Member Avatar for PuntaGordaJohn

This pop-up is a real pain. Some of the pop-up's are "Warning!! Registry errors detected on your PC! To fix registry errors do the following. Download registry sweeper from www.fixwinregister.com." Also, ", etc etc. There has been a parade of these pop-up's.

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As described, the “Messenger Service” popups that scream about registry errors are classic scareware — usually one of two things: network‑sent “messenger” spam (the legacy net‑send/alerter mechanism) or local adware/spyware that hijacks the browser and shows fake registry‑sweeper pages. was right to point at the Messenger vector and was right to suspect adware; Microsoft documented the Messenger service risk, and security vendors describe how adware produces these popups. Microsoft MS03-043 (Messenger service) — Malwarebytes: Adware explanation and remediation. (learn.microsoft.com)

Immediate triage (fast, low risk)

  • Disconnect the PC from the network (unplug or disable Wi‑Fi) so remote messages and callbacks stop.
  • Do not click the popup links or download “fix” tools they offer. End the browser process via Task Manager or use the keyboard/workarounds for a locked browser as described by Malwarebytes, then clear browser cache.
  • If the system looks compromised, boot to Safe Mode (or use rescue media) before running scanners. (help.malwarebytes.com)

Cleanup checklist (recommended order)

  • From a known‑clean machine download and run an on‑demand anti‑malware scan (examples: Malwarebytes) and the Microsoft Safety Scanner; use a bootable offline scanner (Microsoft Defender Offline) for stubborn infections.
  • Use Autoruns (Sysinternals) to find and remove persistence (startup items, scheduled tasks, browser helpers).
  • After removal, review browser extensions, scheduled tasks and the hosts file; if problems persist, back up data and consider a clean OS reinstall. Malwarebytes — — Microsoft Defender Offline — Autoruns (Sysinternals). (malwarebytes.com)

Prevention / longer term
If you have an older machine (Win2K/XP) the legacy Messenger service and NetBIOS/SMB ports are the cause; block inbound NetBIOS/SMB ports (135–139 and 445) at your firewall or router if the machine is directly exposed, and patch/upgrade — the Messenger service was removed in Vista and later. Keep OS and browser patched and use reputable anti‑malware to avoid repeats. (itprotoday.com)

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Member Avatar for swatkat

Hi,
Those are Messenger spams. Messenger Service was introduced first in NT systems, and is present in all later Windows versions. This Messenger Service is NOT in any way related to MSN Messenger or any other messenger software.

One of the easiest ways to stop messenger spam is to disable the Messenger Service. You can do this, by following these steps, go to Start > Run and type services.msc and press Enter key. In the Services window, navigate to "Messenger Service" and right-click it, and select "Properties". In the Property window, click Stop in the "Service Status" option box. After this, in the "Startup" option box, select Disabled from the dropdown menu. Click "Apply" and then "OK".
There's also a small tool called Shoot The Messenger, using which Messenger Service can be easily disabled

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

Not only that, but the nature of your messenger messages says that you have been infected with spyware and/or adware. I strongly recommend running Spybot S&D and AdAware

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