Bonjour Service Removal


Recommended Posts

Hello,

I've suffered a few nasty experiences when trying to remove the Bonjour Service which is installed by Adobe/Apple products. Unlike a lot of services, the Bonjour Service has many nasty tentacles buried into critical system/registry settings and removing it without following the below instructions can do a few things like:

1. Disabling your network connection fatally (can only be resolved with a WinSock fix and only under certain circumstances)

2. Prevent the start-up of many important Windows Services like Event Viewer or System Event Notification. This has a drastic impact on your start-up/shut-down times.

Basically, removing the Bonjour Service can be an utter nightmare and the below instructions are the only ones that work 100% for me.

To remove the Bonjour Service:

  • Stop Bonjour Service by opening a command prompt (remember to open the command prompt with Administrator privileges in Vista) and type:
    sc stop ?bonjour service?
  • Once that is done, in the same command prompt typsc delete ?bonjour service?e?
  • Now we need to disable the Bonjour socket driver.
  • Start regedit.exe (with Administrator privileges in Vista) and go to tHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004ze (please note: the final digit in this key may vary depending on your circumstances - look through all the entries under Catalog_Entries - the key you're dealing with shoulLibraryPath = C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mdnsNSP.dll)P.dll)l)
  • Within that key find the entry:
    Enabled=REG_DWORD:00000001 - change it from 1 to 0.
  • Exit out of the command prompt and reboot your PC.
  • Once you have logged back in, delete the C:\Program Files\Bonjour (with the files mDNSResponder.exe and mdnsNSP.dll).

There you have it - these instructions will work for Windows XP and Vista.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/632296-bonjour-service-removal/
Share on other sites

What exactly does the bonjour service do? And since you're removing it I'm assuming that it is not necessary in order for Adobe/Apple software to run correctly?
Adobe newest Creative Suite 3 installs Apple?s Bonjour service even if you don?t install Version Cue. Its main goal is to provide zero-configuration connectivity between Version Cue server and the suite?s applications.

When installed by Creative Suite 3 applications, the name used by Bonjour for Windows in the services control panel is:

##Id_String2.6844F930_1628_4223_B5CC_5BB94B879762##

http://www.ajuaonline.com/2007/10/02/how-t...onjour-service/

i recently installed adobe dreamweaver cs3 and found this was installed too. apparantly all cs3 products install this without asking, whether u need/want it or not. after reading a bit i found some interesting discussion & the source of the removal script here

http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2007/01/cs3_doesnt_inst.html

i guess the thing even talks to 2o7.net (a data collector) thru a deceptive IP looking site name 192.168.112.2o7.net.

i dont use cue servers, so i removed it. here's the script if u dont want to wander the net looking - save as a .bat file

echo Bounjour service killer...(cmd-bat file)

"%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe" -remove
sc stop "Bonjour Service"
sc delete "Bonjour Service"
sc stop "B"
sc delete "B"

regsvr32 /u/s "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\mdnsNSP.dll"

reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Components\864614E012A08774EB1646AA5AEB0193" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Components\413EF6387A735094090FFA2EF513C53A" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Eventlog\Application\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List" /v "D:\\Program Files\\Bonjour\\mDNSResponder.exe" /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List" /v "D:\\Program Files\\Bonjour\\mDNSResponder.exe" /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List" /v "D:\\Program Files\\Bonjour\\mDNSResponder.exe" /f

ren "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\mdnsNSP.dll" "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\virus.vir"
del /q/f "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\*.*"
rd /q "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour"

echo ...
echo please, reboot your computer and 
echo then you can delete the folder:
echo "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour"
pause

i recently installed adobe dreamweaver cs3 and found this was installed too. apparantly all cs3 products install this without asking, whether u need/want it or not. after reading a bit i found some interesting discussion & the source of the removal script here

http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2007/01/cs3_doesnt_inst.html

i guess the thing even talks to 2o7.net (a data collector) thru a deceptive IP looking site name 192.168.112.2o7.net.

i dont use cue servers, so i removed it. here's the script if u dont want to wander the net looking - save as a .bat file

echo Bounjour service killer...(cmd-bat file)

"%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe" -remove
sc stop "Bonjour Service"
sc delete "Bonjour Service"
sc stop "B"
sc delete "B"

regsvr32 /u/s "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\mdnsNSP.dll"

reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\NameSpace_Catalog5\Catalog_Entries\000000000004" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Components\864614E012A08774EB1646AA5AEB0193" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Components\413EF6387A735094090FFA2EF513C53A" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Eventlog\Application\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\Eventlog\Application\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Eventlog\Application\Bonjour Service" /va /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List" /v "D:\\Program Files\\Bonjour\\mDNSResponder.exe" /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List" /v "D:\\Program Files\\Bonjour\\mDNSResponder.exe" /f
reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet003\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List" /v "D:\\Program Files\\Bonjour\\mDNSResponder.exe" /f

ren "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\mdnsNSP.dll" "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\virus.vir"
del /q/f "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour\*.*"
rd /q "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour"

echo ...
echo please, reboot your computer and 
echo then you can delete the folder:
echo "%ProgramFiles%\Bonjour"
pause

That guide relies on the Name Catalog in your registry being 4. As posters above have said, theirs has been 7.

  • 1 month later...

I actually removed the whole entry at first which was for me Catalog_Entries\000000000005.

I rebooted and I was like WTF, I had no internet, no sound, no visual styles. I go back and there's Num_Catalog_Entries which I reduced by one at NameSpace_Catalog5

fiew! :cool:

  • 3 weeks later...
I actually removed the whole entry at first which was for me Catalog_Entries\000000000005.

I rebooted and I was like WTF, I had no internet, no sound, no visual styles. I go back and there's Num_Catalog_Entries which I reduced by one at NameSpace_Catalog5

fiew! :cool:

I have the same problems and somewhat did the same thing. I didn't realize this was a part of adobe photoshop cs3 and thought it was some leftover from apple. I searched regedit and deleted all bonjour references without realizing how effed up things were going to get. Complacency meant no registry backup...

So I am curious, how did you resolve your issue?

  • 2 weeks later...
Did you ever try just preventing the service from starting in the first place, in the Services.msc control panel? It gets installed with iTunes now, and I just disable it.

Same here, just disabled the services so it wouldn't start up anymore. But I do thank the OP, cause it helped me remove it completely, thanks! :)

Odd.

I've always went to Add/Remove Programs, and I've always had successful uninstalls.

Yea, I know. It gets install by default with itunes but I just uninstall from there, just like Mobile support. Bonjour is not in services .msc any more.

Surprised people are having problems.

I wish Apple would stop stuffing so much extra crap and services with each itunes release. Programs that aren't antiviruses which add new processes can feck off. It's so pointless.

  • 2 weeks later...

I don't think it's the apple flavor, rather the photoshop cs3 one. With the apple one, I was able to add/remove like anything else... and perhaps if I'd installed photoshop and then did the add/remove, maybe there wouldn't have been an issue. Instead, I see bonjour running knowing full well I had uninstalled that sucker some time ago and so went to the registry to force the issue. Major screwup on my part, especially with no registry backup. Removing all bonjour entries in the registry killed my internet, sound and desktop effects. And it killed the internet hard... after many hours I came upon a winsockfix utility that saved my hide... yeesh. Not even a repair install fixed things before that. And that was an ugly repair install with no internet and it kept asking for drivers...

Anyhow, tread lightly with this photoshop cs3 bonjour... indeed, the tentacles run deep.

With behavior such as this, it is broken. Developers writing software this nasty should be taken out and shot. And I'm saying this as a developer.

Indeed. A proper installer/setup will ask for what the user needs and install accordingly. I guess that's too complicated for the average OSX user, seeing how many of them use Apple because they fled away from Windows.

Indeed. A proper installer/setup will ask for what the user needs and install accordingly. I guess that's too complicated for the average OSX user, seeing how many of them use Apple because they fled away from Windows.

:blink:

Yes that is why OSX users fled windows.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Google reportedly limited Meta's Gemini access over limited AI compute by Karthik Mudaliar Google is reportedly limiting Meta's use of its Gemini AI models after Meta tried buying more computing capacity than even Google could supply. According to the Financial Times, Google told Meta in March that it could not provide the full Gemini capacity that Meta had requested. This shortfall even disrupted and delayed some of Meta's internal projects. Due to this, Meta even told its employees internally to use AI tokens more efficiently. Meta wasn't the only one to get hit by this sudden refusal by Google; even other customers were affected. But Meta was hit harder because of its unusually high demand for Google's models. The move from Google makes it evident that companies all over are in limited supply of both infrastructure and compute. Alphabet said in April that Google Cloud revenue grew 63% year-over-year to $20 billion in the first quarter, helped by enterprise AI infrastructure and AI solutions. In pursuit of more compute, Meta had earlier signed a multi-billion-dollar AWS agreement as well as a large AMD GPU deal for AI data centers. But the crunch would be short-lived as both Meta and Google have also ramped up infrastructure investments heavily. Meta said in November that it was committing more than $600 billion in the U.S. by 2028 for AI technology, infrastructure, and workforce expansion. In the first quarter of this year, Meta also raised its expected capital expenditure for 2026 to a range of $125 billion to $145 billion, citing higher component pricing and additional data center costs for future capacity. However, this doesn't make the company immune to the current dependence on outside suppliers. Meta has also spent many years promoting Llama as an open-weight alternative to closed models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. But if the reported reliance on Google's Gemini models is severe enough for internal work to get impacted, then it looks like even frontier labs and Big Tech aren't fully self-sufficient. Source: Financial Times
    • I like to reminisce about the good old days, way back in autumn 2025 when building a gaming machine was fun and the drives were about $150 when you caught a deal. Yes duh, back in the day we had it gone. Then baby Skynet came along, hiding in AI datacenters demanding more processing power until it reached singularity. End of a not totally fictional story.
    • My experience in the past with older Windows 11 builds was not great on unsupported machines but I recently used Rufus to put the latest build on a older 5th Gen Core Thinkpad T that we upgraded with a SATA SSD and 8GB of RAM four years ago when hardware was reasonable and it seemed pretty fast and solid. Customer is very happy with the performance and will probably get four more years out of that venerable laptop that he loves so much. Another customer just retired his Dell Studio laptop from 2009 running Windows 10. It got an SSD over 10 years ago and did everything he needed it to for 17 years but he also retired last year and is happy doing everything on his iPad now.
    • Apple's newest AirTag 2 gets first big discount by Taras Buria In late January 2026, Apple introduced its second-generation AirTag trackers, bringing a refresh to the old model that has been on the market for half a decade. Now, you can get these new trackers at an all-time low price, thanks to the first big discount that brought the price down by 17% on Amazon. While the second-generation AirTag looks identical to its predecessor, it packs meaningful upgrades inside. The second-gen ultrawideband chip works 50% farther than the original AirTag, allowing you to detect lost items in a wider range. In addition, the second-generation AirTag features an upgraded Bluetooth chip for extended range and a significantly louder speaker (up to 50%) so that you can hear it better when locating a lost item. Note that the second-gen AirTag only works with iPhones and iPads that run iOS/iPadOS 26 and newer, so you need a compatible device to use the tracker. Like the original AirTag, the AirTag 2 is available in two packs: one and four pieces. Both are now available at a notable discount on Amazon, and you can purchase them using the links below. Apple AirTag 2 tracker - $24 | 17% off on Amazon Apple AirTag 2 tracker (four-pack) - $89 | 10% off on Amazon Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S.- specific and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • I've been on Deezer for over a decade, but glad that Tidal joined them in fighting AI slop. Can't stand such takes as Spotify's: "Spotify's CEO recently pushed back against listeners who call AI music "slop," urging people to stop using the term and instead embrace the creative potential of AI music."
  • Recent Achievements

    • Reacting Well
      NovaEdgeX earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Week One Done
      NovaEdgeX earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      BA the Curmudgeon earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Conversation Starter
      rosiecharles earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      KMilenkoski1202 earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      536
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      265
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      150
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      98
    5. 5
      macoman
      66
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!