I seem to be getting MSN Messenger popups in the bottom toolbar when a new contact signs on, even though I have MSN closed
Are you sure it's closed? MSN messenger has a sneaky little thing that lets you close the messenger but it just really minimizes it to the tray...if you're running XP click on the little bubble with the arrow pointing left to expand what's in the system tray, look for the MSN messenger icon and right click it then click on exit. If it's loading when you start your computer and don't want it to you can go to tools then click on options and clear the boxes that have it start automatically when you sign on to the internet. If all else fails disable it from your start up items in msconfig...