appears type regedit (see example below).

Step 2) The Registry editor will now have opened. Navigate to the following Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft


Now create a new key by selecting Edit from the main menu bar. Now select New then Key.

Name this new Key: Messenger


Step 3) Now select the newly created Messenger Key and create another new Key. Only this time we are going to name it: Client (The key should look like the example below...)

Step 4) Next we have to create a DWORD value. So Right Click the new Client Key and select New then DWORD.

Name the DWORD PreventRun (see example below.)

Step 5) Now we need to give it a Data Value of 1

Step 6) Now restart Windows XP and you will have successfully Disabled Messenger MSN

UPDATE: Since I wrote this article in 2004 - XP SP2/SP3 may mean this tip may no longer work on your system....