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Originally Posted by momlaffsalot
I keep getting these pop up error messages, they come about every 8-10 minutes, one right after the other and they are hanging my computer up. I have o download a math program for school and am unable to do it because these messages keep slowing everything down! At least that's what I think the problem is. I hope it's that simple.
I am running XP and the first message says:
Messenger Service
Message from Local system to user
Critical error message-registry damaged and corrupted
to fix open IE
type in www.******************
the other one says:
Messenger Service
message from SYSTEM to ALERT
wondows has found critical system errors
and then it tells me to download a cleaner from cleaner64.com
Please help...thank you! |
DO NOT click on those links. They are trying to get you to download another virus into your system. Here is a NY Times article, which is mostly correct. Actually, what has happened is that you accidently downloaded something that enabled your "Messenger" service. This is allowing all those messages into your computer. You're probably getting them every few seconds. Access the Microsoft addy for the solution or the solution to disable Messenger discussed in the article. If you want more info on this very old problem, Google "message-registry damaged". (again, that's a bogus message. Your registry is NOT damaged, but your Messenger service has been turned on-enabled... which you really, really Don't want)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/te...gy/31askk.html
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NY Times
Technology
Disable the Messenger
By J. D. BIERSDORFER
Published: May 31, 2007
Q. I keep getting a message that says “Critical error message — Registry damaged and corrupted.” After years of using Windows, I’ve never heard of this. Is this a virus?
A. Your computer’s registry is the personal database Windows uses to keep your hardware and software all working together. When it is severely damaged, Windows usually can’t even start up. (Microsoft has an article on that situation at support.microsoft.com/kb/307545.)
If this message pops up, it is probably something else. Next time the message appears, see if it suggests visiting a non-Microsoft Web site for help. If so, your error messages are actually sneaky advertisements from companies who know how to exploit the Messenger service within Windows to make it look like a legitimate system alert instead of a pop-up ad. (This particular Messenger is part of the Windows system, and isn’t the same thing as the Windows Live Messenger instant-message program for online chatting.)
You can silence them by turning off the Messenger service. Go to the Start menu, to the Run box, type in “services.msc” (without the quotation marks) and click the “O.K.” button. In the list in the Services control panel, double-click on “Messenger,” change the Startup type to “Disabled” and click the “Stop” button to shut down the Messenger. Microsoft has illustrated instructions at tinyurl.com/5gt5t.
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