Re: pop - ups

From: Bruce Chambers (bchambers_at_nospam.cableone.net)
Date: 08/08/03 

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 09:57:32 -0600

Greetings --

    Please stop posting potentially harmful advice. What are you, a
hacker-wannabe? Why else would you be deliberately posting bad
advice? Are you trying to give people a false sense of security by
having them turn off what are, in effect, valid security warnings,
while still leaving their PCs open to potential exploitation?

    Disabling the messenger service is a "head in the sand" approach
to computer security.

    The real problem is _not_ the messenger service pop-ups; they're
actually providing a useful service by acting as a security alert. The
true problem is the unsecured computer, and you're only
advice, however well-intended, was to turn off the warnings. How is
this helpful?

    Equivalent Scenario: You over-exert your shoulder at work or
play, causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes
excruciating pain whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to
a doctor and say, while demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when
I do this." The doctor, being as helpful as you are, replies, "Well,
don't do that."

    The only true way to secure the PC, short of disconnecting it from
the Internet, is to install and *properly* configure a firewall; just
installing one and letting it's default settings handle things is no
good. Unfortunately, this does require one to learn a little bit more
about using a computer than used to be necessary.

Bruce Chambers 

--
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"donna" <sphinx264@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:06f801c35d61$de7cd640$a301280a@phx.gbl...
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >I am having the same problem with pop ups as Carl is,
> but
> >I do not have Zone Alarm.  Is there any way under
> windows
> >XP to disable these pop-ups.  I am worried about things
> >being put onto my computer or taken off, either way.
> >
> >Thanks for any help you can give.
> >
> >.
> >
>
> No, you dont have to download any thing. Just go to
> control panel and under performance and maintanence go to
> administrative tools. under administrative tools, go to
> services. scroll down until you see an application
> called, messenger. right click on that and go to
> properties. on the prop. window youll see a button that
> says stop. click that and then on the drop down menu
> thats labeled start up type select manual. then click
> apply and ok.