Bonjour Service Removal

By WastedJoker
in Essential Guides

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Grand Master

WastedJoker

Posted
Posted

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.

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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/632296-bonjour-service-removal/
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Grand Master

+Gary7 Subscriber²

Posted
  • Subscriber²
Posted
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/

Neowinian

gahbahj

Posted
Posted

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

Grand Master

WastedJoker

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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...
Grand Master

revvo

Posted
Posted

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...
Apprentice

FunkPhenomena

Posted
Posted
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...
Mentor

Starbuck84

Posted
Posted
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! :)

Rookie

wtfdan

Posted
Posted
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...
Apprentice

FunkPhenomena

Posted
Posted

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.

Grand Master

revvo

Posted
Posted
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.

Grand Master

AgEnTsMiTh

Posted
Posted
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.

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