In the default installation of XP, the Messenger service runs by
default. Messenger in Windows 2000/XP is similiar to the functionality
of what "WinPopup" was to Win3.x/9X. However, having this service
running will cause problems in the very near future, as ANYONE can send
popup messages to your computer when you have this service running.
(The service doesn't check where the message comes from).
Don't
believe it? At the command prompt, type "net send
IPADDRESS_OF_CLIENT_TO_SEND_TO Your Message" and that person will get a
popup window immediately with "Your Message" .. the popup window will
says "Messenger Service" in the titlebar and will contain your
workstation's name and the time. You can send a message to yourself by
typing "LOCALHOST" to test this.
Another thing worth noting, if you are using a Microsoft firewall, these messages will still be sent through the firewall.
To
make it so others cannot send these messages to you, disable the
Messenger service from Services. (Go to Control Panel > Perf. &
Maint. > Administrative Tools > Services. Double click the
Messenger Service, change 'Automatic' to 'Disabled' and click the Stop
button.) Once you've done this, people trying to send messages via the
net message service will get errors. While you're at it, it might be
wise to disable the 'Administrative Alerts' service as well.
The
description Microsoft gives for this service is as follows: "Transmits
net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This
service is not related to Windows Messenger. If this service is stopped,
Alerter messages will not be transmitted. If this service is disabled,
any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start."
Source: http://tweaks.com
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