File Name

Need

Notes

absr.exe

N

This Process is create by the Backdoor.Autoupder Virus

agentsvr.exe

OLE Automation Server is a Part of Microsoft Agent

aim.exe

AOL Instant Messenger is an Online Chat and Instant Messaging Client

airsvcu.exe

Microsoft Media Manager loads at Startup and Indexes Files and Folders on the Harddrive. It can be disabled from the Control Panel

alg.exe

Application Layer Gateway Service is Used for Internet Connection Sharing

alogserv.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

avconsol.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

avsynmgr.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

backWeb.exe

N

Backweb is an Adware by Backweb Technologies

bagent.exe

Y

Quicken Background Download Agent

ccapp.exe

Y

Symantec Common Client Application is included with Norton AntiVirus 2003 and Norton Personal Firewall 2003

charmap.exe

N

Microsoft Windows Character Map Utility Helps you find unusual Characters

cidaemon.exe

Y

Indexing Service runs in the background and catalogues files so that you can search for files containing a specific text string

cisvc.exe

Microsoft Index Service Helper monitors the memory usage of Microsoft Indexing Service (cidaemon.exe) and automatically restarts cidaemon.exe if it uses more than 40Mb of memory

cmesys.exe

N

Gator GAIN Adware is installed by certain free softwares and is an advertising spyware which runs in the background and displays advertisements

csrss.exe

Windows Client Server Runtime Subsystem handles Windows and Graphics Functions for all Subsystems

ctfmon.exe

Handles Alternative User Input Text Processor (TIP) and the Microsoft Office Language Bar. Ctfmon.exe provides text input support for speech recognition, handwriting recognition, keyboard, translation, and other alternative user input technologies

ctsvccda.exe

N

Creative Services for CD-ROM Access service in W9X

ddhelp.exe

DirectDraw Helper is part of DirectX and is used for graphics related services

defwatch.exe

Norton Anti-Virus scans you files and email for viruses

devldr32.exe

Creative Device Loader is a Create Soundblaster Driver

dllhost.exe

DCOM DLL Host process supports DLL based COM objects and is used by many Windows programs

E_s10ic2

N

Epson Status Monitor

em_exec.exe

N

Logitech MouseWare Trayicon from which you can access the Control Panel Mouse properties and the MouseWare help

evntsve.exe

N

Real Player file.  Put there unconditionally when RealOne is installed, stays there, and is recreated/updated when RealOne is started if you try to delete or change it. There is no option to disable this behaviour, although there IS an option within RealOne which supposedly makes it actively do stuff only when RealOne is being executed. This is under "Internet Settings" as "Only perform automatic services while RealOne Player is in use". When you try to Enabling this option, it begs you not to. When you enable it, it still DOES NOT remove the above registry key, however the evntsvc.exe process is terminated when RealOne is exited, and from that point on is started and closed in tandem with RealOne. 

explorer.exe

Y

Windows Program Manager or Windows Explorer handles the Windows Graphical Shell including the Start-menu, Taskbar, Desktop and File Manager

gw.exe

N

Gator files.  Advertising scumware.  Come with Audiogalaxy and other software.  

gmt.exe

N

Gator Spyware Component is installed with Gator and is started when you open Gator

hh.exe

Windows HelpThe Windows Help Program is used to open Help files and Documentation included with many Windows Programs

hidserv.exe

Y

Microsoft Human Interface Device Audio Service.  Backround Service which provides support for USB Audio Devices and USB

inetinfo.exe

InetInfo is Part of Microsoft Internet Infomation Services (IIS) and is used for debugging

internat.exe

N

Input Locales Traybar icon is used to change regional settings such as Keyboard type, Currency or Date Format

irmon.exe

Windows IRMon Process Monitors the Infrared port activity

kernel32.dll

Y

Windows Kernel provides System Services for managing Threads, Memory, and Resources

loadqm.exe

MSN Queue Manager Loader is installed with MSN Explorer and MSN Messenger. It can somtimes use a lot of system resources

loadwc.exe

Y

Load WebCheck customizes some of the settings in Internet Explorer, adds, removes, and updates subscriptions and propagates settings for user profiles

lsass.exe

Y

Windows Local Security Authority Server Process Handles Windows Security Mechanisms

mad.exe

System Attendant Service for Microsoft Exchange Server runs in the background and is needed by Microsoft Exchange Server. It loads DLLs for Microsoft Exchange, writes log messages and generates the offline address books

mcshield.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

mdm.exe

N

Machine Debug Manager is used for Debugging Applications and is Installed by the Microsoft Script Editor which is included in Microsoft Office

mgabg.exe

Matrox BIOS Guard Process

mmtask.tsk

Windows Multimedia Background Task Support Module handles multimedia services like MIDI

mobsync.exe

Part of Internet Explorer which runs in the background and handles the View Pages Offline" feature

mprexe.exe

Windows Routing ProcessThe Windows Routing Process Routes incoming network requests to the appropriate network provider

msbb.exe

N

MSBB Web3000 Spyware Application is included with some adware products and is started from the registry when Windows is loaded

msgsrv32.exe

Windows Message Server Loads Windows Drivers and the Program Manager at start up

msiexec.exe

Windows Installer Component which is used to install new programs that uses Windows Installer package files (MSI)

msimn.exe

Microsoft Outlook Express is an Email and Newsgroup Client included with Microsoft Windows

msmsgs.exe

MSN Messenger is an Online Chat and Instant Messaging Client

msoobe.exe

Windows Product Activation is used to Active an Windows XP License

mspmspsv.exe

Helper Service needed installed by Windows Media Player 7

mstask.exe

Y

Windows Task Scheduler is used to schedule tasks such at backups or updates to run at certain times or dates

mysqld-nt.exe

MySQL Daemon Handles Access to MySQL Databases

navapsvc.exe

y

Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect Service

navpw32.exeSymTray.exenprotect.exe

Y

Norton AntiVirus programs.

ndetect.exe

The ICQ Ndetect Agent is used by ICQ to detect an Internet Connection

ndetect.exe

ICQ Ndetect Agent is used by ICQ to detect an Internet Connection

nopdb.exe

Part of Norton Speed Disk

ntvdm.exe

Windows Virtual Machine for 16-bit Windows and Dos programs is used to run dos programs and old Windows programs inside a virtual machine

nwiz.exe

NVIDIA nView Control Panel is installed by NVIDIA Graphics Card Drivers provides desktop layout settings and optimizations

osa.exe

Microsoft Office Startup Assistant is loaded at Startup and improves performance by handling automation, office fonts, certain office commands and Outlook notifications

printray.exe

Printer Tray Icon.  Needed in order to access some printer programs from the desktop (compaq).  Not needed for Lexmark.

pstores.exe

Microsoft Protected Storage Service handles Protected Storage Passwords

qttask.exe

N

Quick Time Tray Icon enables you to start Quick Time from the System Tray

regsvc.exe

Y

Remote Registry Service allows Access to the Windows Registry from Remote Computers.  Used by SQL.

rnaapp.exe

Windows Modem Connection Process handles dial-up modem connections

rpcss.exe

Windows RPC portmapper process handles RPC-calls (Remote Procedure Calls) and maps them to the appropriate service provider

rtvscan.exe

Y

Norton Anti-Virus scans you files and email for viruses

Sagent2

N

Sagent2 is an Epson Printer environment check on the ports on your system.

scvhost.exe

Y

generic host process name for services that are run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs).   See KB article q250320

services.exe

Y

Windows Service Controller Managers Windows Services

smss.exe

Y

Session Manager Subsystem initializes system environment variables, MS-DOS devices names such as LPT1 and COM1, loads the kernel for the Win32 subsystem, and starts the Windows Logon Process

sndvol32.exe

Y

Windows Volume Control process us used to control the volume of the Soundcard and can usually be access from the traybar

snmp.exe

Windows Simple Network Managment Protocol (SNMP) Agent is a proxy that listens for requests and hands them off to the appropriate network provider

spool32.exe

Y

Windows Printer Spooler stores printer jobs and forwards them to the printer when it is ready

spoolss.exe

Y

Windows Printer Spooler Subsystem controls despooling of Printer data from Disk to Printer

spoolsv.exe

Y

Windows Printer Spooler stores printer jobs and forwards them to the printer when it is ready

starter.exe

Tray Icon for opening the Creative Sound Mixer installed with Creative Soundcards (Soundblaster)

stisvc.exe

Y

Still Image Service handles scanners and digital cameras and is installed by Windows if a Scanner or Camera is connected to the computer

svchost.exe

The Service Host Process is generic host process for services that are run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs)

systray.exe

Y

Runs the systray (the box on the end of the taskbar).

tapisrv.exe

Background Service which provides Windows Telephony (TAPI) Support

taskmon.exe

Windows Task Optimizer monitors how often you use a program and is used by defrag to optimize the harddisk for loading commonly used programs

tcpsvcs.exe

The TCP/IP Services Application supports network and internet communication through TCP/IP

tsircusr.exe

N

Laplink is running.

userinit.exe

UserInit program runs logon scripts, reestablishes network connections and starts the Shell

vptray.exe

Norton Anti-Virus scans you files and email for viruses

vshwin32.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

vsmon.exe

True Vector Internet Monitor is a component of the ZoneAlarm Personal FireWall which monitors internet traffic and generates alerts

vsstat.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

webscanx.exe

McAfee VirusScan is an Anti-Virus program which Scans your Files and Emails for Viruses

winamp.exe

WinAmp Media Player is used to open and play music, sound and video files and to organize MP3 music files

winlogon.exe

Windows NT Logon Utility handles user logons

winmgmt.exe

Windows Management Service handles requests for Windows Management Instrumentation data (WMI) from client applications

winoa386.mod

Windows MS-DOS Console provides DOS console and script funtions in Windows

winroute.exe

WinRoute is a firewall/router/connection sharing software for Windows

wkcalrem.exe

N

Microsoft Works Calendar Reminders Background process shows popup reminders for scheduled events in your Works Calendar

wkqkpick.exe

N

WinZip traybar icon allows you to start WinZip from the traybar

wowexec.exe

Windows On Windows Execution Support Process provides support for 16-bit Windows applications together with ntvdm.exe

ypager.exe

N

Yahoo Messenger which runs when Yahoo Messenger is running or is minimized to the traybar