A growing number of Internet users are complaining about a new kind of popup advertising windows that suddenly appear on their screens. This new kind of spam, known as "IP spam" or "net spam", is generated through the internal Windows® messaging service, which is actually a tool provided to enable network administrators to send messages to multiple users via the network. (It shouldn`t be confused with the Windows® Messenger instant messaging program, which is completely different.) Important: This tool is only for Windows® NT, 2000 and XP, you can`t use it to switch off the messaging service under Windows® 95, 98 or Me. Here is how to de-activate it on these systems (please note that you should only do this if your system is not integrated into a local network): - Click on the "Start" button in your task bar - Select "Settings"/"Control Panel"/"Network" - Click on "File and printer accessibility in Microsoft® networks" - Select "Delete"