How can I stop Windows from offering those annoying pop up balloons over every icon that my pointer rests over on my Task Bar and Quicklaunch?

For INSTANCE, if the pointer is over the Word icon on my Quicklaunch, then a huge bubble pops up that says, "Microsoft Office Word 2003 - Create and edit text and graphics in letters, reports, web pages or email messages by using Microsoft Office Word."

Seriously, I don't need these messages.

Thanks,

JPFI'm not sure you're really talking about "balloon tips", so this may not apply.  Anyway, here's a Microsoft reference on HOW TO: Disable Notification Area Balloon Tips in Windows XP.  Here' another source with the same procedure: How Do I Disable Notification Area Balloon Tips.[highlight]XP-AntiSpy[/highlight] will fix this annoying nonsense as well as a few other loopholes and irritations.Hmmm, registry change didn't work.

 :-?

JPFWhy go messing in the registry when there are standalone PROGRAMS that will do the job for you?Backdated, apparently you feel spyware is causing the popup balloons that he's talking about, since you provided a link to a spyware removal tool.  But, Win XP does display those balloons under certain conditions, so what he's seeing isn't necessarily spyware.  Do you agree?From my standpoint, I don't think it's Spyware, I think it's just Windows being overzealous in its attempt at user-friendliness.

The reason I chose to change the registry rather than download the antispy program is because the registry change was pretty straightforward and my Company (and our IT department) would prefer that we NOT download a lot of stuff onto our company computers.

Alas, I still have ballons popping up over my Quicklaunch icons telling me what Excel is for when I am basically a black belt in Excel.   Sigghhhhh!

 :-/JPF,
 You don't need no 3rd party software to disable balloon tips,  assuming you R on XP pro, click start, run then type "mmc" this brings up a default console1, now click click file and add/remove snap-in, in the sanp-in click add, select GROUP policy then click add, default choice is local computer, now click finish.  close the sanp-in dialog box, click OK in teh add/remove snap-in dialog box.  In console1 expand the local computer policy, expand user configuration, expand administrative templates, click startmenu and taskbar, on the detailed right hand pane, double click the "Remove Balloon Tips on Start Menu Items" then select the enabled radio button the click OK and thats it done, you can perform many useful tasks in here.

HTH

CigarmanA few points need clearing up here:

The vast majority of computer problems are caused by virus, trojan or other malware infection. Therefore, when dealing remotely with users and systems that I have no knowledge of, the first step is to ensure that some form of malware isn't the CAUSE. That first step usually reveals that there is some form of infection and cleaning it usually cures the initial problems.

The more astute of you will notice that I very rarely use the term "spyware" and there's a very good reason for that! Very little spyware actually exists out there.

Just where have I said that "spyware" or any other infection is causing this the balloon notification "problem"?

If you had bothered to look at the link I posted, it has nothing to do with spyware or any other virus or malware. It is merely a very useful tool for removing some of XPs annoying quirks, inadequacies and loopholes.

I too believe in not using 3rd party tools where necessary but I am a very experienced user. The OP and the majority of other posters here don't have the benefit of that experience and rightly or wrongly are looking for a quick fix.

If I'd have known that this was a "company machine" in the first place, my initial advice, as always in those circumstances, would have been to have told you to approach sysadmin with your problems.

Any sensible sysad would prefer you to download a program that he could vet before usage than have an operator fiddling in the system registry. Your sysad does know about this does he?Guilty as charged, Your Honor.  Yep, I'm guilty of jumping to the conclusion that a software tool called xp-AntiSpy was a spyware detection/removal tool.  I took a quick GLANCE at the site, saw some German, which I don't know, and said I'm outta here.  
German?

Quote

Warning:
The Domains xp-antispy.de and xpantispy.de are neither part of the project xp-AntiSpy nor do they belong to me.
The owner tries to foist a Dialer program on his visitors.
Don't fall for it, and avoid these domains!

The xp-AntiSpy version 3.95-2 is available for download. It fixes mainly the ability to modify the connection limit wich was not working since the last Windows Update from 2/16/2006.
Thanks to all of you who sent in their tcpip.sys file. That accelerated the whole thing in getting the new version done.