So I have everything working fine, got around the serial key issues, boot file issue, and now I just have one problem left... these....



I try doing what they say and I get the program but it won't let fix the problem it only lets me scan for problems, so I use google and find a cracked copy. It fixes s problem or two each time I run it and then it runs out of problems to fix yet I still get these error messages. I think it's my install cd or my hard drive thats doing this although I think it is my install cd. Is there anyway I can fix this once and for all? I am running XP Home.

Those are ads. Don't do what they say. You probably downloaded spyware as a result of following them.

Disable the Messenger service:

Start -> Run: services.msc

Go down to "Messenger" and right click, Properties. Stop the service. Change Startup Type to Disabled. Done.

Now I feel like an idiot. That completely explains why the title bar was a different type as well..... Thank you very much.

Posted by Sinister Crayon Now I feel like an idiot. That completely explains why the title bar was a different type as well..... Thank you very much.

Don't feel bad. Microsoft are the idiots for leaving these services running in the default installation that allow for these types of exploits.

EGV

Permantly remove messenger by pasting this into run and then ok.

RUNDLL32.EXE ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\MSMSGS.INF,BLC.Remove

Oddly enough I thought SP2 automatically removed/disabled Messenger from XP. I slipstreamed SP2 onto my install disc and since have never seen messenger. Do you have Windows fully updated?

must have missed all the news coverage of this one back a while ago eh?
sure was an annoying as hell little hole.

Posted by Slickis Permantly remove messenger by pasting this into run and then ok. RUNDLL32.EXE ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\MSMSGS.INF,BLC.Remove

That removes the windows messenger program, which is like MSN messenger lite. The problem here is with the messenger service. Disable the service like Particle Man said and/or get a firewall.

Posted by ex-goose-villager Don't feel bad. Microsoft are the idiots for leaving these services running in the default installation that allow for these types of exploits.

Grumble...

Why are THEY idiots for making it the users responsibility to secure their own machine? If it were a car, and the doors locked everytime you closed a door, you'd be pretty pissed, right? I'll lock my own doors, thank you.

If it were the other way around I'm sure you'd be standing there whining about all the setup and configuration you have to do to get other systems to work.

There are a LOT of MS customers that depend on the messenger service for the operation of their network and enterprise systems. Just because you have no use for it doesn't make it useless to the entire community.

Honestly though, if you're depending on your OS and software alone to provide all your security you're the idiot. Get a freakin firewall and this problem just goes away.

Posted by Chainsaw Grumble... Why are THEY idiots for making it the users responsibility to secure their own machine? If it were a car, and the doors locked everytime you closed a door, you'd be pretty pissed, right? I'll lock my own doors, thank you.

The average person knows full-well how to lock the door of his car; they also know why it is necessary. They don't know how to lock down their computer, and many times, they don't even realize that it is necessary.

If it were the other way around I'm sure you'd be standing there whining about all the setup and configuration you have to do to get other systems to work.

Hardly....

There are a LOT of MS customers that depend on the messenger service for the operation of their network and enterprise systems. Just because you have no use for it doesn't make it useless to the entire community.

If a corporate customer has a need for it, then they should be able to turn it on, if need be. Joe average consumer has little need for this, and it leads to confusion as exemplified by the original poster's plight.

Honestly though, if you're depending on your OS and software alone to provide all your security you're the idiot. Get a freakin firewall and this problem just goes away.

I have a hardware firewall, and each machine is firewalled as well. I only have one windows box on my network anyways, the rest of them run linux.

EGV

Posted by ex-goose-villager The average person knows full-well how to lock the door of his car; they also know why it is necessary. They don't know how to lock down their computer, and many times, they don't even realize that it is necessary.

Natural Selection. The exact same thing could be said about preparing your tax documents.

If a corporate customer has a need for it, then they should be able to turn it on, if need be. Joe average consumer has little need for this, and it leads to confusion as exemplified by the original poster's plight.

How many corporate PC's are deployed in any given day versus personal PC's? Corporations ARE MS's primary customers and largest segment of their market. Joe average consumer is at the mercy of supply and demand. So long as corporations are the primary drivers behind the PC industry commercial OS's will cater to them.

I have a hardware firewall, and each machine is firewalled as well. I only have one windows box on my network anyways, the rest of them run linux.

Good, now go out there and propagate the intelligence of our species. This wasn't an attack on you by any means, I recognize you're self sufficient. What I don't understand is why your so quick to attack microsoft for not protecting the herd from predators. It's good for the gene pool.

Maybe MS should start putting warning stickers on their product like people that make toasters do, so idiots don't burn themselves.

Sorry, that was pretty tongue in cheek - let me take a moment to explain my stance.

I make my living, and have made my living supporting windows and ms products for more than 10 years. I have a keen understanding of why MS makes a lot of the decisions they make - While I was working at HP I worked directly with MS during the development, alpha, beta and release of Windows XP as a partner.

When designing a PC, or an OS you have to take the market demand into account. Who is going to be buying the product and how do you provide them the best value? With Windows the majority of the market are enterprise environments.

With that in mind MS has tried to make windows as widely configurable and as "out of the box" ready to work as possible. It may be inconvenient for you to go in and disable the messenger service when you install windows. Now look at a company like, say Caterpillar. They buy 2000 new PC's to deploy in their environment, they need messenger turned on, they want the cost of deployment as low as possible.

Seeing as your bought one XP license and they bought 2000, guess who's default configuration need is going to be chosen for the XP default?

Now, caterpillar doesn't buy these licenses from MS directly, they buy them, with the machines from a manufacturer like HP or Dell. HP and Dell have many such customers. MANY MANY such customers. So, MS works closely with the PC manufacturers to make sure the OS fits the scope and expectations of their partners (Dell and HP and whoever). If the majority of those partners, or the minority with enough financial leverage, demands the messenger service be left on by default to keep their system configuration costs down, guess what's going to happen?

Of course, I should mention that HP and Dell have their consumer divisions making home PC's that are always weighing in on such issues. Usually in direct conflict with the business divisions. But the partners and MS does a little math and it's obvious who's the cash cow.

The majority of technology for the home market trickles down from the highend business technologies as a test bed and typically only integrated into consumer models once it's fairly widespread, usually because demand has driven increases in production of the components, dropping the price per unit and making them more affordable for the Average Joe user.

So, really, Average Joe doesn't get much more than the table scraps left over after the corporate world has feasted on the technology goodness. You're right, the vast majority of USERS don't know enough to properly secure and administer a fast computer with a high speed internet. But, in reality the vast majority of USERS are not administering, or purchasing the vast majority of systems.

This leaves a niche in the market. That has quickly filled up with scam/spam/bullshit artists. But, it has also opened up a lot of jobs. You remember jobs? I remember jobs... Supporting the vast majority of USERS is big business.

My continuing essay...

Okay, so it's all well and good - commercial software and hardware manufacturers are going to continue to cater to corp buyers. I doubt we'll see that change in our lifetimes.

BUT! There is hope on the horizon. It's the free and open source software community!

While MS continues to crank out products for the corp buyer geeks all over the world sit huddled in front of their computers, using powerful communications tools, hardware and software to create niche software. Building tools for specialized functions as well as freely available common use products.

I've recently made a big switch - watch for me posting about it soon - in my software/application platform usage in the home. Products like Adobe Photoshop and MS Office are priced out of reasonable cost for the everyday user. It's not necessary to waste your time downloading illegal copies or hunting through questionable neighborhoods on the web to find cracks for their copy protection schemes.

I am greatly enthusiastic about how individual and small groups of developers are coming together to create tools for the everyday user that aren't based on ad revenue, spyware or other such crap. While this movement still has very little impact on hardware manufacturers, I think we will see that changing as time goes by. As it becomes easier to manufacturer circ boards, chips and other hardware components I think we'll start seeing design info small custom pieces of hardware and information on how to have them manufactured for individual use.

These products are of course of little or no value to the corp community, but who they are valuable to are the major manufacturers. In a society where anyone can write a piece of software or design a piece of hardware from their personal computer we'll be providing a LOT of innovation in the IT industry. A lot of people complain when a small group or individual makes a good utility only to have it knocked off by a major player. BUT! When this happens we are seeing an individual or small group DIRECTING the major manufacturers!

With competition keeping margins low on products more and more majors are cutting more and more of their R&D budgets. Thank GOD we have these individuals and small groups driving innovation! In some instances (most probably) it's not exactly financially "fair" to the innovator but as a community as a whole we do benefit from these situations.

The major manufacturers customers are NOT looking for innovation. They aren't wondering what they can play with to improve their organization. They want costs as low as possible and some little widget utility that may increase their productivity can cause major headaches in their support and systems infrastructure. They look at years or decades of use from a system and aren't interested in swapping out technologies just to "try it out". They just can't adapt efficiently enough to really be an effective incubator for new technology.

Companies like Adobe and MS can't spend the research dollars on developing technology they have no demand for, regardless of how clever or innovative it is. They are committed and dependent on satisfying the folks that pay their rent.

BECAUSE of this arrangement the open source community we've seen has come to be. So while you rail against MS not satisfying the needs of the every man, or Adobe for charging astronomical prices for their software THEY have created a sheltered corner of the industry. By turning their backs on us they have forced us to become self sufficient. While they continue to provide major changes in technology and performance, providing large playing fields, environments and raw power for us to draw on to provide that incubation test bed we need to keep driving IT forward.

I would be much less happy if we lived in a world where MS and Dell tried to dictate this kind of development, like any process run by a corporation it would not focus on what WE the consumers really need, like the open source community does, but what they, the manufacturer THINKS we need. If MS tried to cater to the needs of every individual we'd have a boring, mundane, crappy set of tools available to us.

Joe User is 18, and it's time to get the hell out of his parents basement. While the parents provided us a rich environment to draw from its up to us, the individual users, to step up to the plate and become independent. So, stop whining about how MS doesn't care for your every need, you're a grown up now, perhaps it's time for YOU to start caring for your own needs. Our parents have provided us with a LOT of tools to do it.

I think the dumbest question of all might be, "Why don't you have a firewall on that box? Or at least on your network at all?"... <you need to have ports open for stuff to get in via the messenger service, and if you have default Windows ports like that wide open, you're pretty much "Owned" already>

take a monitor and throw it off the bridge.