The top section of this guide will explain how to remove Windows Messenger, because I find it really annoying on Windows XP when as soon as you log onto the internet it signs itself in for you and people see that you're online. Then you're stuck - you have to talk to them. And I'm not a great fan of disabling it, so removal shall be explained. In the bottom section of this guide I will explain how to remove the Messenger service, but the top section will be dedicated to the instant messaging program.
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REMOVAL OF WINDOWS MESSENGER ON WINDOWS XP with SP1+ :

1) Click on Start, then Control Panel.
2) Open "Add or Remove Programs".
3) Click once on Add/Remove Windows Components.
4) Uncheck Windows Messenger.
5) Click Next, then Finish. (duh )
6) Restart your computer.

**Sometimes this does not work and Windows Messenger still stays on your computer, I don't know why**


REMOVAL OF WINDOWS MESSENGER ON WINDOWS XP without SP1+ :

Close all programs like Outlook Express, Windows Messenger (from the taskbar), and Internet Explorer.

1) Click on Start, Run. (Or hold the Windows key on your keyboard and press R).
2) Type in (or copy and paste) the following into the Run box.

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

3) Click on OK, and then follow the uninstall instructions. And its done!

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REMOVING THE MESSENGER SERVICE ON WINDOWS XP:

1) Click on Start, Run.
2) Type in services.msc, and hit enter.
3) Scroll down to Messenger, right click on it and select Properties.
4) Under the General tab, look down a bit and you should see something saying "Startup type:".
5) In the box next to it, click once and select "Disabled".
6) Click OK, and exit Services.
7) It's done!!

Cheers ,

J_K9