Pop-up Fix For Win Me/xp

Many people have complained about a recent brand of Pop-Up, a grey box that sometimes actually tells you it's getting in through MSMSG (MS Messenger), then directs you to an anonymous site to sell you ad-blocker software.
You're all smart enough not to go there, but there is an easy way to stop these devils.

Win ME and XP have intentionally left MSMSG turned on and launched as a default value, from the moment you boot up your system (it's a perverse networking feature for businesses).

Follw me through a few steps:

RIGHT CLICK on MY COMPUTER
Scroll down and select MANAGE
Navigate to “Services and Applications”
Expand “Services and Applications” and SELECT “Services”
In the Right Window Pane scroll down and SELECT MESSENGER
Change START-UP TYPE to DISABLED
Under this, in SERVICE STATUS, click STOP.

You'll probably need to Reboot, just to make sure the changes are accepted.

I used to get a bantha load of these grey pop-ups, even though I'm using AOL, and almost never use MSIE or Netscape. I didn't connect it with the activation of a Passport.Net account for my webcam. Now, I never get any pop-ups unless they're presaged on links I go to.

Give it a try, and let me know if it helps.