Shoutbox

After about an hour on the phone with the bozo's at MicroSlop tech support here's the skinny I've learned:


1) The click box in Windows Messenger "Allow Messenger to run in background" is NOT functional.  Everytime you restart your system it get's re-checked.

2) The Messenger Service is NOT Windows Messenger.  It's the service the OS uses to notify you of errors and other system messages.

3) The "Ask for remote assistance" menu item in MSN Messenger still requires Windows Messenger (in fact, as far as I can tell the MSN one does nothing -- can't get MicroSlop to comment on it as they don't support it).

4) Removing Windows Messenger completely using the rundll technique does cripple many other tools in the OS and in MSN Messenger.

5)  GPEdit or a Registry Edit is the only way to disable Windows Messenger.  Merely, "uninstalling" it using "Add/Remove Programs" doesn't do anything but remove the icon from your start menu.

6) To use other tools which require windows messenger, such as remote assistance, the only way is to go back in with either gpedit or regedit and temporarily re-enable it.

Think that's about it.  Hope it helps.  Personally I don't like "work arounds", I prefer software that works.

Perhaps if enough of us bombard Microslop with emails about how much of a security risk it is to notify the world everytime you start up your computer, perhaps under their "Secure Computing Initiative" they might feel it would be bad PR not to action it. 

You can also write an email to your favourite anti-Microslop journalist suggesting they look into the security implications, this might also pressure MS to do something about it.  History has shown they could care less what the users want, but they do care how they appear in the press.