My hate for adverts is phenomenal.
So… here’s how to remove adverts from MSN Messenger if you’re really brave and have a copy of Visual Studio 2003 at hand.
1) Backup you existing MSN app
Copy and paste this: C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe
So that you have a “Copy of msnmsgr.exe” file.
2) Open Visual Studio 2003
3) Open msnmsgr.exe
You have to do this in Visual Studio, using the File > Open > File method.
4) Expand UIFile
This will give you a list of embedded files within the UIFile folder.
5) Edit file 920
This removes the text adverts at the bottom of the messenger conversation windows.
What you need to do is note that the window is split… hex on the left, text on the right. Copy all of the text column by clicking in there to get focus, then CTRL+A and CTRL+C.
Now go to Textpad, Notepad, or whatever you use to edit text files, and search for and delete the following:
<element id=atom(adbannercont) layout=filllayout() layoutpos=bottom>
<element height=25 layout=borderlayout() borderthickness=rect(0,1,0,0) bordercolor=ifhc(buttonshadow,rgb(68,96,151)) colorize=enabled/>
<textadbanner id=atom(adbanner) layout=verticalflowlayout(0,0,2,2) padding=rect(16,0,0,3) borderthickness=rect(0,1,0,0) bordercolor=ifhc(buttonshadow,rgb(68,96,151)) colorize=enabled>
<cmdbutton id=atom(adbannertextcontainer) padding=rect(4,1,4,1) layout=filllayout() background=argb(0,0,0,0) tooltip=true AccName=rcstr(85) colorize=enabled>
<wledit id=atom(adbannertext) class="ReadOnlyText" active=inactive/>
</cmdbutton>
</textadbanner>
</element>
Then copy it all again, and go back to Visual Studio, the text should still be highlighted, so CTRL+V to paste it… this changes the hex instantly.
Close file 920.
6) Edit file 923
Remove this bit to nuke the banner from the main window:
<element id=atom(adbannercontainer) layout=filllayout() borderthickness=rect(1,1,1,1)>
<element id=atom(msnlogo) layout=filllayout()>
<element width=234 height=60/>
<clipperh layoutpos=right>
<png flip=false layoutpos=right isbackground=false colorize=Disabled ImageEncoding=imageGIF idres=ifhc(0,415) contentalign=middleright background=argb(0,0,0,0)/>
</clipperh>
</element>
<adbrowser id=atom(adbrowser) width=234 height=60 layoutpos=none DefaultADTimerMS=5000 bordercolor=ifhc(buttonshadow,rgb(100,122,172)) DLControl=dlctlNoActiveX DocHostUIFlags=dhUIscrollno|dhUIopennewwin|dhUIno3dborder|dhUIactivateclienthitonly/>
</element>
Remove this bit to remove the tabs… it leaves a space there, which is less cluttered but not perfect.
<png resid=tabbutton class="TabButtonGroup" layout=filllayout() active=inactive colorize=enabled>
<element layout=borderlayout()>
<cmdbutton id=atom(tabbutton) layoutpos=top layout=filllayout() class="TabButton" fontface="Marlett" active=mouseandkeyboard|nosyncfocus contentalign=topleft>
<png flip=false isbackground=false id=atom(tabicon) active=inactive/>
<element layout=ninegridlayout()>
<gleam id=atom(gleam) layoutpos=ninetopleft/>
</element>
</cmdbutton>
</element>
</png>
7) Close all windows and save msnmsgr.exe
Run MSN Messenger
No adverts… no tabs… no banners
The principal can be used on other versions of MSN Messenger, though the above was written specifically for version 7.5.0324. If you want to try the above on other versions, then you should be searching the UI XML files for the word ‘adbanner’.
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