How To Remove Windows Live Messenger
(or other ‘Live’ program)*
Microsoft’s Instant Messenger (IM) program, “Messenger” is now a part of the “Live” family of download-able programs and utilities, (see, The “Live” Line – Microsoft’s *New* Product Family) and like the others, is now re-named to add “live” in front — “Live Messenger”. The “Windows Live” programs you can download are: Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety, and Toolbar.
(Toolbar?! Uh, no.)
Some of those are keepers for sure, but renaming Messenger to “Live Messenger”, and giving it a fancier look, um, er, well, let’s just say I don’t want it on my machine. If you have it, and do not want it either, keep reading.
How To Uninstall Windows Live Messenger (or other Live program):
1) The normal way to remove (technically, “uninstall”) programs from your computer is to use the “Add/Remove Programs” tool in the Windows Control Panel (called “Programs and Features” in Vista/Win7). And this is where you go to uninstall Live Messenger too.
“But Paul! I looked there already! Messenger isn’t there!“, you say? Well, yes it is, but it’s kind of hidden. So click Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features >Uninstall a program. And let the list “populate”.
The “pack” of downloadable “Live” programs – including Live Messenger – is called “Windows Live Essentials” so that’s is what you want to look for. (Click on images to see larger versions.)
2) Click on “Windows Live Essentials” to ‘select’ it, and then click the “Change/Remove” button. A new window will open.
3) Select the “Uninstall” ‘radio button’ (if it isn’t already) and click “Continue”.
4) Place a check in the checkbox for Messenger (and any others you no longer want) and click “Continue”. Follow the steps until it says “Finished”, reboot if necessary, and that’s it, you’re done. Live Messenger will be gone.
Today’s free download: For my Instant Messaging (aka “chat”) needs, I use Trillian Astra, which lets me monitor multiple ‘identities’. (Works on Macs now too.)
Connect to IM & Social Networks. Trillian lets you connect to multiple IM and social networks at the same time, managing contacts and real time status feeds efficiently.
In The News:
* Dell finally gives up on Windows XP
“Dell said on Tuesday that it plans later this month to stop selling PCs downgraded to Windows XP, ahead of next month’s deadline to stop nearly all shipments of PCs running the older operating system….”
* New antibiotics might come from the brains of cockroaches
“British researchers discovered that molecules found inside the brain tissues of insects can fended off unwanted bacteria….”
* Orig post: 4/2/2010
Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. 
post to jaanix.
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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Tech - for Everyone 
Paul, funny that you should write this article today about uninstalling Windows Messenger. I was working on a clients computer and tried to uninstall Messenger exactly as you described but when I clicked on uninstall/change nothing happened. The system just sat there and said there was another uninstall going on. Any ideas of what is going on? Could his uninstall program in Win 7 be corrupt?
If this is typically the type of question you charge for I will understand.
Ron from Tampa. :-)
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Ron Vukas,
As this is not the kind of question “for Everyone”, I have answered you privately. Check your Inbox.
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Hey, good timing for another one of your readers… I am about to remove Windows Live Messenger re: Vista.
I like these step x step instructions.
Thanks Paul.
g.
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Gaia,
I am glad you found this tutorial useful.
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