How To Stop Windows Messenger from Starting Automatically

Windows Messenger is a handy program to have and use. However, many people do not use Windows Messenger and do not need the program running automatically.

Microsoft has meshed Messenger into it’s operating system. You may have Messenger installed and running automatically just by booting up your system or by opening Outlook or Outlook Express.

Removing Windows Messenger or at least stopping it from starting automatically is not easy to figure out. Stopping Windows Messenger cannot be accomplished with the techniques in the post Stop Programs From Starting Automatically–Advanced. So here are the steps to stop Windows Messenger from starting automatically.

Windows Messenger 4.0 on a Windows XP Home Edition

1) Start Windows Messenger.
2) Click Options on the Tools menu.
3) Click the Preferences tab, click to clear the “Run this program when Windows starts” check box, and then click OK.

Windows Messenger 4.5 or Later on Either Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional

1. Click on Start, Run
2. Type REGEDIT and Press Enter
3. Click on the Pluses (+) next to the following items

* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
* Software
* Policies
* Microsoft

4. If the folder Messenger is not listed, click on the Edit menu, point to New, click Key, and then type Messenger for the name of the new registry key
5. If the folder Client is not listed under Messenger, click on the Edit menu, point to New, click Key, and then type Client for the name of the new registry key
6. On the Edit Menu, point to New, click DWORD Value, and then type PreventRun for the name of the new DWORD value. Remember all of this is case sensitive.
7. Right-click the PreventRun value that you created, click Modify, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
8. Quit Registry Editor.

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