I think both those programs are 'possesors', meaning your PC is possessed by them. I don't run either for that reason. :p

Anyway, if you hit Control-Alt-Del you'll pull up Task Manager. You should be able to find a running process on the Processes page called 'msmsgs.exe', click it, then press the End Process button.

Now, open Windows Explorer, (NOT Internet Explorer), navigate to your C: drive, to the Program Files Folder, look in there for a folder called 'Messenger'. Open that folder, find the msmsgs.exe file inside, and rename it msmsgs.bak then Reboot, that should stop Windows Messenger from being able to run at all.

If this fixes it up for you, be sure to write these instructions down, because you may need to do it again once in a while after downloading new Windows Updates.

I know nothing of MSN messenger, if it stops working after you rename that file, you'll have to name it back to msmsgs.exe. Let me know how you fare.

Good luck.

Go to StartMenu->Run; when the prompt comes up type: msconfig then click OK. The System configuration utility will come up. Click on the startup tab.From this point you can control what programs will begin on startup. Simply uncheck whichever command line has windows messager(WM) in it. It should be GWMDMMSG, But I am not sure. Never mess with any files that have the word "system" or "system32" in them. However, none of this is any help if you are running MSN Messenger. MSN works with WM using NET passport, therefore when MSN starts so does WM.
NOTE: If u disable MSN Messenger Msn will not let u sign in. Best of luck!!

I kind of thought that MSN Messenger might use Windows Messenger, if you're right, you've just confirmed that.

I believe that in MSCONFIG, it's named "msmsgs", like DuncanIdaho mentioned. If you rename msmsgs.exe, you might then end up with an annoying "Cannot find MSMSGS.exe" type of error at startup.

Actually, I'll be surprised if he finds it in MSCONFIG, because if you tell it not to run in it's options as he said he did, it removes itself from MSCONFIG's list, so it shouldn't even be there. I guess it's possible that somehow he ended up with two entries for it in there though, (I have a few entries in mine that are duplicates, seems to happen on occasion).

go here and look at the info on how to turn off msn messenger.
http://willpull22.remnetworks.com/PCtips.htm

Thats a good point. Before I posted I went back and checked. There was no file "msmsgs". When I unchecked "GWMDMMSG" and rebooted neither my WM or MSN Messenger started. I am sure my version of Msn messanger is completely different than most(don't ask), which could also be the diffrence in the file name.
You are probably be right. It might not be there at all. Msn messenger does prompt it to start though.
I guess if we really wanted to be helpful and gain more insite we would ask:

Why is it that you do not windows messenger to run at statup?

I hope my questions get this much attention!

Karki, The easiest way to stop MSN Messenger from starting automatically is to open it, click on Tools (at the top), and then Options (at the bottom), Click on the Preferences tab, and then clear the box that says Run this program when Windows starts. Make any other changes you want while your there, and then click OK and close the program. It won't start automatically anymore.

For the Windows Messenger service, click on Start, point to Settings, click on Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, double-click Services, and scroll down to Messenger. It will probably show in the Startup Type as Automatic, right-click on it, and then click on Properties. At the Startup type box, click on the drop-down arrow and select either Manual or Disabled; Disabled will not allow you to use the program at all (unless you change it again), and Manual will let you start it whenever you want to.

Heheh, which is what he said he did at the start, which is why we got into less 'standard' ways of shutting Messenger down. He's not talking about Windows Messenger, the alerter service, rather Microsoft Messenger, and MSN Messenger.