How to disable instant messaging in Communicator 2007

This article discusses how to disable instant messaging (IM) in Microsoft Office Communicator 2007.

To disable IM in Communicator 2007, follow these steps.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1. Install the Communicator 2007 update package that is dated October 24, 2008. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   957707  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957707/ ) Description of the update for Communicator 2007: October 24, 2008
2. Configure the DisableIM registry entry. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
   2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software\Policies\Microsoft\Communicator
   3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
   4. Type DisableIM, and then press ENTER.
   5. Right-click DisableIM, and then click Modify.
   6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
   7. Exit Registry Editor.
   Note After the DisableIM registry entry is set to 1, the following statements are true:
   • The Communicator 2007 user cannot send or receive any IMs.
   • The Communicator 2007 user is registered on the server as a user who has no IM capability.
   • The file transfer feature is disabled in Communicator 2007.