how to disable my messenger auto sign in on Outlook.com

Hi, I have used that method for quite a while, but find it no longer works (for me).  Recently my Hotmail account would log-in with NO dot at either Visible or Invisible.  Thought that might have been OK.

Now, in the last few weeks (maybe due to updates?) I login to my Hotmail account and I am Visible, until I manually change it.  The "dot" defaults to the Visible position every time.  I DO NOT use Messenger or SKYPE at all- at least not for now, and I would use SKYPE from the desktop, not from my email account if I ever did want to use it.

I login to 'username' at Hotmail.com but it comes up with Outlook.com in the upper left of the title bar.

I cannot edit my host file due to permission, even following the directions read here or in another similar post.  And I cannot find any type of EDIT program if I use the 'Run' command as Administrator.   My local User has Admin privileges, so I can't figure out why I cannot change privileges.

Also, one user suggests 127.0.0.1 and others 0.0.0.0 preceding the gateway.messenger.live.com domain, and others mention geo.gateway.messenger.live.com.  It does look to me as if gateway.messenger.live.com is an updated domain (minus the ''geo"), but I don't know which is correct- 0.0.0.0 or the 127.0.0.1- any ideas?  I've got to get to edit my hosts file first, permissions-wise.

I'm looking for the SAME help as everyone else here- privacy, the nuisance, all of the things Micro$oft seems to ignore from so many users.

I am running Win 8.1 and using IE11.  I don't really want to download another app (AdBlockplus) to fix/help drive this issue underground, where it should be- a toggle for ON, or remove messenger/Skype from Hotmail altogether.  I use neither, just Hotmail for some email,  Outlook (NOT outlook.com, but part of office) and have no need for either to be incorporated in my Hotmail.

Any updates for a current status?  Many thanks in advance!  The initial workaround worked great until M$oft changed something about- umm maybe a month ago?  Updated/corrected workarounds WELCOMED!  Thanks in advance!

Run notepad as administrator, then file, and open the hosts file. You should be able to edit and save the file then. Using 0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1 is slightly faster.

Hi Travis,

Thank you for responding!  Some good news, but ultimately a fail, sorry to say- however I thank you for the tip.  Maybe I am on the verge of something or M$oft has changed again...(?).  A quick note- when I log into my Hotmail, it no longer says 'OUTLOOK (preview)' in the upper left, just 'OUTLOOK'.  And I have noted a handful of updates to supposedly protect us from more junk mail, and I have of late been getting MORE JUNK to my INBOX than ever before.  M$oft has even changed the way you block junk mail, it has always wanted to block the user@domain.whatever, but not just the domain entirely.  Now when you block (via copy and paste, a real pain), and add to your list of Blocked senders, it doesn't even bother to alphabetize them any longer.  So when you find a junk domain you think you have already blocked (YES, some have sneaked thru) you have to resort to looking over your whole list line by line...  I just have no need for Dr. Oz and his **** extenders.  Sorry, I had to get that off my chest, but did want to bring you up-to-date on what I find with these 'improvements' lately, on my end... from lovely M$oft :(

I was able to edit my hosts file (I opened a command window as Admin, navigated to the location of the hosts file and keyed in 'notepad hosts' and it allowed me to edit and save with the edited content.  Good so far.  Since I was already logged in, I thought the best thing was to start from scratch.

I logged out, got off-line, shut down, and rebooted.  A FULL reboot.  Came back up, got online, logged into my Hotmail account and BOOM! my account almost immediately went to its green stripe of AVAILABLE.

I have not used SKYPE from anywhere, and in recent weeks, I have uninstalled it from my system though it still shows in Hotmail as an Icon, never touched it and likely never will...)

Here's what I added to my hosts file, I am *hoping* I added it incorrectly and just maybe, you can correct me and I can finally put this mess of M$oft to rest once and for all, like some others- until they change again:

0.0.0.0 gateway.messenger.live.com

0.0.0.0 geo.gateway.messenger.live.com

I am sincerely hoping I got the domain incorrect!  I put BOTH the Geo and non-GEO domains in for good measure.

Thank you SO MUCH for finding me and the tip on being able to edit my hosts file, I do appreciate that very much.  And sorry for my rant on M$oft, they deserve it, but not you.

Please let me know if there is something else I need to add to my hosts file or another workaround (instead of the adblock plus) that can help me fix things.

Sincerely appreciated, Travis,

ThatGirl