Disable MSN Passport creation

Here are the steps to disable the Windows XP MSN passport creation ballon:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

Note: As always, before making changes to your registry you should always make sure you have a valid backup. In cases where you're supposed to delete or modify keys or values from the registry it is possible to first export that key or value(s) to a .REG file before performing the changes.

2. Locate the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MessengerService

3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:

Value Name: PassportBalloon
Value Type: REG_BINARY
Data: 0a (hexadecimal)

Note: 0a as in "zero a" not "oh a"...

4. Close the registry editor.