W98eject

W98eject.exe

(Sigmatel)

USB disconnect.  Background startup task installed by the drivers CD of Sigmatel-made USB MP3 players or USB pen drives.  This task is only needed for Windows 98 where it installs an icon in the System Tray which simulates the Windows ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista USB  “Safely Remove Hardware”  icon.  Clicking on the icon ensures that Windows 98 writes to the USB device any data that it still has in memory (thus avoiding data corruption on the USB device) and then a message pops up telling the user that he/she can unplug the USB pen/MP3-player.

Note that Sigmatel is an OEM manufacturer which means that it makes products for other manufacturers to sell under their own badges and model names.  As a result this task will be installed by the drivers CD of many other brands, such as Matsunichi, SanDisk, and others.

Recommendation :
This task is simply not needed on any version of Windows other than Windows 98/98SE – what it does is part and parcel of what any modern version of Windows provides already.

Thus, if you do not have Windows 98/98SE, as a first step disable this task on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  and use your PC for a few days.  This will enable you to verify that you indeed do not need this task to access your USB pen/MP3-player and that Windows does have the inbuilt facility to enable you to  “Safely Remove Hardware”  before you unplug the device thus ensuring you do not suffer data corruption.

This program normally uses between 3Mb to 4Mb of memory and it is not unusual to see two instances of it on the  Tasks  tab of TUT.

Wapicc

Wapicc.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wapiit

Wapiit.exe

See   WINSERVN.
 

Wapisu

Wapisu.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wapisvit

Wapisvit.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wapisvsu

Wapisvsu.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wapitr

Wapitr.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Watch

Watch.exe

(Mustek, ScanMagic & others)

Direct Scan System Tray utility installed by the Twain drivers for Mustek and ScanMagic scanners, and possibly other makes of scanners.  In this case  “Direct Scan”  is not quite what its name normally implies when used in conjunction with other scanners.  Here  WATCH  is simply a green System Tray icon which depicts a scanner.  When you double-click on it it brings up a Scan Panel where you can press on‑screen buttons to :  scan into an application of your choice, scan directly to a printer, scan and fax through your fax modem, scan to email, and scan to OCR (convert scanned document into a wordprocessor document).

Recommendation :
This icon is larger than most System Tray icons, and it is so life-like and so noticeable, it actually makes remembering how to start the scanner, dead easy.  We find it very user friendly as a result and recommend keeping it.

Recommendation :
Since we do not know what it does, we can only recommend to leave it alone.

Wbengine

Wbengine.exe

(Microsoft)

Block Level Backup Engine service.  A better name for this service would have been  Disk Imaging Service.  This service, found in Windows Vista, comes into use when you use the  Vista Backup and Restore Center  to perform a  Complete PC Backup  of your PC – this Complete PC Backup effectively backs up your computer as a complete disk image which you can use at a later date to restore your entire Vista PC using the  Windows Recovery Environment  from your original Vista Boot CD (Vista Installation CD).  Users of Norton Ghost or LiveState Recovery will be familiar with the concept.

When you backup your PC in this way, this particular service, the  Block Level Backup Engine Service, performs the actual backup by reading your hard disk block by block of information (rather than file by file or folder by folder).

Recommendation :
Leave alone.  The  Startup Mode  of this service is set to  Manual  by default and the service only kicks in when you perform a  Complete PC Backup.  Thereafter it automatically terminates once you exit the  Complete PC Backup  screen.

Wcpcc

Wcpcc.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wcpsvsu

Wcpsvsu.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wcpsvtr

Wcpsvtr.exe

See   WINSERVN.
 

WDF

WDF.exe

(Webroot Software)

Webroot Desktop Firewall System Tray icon.  Background System Tray program installed by the  Webroot Antivirus with Anti-Spyware & Firewall  security software.  This icon displays the status of the firewall in the System Tray as well as firewall alerts.  You can right-click on the icon to open the Webroot Firewall Control Center or to run specific features of your Webroot firewall.

Recommendation :
Our normal recommendation for such a task would be :  “If you use a firewall it is essential to be able to access it instantly from the System Tray and it is essential to be able to see the realtime status of your firewall at all times, as well also being able to receive alerts from your firewall software – Leave alone therefore.”.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, 18-Aug-2008, our recommendation has to be that you disable the firewall component of your Webroot Antivirus & Anti-Spyware security software.  The reason :   looking at a period from December 2007 to August 2008, this particular task has exhibited wholly unacceptable behaviour.  70% of the time this task will consume between 4Mb to 39Mb of memory.  The problem, however, is with the 30% of cases where this task will consume anything from 85Mb of memory to a totally unbelievable 1Gb of memory (Yes, 1,024Mb!!!), with in‑between figures being, for example, 115Mb, 157Mb, 763Mb, and so forth – you name a figure between 80Mb and 1024Mb of memory and this task will have used that much memory at some stage; unbelievable!   And the worst part is that it is random – the same PC will have no problems with this task on one day and, then, on another day the task will start gobbling up 200Mb or more.  And updating the software has not made any difference to this task – every single version of the Webroot Firewall from December 2007 to August 2008 has exhibited this cantankerous behaviour.

Our recommendation, therefore, is that you disable the firewall component from within the Control Center and only run the antivirus & spyware components.

Wdfmgr

UMWdf

Wdfmgr.exe

(Microsoft)

Microsoft’s User Mode Driver Manager service.  At the time of writing this service gets installed on Windows XP when you either install Windows Media Player 10, or when you upgrade to Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.  Introduced in September 2004.  This service is part of the new device driver strategy from Microsoft for Windows 2000/XP/2003 and future versions of Windows :  this strategy, the  Windows Driver Foundation (WDF),  aims to make it significantly simpler to write drivers for tomorrow’s Windows environments which hopefully will lead to higher quality and more reliable drivers;  it also aims to ensure that, in future, buggy or badly written drivers will not have the detrimental or catastrophic effects that they have nowadays (freezes, instability, Windows not booting up, illegal operations, etc..);  finally, the new strategy also aims to ensure that many more drivers will be installable without the PC needing to be logged in as “Administrator” or with  “Administrator”  privileges.  Starting with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Media Player 10, Microsoft is adding the WDF framework to Windows 2000/XP/2003 to enable peripheral manufacturers to start producing WDF drivers.  For technical users :  this particular service, WDFMGR, implements the user-mode driver framework of the new WDF driver strategy.  This framework enables developers to create drivers for network connected devices, and some USB devices, where the drivers run in user mode rather than kernel mode but still behave as standard Plug-and-Play drivers.

Recommendation :
This service, introduced in September 2004, is now an essential service which you should leave running as, in 2006, many manufacturers have now produced WDF drivers and  WDFMGR  will therefore be needed for those drivers.

Wdvrctrl

WinDRVCtrl

WDVRCtrl.exe

(???)

Driver task installed by the drivers for some TV capture cards.  We are not sure who makes the drivers but some of the manufacturers whose TV cards might include this driver task include Asus, Guillemot, and LifeView.

Recommendation :  
As we do not know the purpose of this task, we can only recommend to leave it alone.

Webcamrt

WebCamRT.exe

(???)

Startup item installed by the SpotLife broadcast software which comes with some Logitech QuickCam webcams.  While we are not certain about the exact role of  WEBCAMRT itself, for those who do not know the SpotLife software enables the user to effectively have his/her own TV station !   This is achieved through the SpotLife software which broadcasts the images and sound captured through your QuickCam webcam, to a URL on the  SpotLife.com  website.  As and when you want to broadcast, you give the URL to those people who will be allowed to watch the broadcast.  All the allowed viewers then have to do is home in on that URL and that in turn starts RealPlayer which plays your broadcast.

Recommendation :
After 4 years in operation SpotLife.com ceased operation on 12-Dec-2003.  On this basis you can safely de-install SpotLife software from the  “Add/Remove Programs”  icon in the Control Panel (if there is a SpotLife uninstall entry), and delete this entry from the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Webrebates

Webrebates0

Webrebates1

WebRebates.exe

WebRebates0.exe

WebRebates1.exe

(TopRebates.com)

Program that is part of the  TopRebates.com AutoTrack  software.  TopRebates.com’s description of AutoTrack :  “It simply notices when you land on selected sites and sends a message notifying you of participating merchants.  TopRebates AutoTrack ensures that your purchases from all participating merchants earn you rebates, whether you’ve recently visited the TopRebates website or not.”.  At the time of writing we are not sure as to whether AutoTrack is only ever installed if the end‑user willingly decides to try the TopRebates.com rebates programme, or whether it is sometimes installed surreptitiously when the end‑user installs other software downloaded from the web.

Recommendation :
This program is effectively Adware, ie. software which pulls up advertisements while you are browsing the web.  The only question is whether this is adware that you want because you want and like the TopRebates.com programme, or whether it is adware you never realised you were installing and which you therefore want off your PC.  If it is the latter, the first thing to do is to go to the  “Add/Remove Programs”  icon in the Control Panel and see if there is a  WebRebates  entry that you can remove.  If there is, remove it.  Next, reboot and check whether you see can still see this entry in  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.  If you can, then do as follows :
1)  Boot your PC into Safe Mode.

2)  On the  Startups  tab, for each instance of a  WebRebates  entry, right-click on the entry and choose the  Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to  option.

3)  Next, still on the  Startups  tab, right-click on each instance of  WebRebates  and delete the entry.

4)  Click the big green  APPLY  button to make the changes stick.

5)  If you have Windows 2000/XP/2003, switch over to the  Services  tab and check whether there are any  WebRebates  services.  If there are, right-click on each of them and set their  Startup Mode  to  Disabled.

6)  Reboot your PC into Normal Mode.

7)  Using Windows Explorer or  “My Computer”, locate the  Web_Rebates  folder in the  “C:\Program Files\”  folder – if it exists, delete it.

8)  You’re done.

Wflmgr32

Wflmgr32.exe

(FileNet Corp / Novell)

This is a background program which runs when you have Novell GroupWise 5.5 running.

Recommendation : 
Essential.  Leave alone.

Wfshell

WFShell.exe

(Citrix Systems)

Citrix WinFrame Shell.  Background tasks running on end-user PCs in a Citrix / Terminal Server environment and which manages the environment of a user session (drive mappings, shares, printers, etc..).

Recommendation :  
Essential to the proper functioning of your user session on your network.  Note, however, that this process has had a history of excessive CPU usage in some versions of WinFrame, resulting in very slow PC performance – if you have this problem, have your System Administrator check for updates.

Win32sl

Win32SL.exe

(Intel)

Dell’s OpenManage DMI Service Layer.   This service contains a collection of motherboard related MIFs installed on the PC and allows OpenManage modules to access them.

Recommendation :
If you use Dell’s OpenManage software, you need this service running, otherwise you can disable it by setting its startup mode to  Disabled  on the  Services  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Winampa

Winampa.exe

(Nullsoft)

Background task from Winamp which has two purposes :  on the one hand it provides the Winamp System Tray icon, and on the other it maintains file associations so that other applications do not take over file associations which Winamp normally handles.  As a System Tray icon Winamp is rarely used; most users use Winamp through double-clicking on an MP3 file rather than through actually starting it through Start \ Programs.  Therefore, for most users there is no need for a Tray icon which just adds to the clutter.  More worryingly, in our experience WINAMPA seems to cause unexplained crashes in Netscape and Internet Explorer, and a few other programs.  Disabling WINAMPA totally seemingly gets rid of the crashes.

Recommendation :
Disable Winamp Agent.  Right-click on the  Winamp  icon in the System Tray and choose  Disable Winamp Agent.  Reboot your PC.

Winbackup
Registrychk

Winbackup.exe

(???)

You have the  W32.Mertian@mm  virus.

Wincinemamgr

WinCinemaMgr.exe

(InterVideo)

System Tray icon installed by InterVideo’s  WinDVD  DVD playing software.  This icon enables you to configure some simple WinDVD options from the System Tray, or to start WinDVD from the System Tray.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference.  We ourselves normally get rid of it from the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  in order to reduce System Tray clutter.

Wincomm

Windows Communicator

Wincomm.exe

(???)

You have the   WORM_AGOBOT.AZ   virus which attacks Windows 2000/XP/2003 PCs which have not had critical  Windows Updates  installed.

Recommendation :
Many antivirus programs do  not  detect this virus.  If your antivirus software does not detect this virus, do as follows :

1)  Reboot your PC into Safe Mode.

2)  On the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter, right-click on this entry and choose  “Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to”.

3)  Next, delete this startup from the same  Startups  tab.

4)  Switch to the  Services  tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter and set the  Startup Mode  of this service to  Disabled.

5)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode and immediately do a Windows Update.  At the time of writing, 30‑Oct‑2004, if you have Windows XP we recommend you say  No  to installing Service Pack 2 for Windows XP as that may cause you more problems than you bargained for.  Simply choose the option to  Review and install other updates  (you may be asked, before that, to install the latest version of  Windows Update; do so)  and install all critical updates.

Windirect

win_upd2.exe

WINdirect.exe

(???)

You have the  W32.Beagle.AO@mm  virus.

Winfi1e32

Winfi1e32.exe

(???)

You have the  W32.Mertian@mm  virus.

Wingo

Wingo.exe

(???)

You have the   W32.Beagle.AW@mm  \  Win32.Bagle.AR  \  W32/Bagle.bd@MM   or   W32.Beagle.AV@mm  \  Win32.Bagle.AQ  \  W32/Bagle.bb@MM  \  BAGLE.BC    virus.

Winhost

Winhost.exe

Win.exe

Winh.exe

(???)

If the full path to this program shows in  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  as  C:\Windows\Winhost.exe  or  C:\WinNT\Winhost.exe  then this is a nightmarish background task picked up almost exclusively either through adult websites or through spam emails.  This task affects Internet Explorer with endless popup and popunder ads from adult websites.  Whenever we have come across this program on a PC, we have also found countless other viruses on the same PC so we think that this particular task may also be responsible for pulling down various viruses.

Recommendation :
This program is detected only by specific antivirus programs.  Therefore, if your antivirus software does not detect it as a Trojan virus, and if the full path as shown in  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  is  C:\Windows\Winhost.exe  or  C:\WinNT\Winhost.exe ,  then do as follows :

1)  Reboot your PC into Safe Mode.

2)  Start The Ultimate Troubleshooter and position yourself on the  Startups  tab.

3)  Right-click on the  WINHOST  entry and choose  Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to.

4)  Next, right-click on the  WINHOST  entry again but this time choose  Delete this Startup Entry.

5)   Using Windows Explorer, or  “My Computer”,  delete the following two files if you can find them :  C:\Windows\System.html  and  C:\Windows\System.hta  or  C:\WinNT\System.html  and  C:\WinNT\System.hta.

6)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode.

7)  Make sure you have an up-to-date reputable antivirus program and virus scan your entire PC both in Normal Mode and in Safe Mode.

Wininit

Wininit.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows Vista Start-Up Application.  Core session‑start process present in each Windows Vista session and whose job is to start some of the core Windows Vista background services (for the benefit of advanced users WININIT starts the Service Control Manager, SCM, the Local Security Authority SubSystem, LSASS, and the Local Session Manager, LSM.EXE, which manages terminal services connections).

Recommendation :
An essential Windows Vista background program – Leave alone.

Winlogon  (1)

WinLogon.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 Logon application whose full path is either  C:\WinNT\System32\Winlogon.exe   or   C:\Windows\System32\Winlogon.exe.  This process manages users’ logons and logoffs on your PC/Server.  The window which pops up and prompts you for your username and password, or which allows you to logoff or shutdown, is the  WINLOGON  process.

Recommendation :
An integral part of the operating system, leave alone.

Winlogon  (2)

WinLogon.exe

(???)

If you have Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 and the full path for this task is   C:\WinNT\Winlogon.exe   or   C:\Windows\Winlogon.exe ,  then you may have the   W32.Netsky.C@mm   virus, or a newer virus.   If you have Windows 95/98/ME then you definitely have either the above virus or a newer virus.  Double-click on this task to check it’s path.

Recommendation :
Make sure you have a current, reputable, and recently updated antivirus program and then run a full virus scan of your PC, preferably after having booted it up into Safe Mode.

Winmgr32

WinMgr32.exe

(???)

You have the  W32.Mimail.P@mm  virus.

Winoldap

Winoldap.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows module, required to run MS-DOS based applications, and which is auto-started when Windows is asked to run an MS-DOS application.  In general, therefore, this module will only ever appear in the Task List when you also have MS-DOS based applications running.

Recommendation : 
Leave untouched.

Winservn

Manage,
Sear1,
Wapicc,
Wapiit,
Wapisu,
Wapisvit,
Wapisvsu,
Wcpcc,
Wcpsvsu,
Wapitr,
Wcpsvtr,
Winservs,
Wintsu,
Wintsvcc,
Wnsapicc,
Wnsapisu,
Wnsapisv,
Wnscpsu,
Wnscpsv,
Wnsintit,
Wnsinttr,
Wnsintsu,
Wnsintsv,
Wnstscc,
Wnstssv,
Wtsit,
Wtstr

sear1 MFC Application

ContentService,
Version,
WAPI,
WCPC,
WCPS,
WINT,
WNSA,
WNSC,
WNSI,
WNST,
WTSI,
WTSS

Winservn.exe

Manage.exe,
Sear1.exe,
Wapicc.exe,
Wapiit.exe,
Wapisu.exe,
Wapisvit.exe,
Wapisvsu.exe,
Wcpcc.exe,
Wcpsvsu.exe,
Wapitr.exe,
Wcpsvtr.exe,
Winservs.exe,
Wintsu.exe,
Wintsvcc.exe,
Wnsapicc.exe,
Wnsapisu.exe,
Wnsapisv.exe,
Wnscpsu.exe,
Wnscpsv.exe,
Wnsintit.exe,
Wnsinttr.exe,
Wnsintsu.exe,
Wnsintsv.exe,
Wnstscc.exe,
Wnstssv.exe,
Wtsit.exe,
Wtstr.exe

(ClickSpring)

Task which is dropped onto your PC when you run the free  “hidden pornography”  scanner from PuritySCAN.com.  At the time of writing, 9‑May‑2004, PuritySCAN.com purports to scan your PC for hidden pornography and help you remove it.  For a start, at the time of writing, 9‑May‑2004, the scan for pornographic content is a total scam and downright dangerous.  The scan will reports files like  ASSETS.GIF  and  ASSETS.EXE  as files containing pornographic material because, wait for it, because ..... the names of the files contain the word  “ass”.  Shocking, shocking, shocking.  If we had gone ahead and  “cleaned”  our test hard drive of the reported files, we would have lost  “ASSETS.GIF”  which is a graphic file that is part of Microsoft Office 2000, and we would have lost  “ASSETS.EXE”  which is asset management software !!  And it gets worse :  STRIPED.GIF will also have been deleted because the filename has the letters  “strip”, and, unbelievably, SUNBANNA.GIF will have been deleted because the filename contains the letters .......... “Anna” !   There are no words to describe a scam like this one. 

It gets worse still :  what this software also does do is drop this file together with a second one onto your PC (The Ultimate Troubleshooter  will also highlight the second file), sets both up as startup entries, and the PC then gets inundated with popup advertisements and also experiences serious Internet browsing performance issues.  As much as it irritates us to be, to be fair there is a license agreement which states, amongst other things, that you agree to receive advertising :  “By installing PurityScan you understand and agree that PurityScan will make the following changes to your Internet Browser:  Several PROMOTIONAL CONSOLES (daughter console/interstitial) may be launched for the duration of time you spend online. These consoles may continue to be launched as long as you have PurityScan installed on your machine. PurityScan does not monitor the activities or collect information from users once they have left PurityScan.  By downloading PurityScan, you understand that these changes cannot be reversed without running the removal executable of PurityScan.  If you try to change the items above manually, your changes will be lost when you reboot or turn off your computer.”. 

This is nightmarish adware posing as a  free service to the Internet community – the publishers know full well that 90% of users never read License Agreements and that they will therefore get conned into running a not only useless but dangerous scan, and they will also get infected with adware (advertising software) !   Since its introduction in 2002 this task not only constantly changes name, to evade detection, but it has also appeared in the Task List of users who have never accessed PuritySCAN.com, so we suspect that ClickSpring have an Affiliates programme which allows unscrupulous websites to co‑brand the PuritySCAN program so they can lure users into running scans of their PCs while at the same time dropping onto those PCs this task which will continually pull up popup advertisements about their products !   Through investigation and talking to infected users, we even have strong circumstantial evidence that this task is obtained, of all places, on pornographic websites which provide a free  “tool to erase all traces of the user’s visit to those sites” !!

Finally, we have also noticed that all users who had this task and who did not have adequate antivirus protection, were all infected with the  Badtrans  virus – we are not yet sure of the reason for this strange coincidence.

Recommendation :
Get rid of this task immediately.  Read the following carefully to do so.

1)  Terminate  WINSERVN  (or its equivalent) on the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter. 
 
2)  Terminate the second task which The Ultimate Troubleshooter will have also identified as being ClickSpring software. 

3)  Switch to the  Startups  tab, highlight the startup entry which has  WINSERVN.EXE,  right-click on it and choose the  “Delete from the hard disk the file that this startup points to”  menu option.  Delete the file.

4)  Repeat this file deletion process for all other tasks identified on the  Startups  tab as being  ClickSpring  software (do not assume there will only be two ClickSpring startup entries – there are sometimes many more).

5)  Search your hard disk for a file called PURITYSCAN.EXE.  If you find it, delete it. 
 
6)  Delete all ClickSpring entries from the  Startups  tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.
 
7)  Finally, make sure you have a reputable antivirus product, manually update it fully, then reboot your PC into Safe Mode and run a full virus scan of your PC.

8)  Reboot into Normal Mode and empty your Recycle Bin.
 

Winservs

Winservs.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wintsu

Wintsu.exe

See   WINSERVN.
 

Wintsvcc

Wintsvcc.exe

See   WINSERVN.
 

Winupdate

Microsoft Eventlog

WinUpdate.exe

(???)

You have the   Trojan.Trunlow \ VBS/Psyme   or   W32.Posit@mm   or   W32.Spybot.EAS   virus.

Winupdt

Winupdt.exe

(???)

Trojan virus picked up primarily through file sharing networks such as KaZaA.  In our experience this program is responsible for sending out vast amounts of information from the end-user PC, thereby significantly, and sometimes dramatically, slowing down Internet access.  Other variants of this program seem to generate endless annoying popup and popunder advertisements.  Additionally all PCs where we have found this program either had other viruses or spyware and adware.  At the time of writing, 8‑Jan‑2005, most antivirus software programs do not pick up this program as a virus.  The typical location of this program will be  C:\Windows\System32\Winupdt.exe  or  C:\WinNT\System32\Winupdt.exe. 

Recommendation :  
Get rid of this virus as follows :

1)  Restart your PC into Safe Mode by pressing  F8  continually after turning your PC ON till you get a menu where  “Safe Mode”  is one of the options  (if you are unable to start your PC into Safe Mode, then try the following in normal mode).

2)  On the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter, if you are in Normal Mode, terminate  WINUPDT  and  WINUPDTL  if they are running.

3)  In you are on Windows 2000/XP/2003, switch to the  Services  tab and, if they are set up as services, through the right-click menu change the  Startup Mode  of  WINUPDT  and  WINUPDTL,  if the latter exists, to  Disabled.

4)  Switch to the  Startups  tab and for  WINUPDT  and  WINUPDTL, do the following in turn :  right-click and choose  “Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to”;  next, right-click on the entry again and this time choose  “Delete this Startup Entry”.

5)  Click on the big green  APPLY  button to make your changes stick.

6)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode.

7)  Make sure you have up‑to‑date reputable antivirus software and run a full virus scan on your PC.

8)  Download  Spybot  or  Ad-Aware  from our  Downloads  library and scan your PC for adware and spyware.
 

Winupdtl

WINUPDTL.exe

(???)

Trojan virus picked up primarily through file sharing networks such as KaZaA.  In our experience this program is responsible for sending out vast amounts of information from the end-user PC, thereby significantly, and sometimes dramatically, slowing down Internet access.  Other variants of this program seem to generate endless annoying popup and popunder advertisements.  Additionally all PCs where we have found this program either had other viruses or spyware and adware.  At the time of writing, 8‑Jan‑2005, most antivirus software programs do not pick up this program as a virus.  The typical location of this program will be  C:\Windows\System32\Winupdtl.exe  or  C:\WinNT\System32\Winupdtl.exe. 

Recommendation :  
Get rid of this virus as follows :

1)  Restart your PC into Safe Mode by pressing  F8  continually after turning your PC ON till you get a menu where  “Safe Mode”  is one of the options  (if you are unable to start your PC into Safe Mode, then try the following in normal mode).

2)  On the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter, if you are in Normal Mode, terminate  WINUPDTL  and  WINUPDT  if they are running.

3)  In you are on Windows 2000/XP/2003, switch to the  Services  tab and, if they are set up as services,  through the right-click menu change the  Startup Mode  of  WINUPDTL  and  WINUPDT,  if the latter exists, to  Disabled.

4)  Switch to the  Startups  tab and for  WINUPDTL  and  WINUPDT, do the following in turn :  right-click and choose  “Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to”;  next, right-click on the entry again and this time choose  “Delete this Startup Entry”.

5)  Click on the big green  APPLY  button to make your changes stick.

6)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode.

7)  Make sure you have up‑to‑date reputable antivirus software and run a full virus scan on your PC.

8)  Download  Spybot  or  Ad-Aware  from our  Downloads  library and scan your PC for adware and spyware.
 

Wkcalrem

WkCalRem.exe

(Microsoft)

The Microsoft Works Calendar Reminders background task.  It pops up reminders whenever a scheduled event in your Works calendar is coming up.

Recommendation : 
If you want the Microsoft pop up reminders, leave this task running. Otherwise disable reminders within Microsoft Works, or disable this task with  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

WLanCfgBI

WLanCfgBI.exe

(Gateway)

Gateway Wireless Monitor.  System Tray icon which provides a visual feedback as to the strength of your wireless connection and which also enables you to configure your wireless adapter to discover and connect to available wireless networks.

Recommendation :
Keep – There is nothing like having an instantly recognizable visual confirmation of the state of your wireless connection, and this icon certainly does that.  Additionally, it is extremely useful to be able to access the wireless configuration utility straight from this System Tray icon whenever needed.

WLANExt

WLANExt.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows Wireless LAN 802.11 Extensibility Framework.  Task found on Windows Vista.  This task provides an interface to Windows Vista’s wireless security and connectivity features for the drivers of wireless network adaptors, whether those network adaptors are integrated (as in all modern laptops) or whether they are in the form of USB, PCI, or PCMCIA cards.

Recommendation :
Leave alone – Windows Vista starts this task as and when needed.

This task normally uses between 2Mb to 22Mb of memory  (22Mb of memory to interface the drivers to Vista’s wireless connectivity and security features – now you see why it is so important to have a lot of memory with Windows Vista!!!).

wlcomm

wlcomm.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows Live Communications Platform.  Background task spawned by Windows Live Messenger when you have  Windows Live Contacts  (also called Windows Live People)  enabled.  “Windows Live Contacts” is the ability of your Windows Live address book to be updated in realtime when your friends update their own Windows Live information (ie. they’ve changed their cell phone number, or they’ve moved home, etc...), and vice versa when you update your own Windows Live profile and you have configured some or all of your friends to automatically receive your updated details.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference.  On most PCs this task, WLCOMM, consumes significant amounts of resources, from 24Mb to 38Mb of memory (on a handful of PCs this task can consume as low as 9Mb of memory) and sometimes, on some PCs, it also uses upwards of 30% of CPU time (processor time), so if memory or CPU conservation is an issue for your (ie. maybe your PC is running slowly) then you should consider disabling  Windows Live Contacts  by not having any information automatically exchanged between your Windows Live Messenger and that of your friends.

WLIDSVC

WLIDSVC.EXE

(Microsoft)

Microsoft Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant.  Service installed by  Microsoft Windows Live (MSN).  Microsoft’s own description for this service, at the time of writing, 20-Aug-2009 :  “The Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant installs the Windows Live ID online provider for Windows 7.  By making it possible to link a Windows Live ID to a Windows 7 user account, this online provider helps enable Windows 7 applications to deliver great features like sharing documents, pictures, music, and video.  Benefits :  Through the online provider, the Sign-in Assistant helps a Windows 7 application running on one computer identify and communicate with other computers that are associated with the same Windows Live ID.  Just by linking your Windows Live ID to the user account on each Windows 7 computer you own, you enable those computers to identify each other and work together more easily than has been possible in the past.  Applications can take advantage of this capability to support scenarios as in the following example:  On his homegroup, Bob wants to share certain documents with his wife but not with his kids. Simply by specifying his wife’s Windows Live ID user name, Bob can give his wife exclusive permission to access documents on his computer.”

In effect this is Microsoft’s latest attempt at simplifying home networking even further by having the networking of PCs done through user’s Windows Live IDs (Hotmail sign-in’s), and it is an interesting one, and it will be even more interesting to see if it catches up.  As per the example Microsoft give in their write-up, you can share your files, pictures, etc.., simply through your Windows Live ID, across the Internet with Greg down in Australia, or on your home network with Nancy.  The downside :  you must have an Internet connection running for the networking to work even if you are networking only across your home network.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user requirements.  If you do not use this method of networking through your Windows Live ID Sign-in, then disable this task by setting its  Startup Mode  to  Disabled  on the  Services  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

This background service, together with the task that it spawns, can use anything from 4Mb to 40Mb of memory.

WLLoginProxy

WLLoginProxy.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows Live Login Helper.  Program which will appear on the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  when you have Microsoft’s Windows Live (MSN Messenger 8 or later) open or running in the System Tray.  The  Windows Live Login Helper  provides useful background  “user-friendly”  features such as telling Internet Explorer to display near your login name how many new messages you currently have before you actually login to Hotmail or Windows Live;  such as fetching, on behalf of Internet Explorer, your password hint when you have forgotten it;  and other similarly useful features.

Recommendation :  
Leave alone – this program is started by Windows Live and will close if and when you close Windows Live.  If you do not want this program running, and you are not currently using  Windows Live,  then close  Windows Live Messenger.

Note :   This task can consume as little as 1Mb all the way to a whopping 32Mb, even when you are not logged in to Hotmail or not using Windows Live Messenger.  Therefore, if you are not a frequent user of Windows Live Messenger we suggest you configure it  not  to start automatically when Windows starts.

Wltrysvc

Wltrysvc.exe

(Broadcom)

Broadcom’s   Wireless Tray Service   service installed on Windows XP/2000/2003 by the drivers for Broadcom based wireless adapters.  Broadcom is an OEM manufacturer – that is, it makes the hardware and the base drivers and other companies put their name on the hardware and sometimes adapt the drivers as well.  As a result this task will show up for a variety of laptops or PC Card (PCMCIA) / PCI wireless network cards.  To name a few :  Dell, Belkin, Motorola.  This service has many roles :  it drives/controls your wireless adapter;  it also implements any changes to the configuration of your wireless adapter that you have made through the Broadcom System Tray icon or through the Windows XP interface;  and, finally, it feeds information back to the Broadcom / Windows XP System Tray icons (e.g. signal strength, wireless networks detected, etc...).

Recommendation : 
Absolutely crucial to the proper functioning of your wireless adapter – Leave alone therefore.

Wm

WM.exe

(Novell)

Novell Client Workstation Manager service installed by the Novell Client for Windows NT4/2000/XP and set to  Automatic  by default.  Novell’s Workstation Manager is akin to the Windows Policy Editor but adds more facilities and Novell related features.  For a start it enables the managing of both NDS and local User accounts through the one program, NetWare Administrator;  it also allows the System Administrator to set up automated installations of updates or programs, to set up NT/2000/XP policies, to set up automated installation of printers and printer driver updates, and much more.

Recommendation :
Novell Workstation Manager is not needed to connect to a Novell network.  That said, unless you experience performance problems while connected to your network, we recommend you leave this service running at all times.  To disable it (and you should only do so after consulting your Network Administrator), go to  Network Connections, open the  “Properties”  of your connection to your network, and uncheck  Novell Workstation Manager, OK your way out, and reboot your PC.  If you have version 4.91 of the NetWare Client or later, you will not be able to uncheck  Novell Workstation Manager – you will instead need to highlight it, then click the  PROPERTIES  button, uncheck  Enable Workstation Manager, and then OK your way out.

Wm95

Wm95.exe

(Novell)

Novell Client Workstation Manager background task installed by the Novell Client for Windows 9x/ME.  Novell’s Workstation Manager is akin to the Windows Policy Editor but adds more facilities and Novell related features.  For a start it enables the managing of both NDS and local User accounts through the one program, NetWare Administrator;  it also allows the System Administrator to set up automated installations of updates or programs, to set up 95/98/ME policies, to set up automated installation of printers and printer driver updates, and much more.

Recommendation :
Novell Workstation Manager is not needed to connect to a Novell network.  Additionally, unlike its more stable NT4/2000/XP equivalent – WM.EXE, this background task has a tendency to crash with illegal operations on some PCs.  For this reason, unless you are a System Administrator and expressly need that task running on your end-users’ PCs, we recommend disabling it on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Wmccds

WMConnectCDS

WMCCDS.exe

(Microsoft)

Microsoft’s   Windows Media Connect Service v2.  Windows Media Connect is a Microsoft technology which enables  Digital Media Receivers  to play music, video, or photos that are stored on a Windows XP PC.  At the time of writing, 4‑Jan‑2006, most  Digital Media Receivers  (DMR) take the form of a piece of Hi‑Fi equipment which can connect wirelessly to your PC or PC network, and play music (or music playlists) stored on your PC or network.  For example, you would have your  Digital Media Receiver  in the living room connect wirelessly to your PC in your study or one of the spare rooms, and play music files or music playlists stored on the PC.  WMCCDS (previous name MSWMCCDS), the Windows Media Connect v2 Service, is the process which enables this process by  streaming  the music to the  Digital Media Receiver  (which has no storage capacity of its own).

Recommendation :
Unless you are a Windows Media Connect  user, the default  Startup Mode  of this service will normally be  Manual, which is fine.  In fact, at the time of writing, 4‑Jan‑2006, given some of the bugs which its predecessor had (MSWMCCDS), we feel it would be prudent not to have Windows Media Connect  automatically start when Windows starts as some of those problems included Windows taking up to 20 minutes to start because of a problem with the Windows Media Connect Service.  It is most likely, however, that Microsoft have worked hard at solving these problems in version 2, so if you absolutely would like this service to start automatically, do experiment with it.  If on the other hand you decide not to let this service start automatically at Windows boot-up, then  simply start it through the  Windows Media Connect  icon in the Control Panel – this service starts as soon as you open the Control Panel’s  Windows Media Connect  icon (the Windows Media Connect Configuration program) and you can stop it on the  SETTINGS  tab.

WMCCFG

WMCCfg.exe

(Microsoft)

You have Microsoft’s   Windows Media Connect Configuration Program   currently open or minimized to the System Tray.  Windows Media Connect is a Microsoft technology which enables  Digital Media Receivers  to play music, video, or photos that are stored on a Windows XP PC.  At the time of writing, 10‑Jan‑2006, most  Digital Media Receivers  (DMR) take the form of a piece of Hi‑Fi equipment which can connect wirelessly to your PC or PC network, and play music (or music playlists) stored on your PC or network.  For example, you would have your  Digital Media Receiver  in the living room connect wirelessly to your PC in your study or one of the spare rooms, and play music files or music playlists stored on the PC.  This is done through Windows Media Connect  streaming  the music to the  Digital Media Receiver  (which has no storage capacity of its own).  WMCCFG is the configuration program which enables the user to specify which music folders on your PC can be shared with a DMR, which DMR devices you want to allow to connect to your PC, and whether you want Windows Media Connect to be available at Windows startup.

Wmexe

WMexe.exe

(3Com)

Background program which gets installed with the 3Com or US Robotics Winmodem type of modems.

Recommendation : 
Leave alone as it is essential to the proper operation of your Winmodem.

WMP110

WMP110.exe

(Linksys)

Linksys Instant Wireless Configuration Utility for your WMP110 PCI wireless network card.  System Tray icon which provides a visual feedback as to the strength of your wireless connection as well as also enabling you to configure your wireless network adapter to discover and connect to the available wireless networks.

Recommendation :
Keep – There is nothing like having an instantly recognizable visual confirmation of the state of your wireless connection, and this icon certainly does that.  Additionally, it is extremely useful to be able to access the wireless configuration utility straight from this System Tray icon whenever needed.

Wmplayer  (1)

WMPlayer.exe

(Microsoft)

You have Microsoft’s  Windows Media Player  currently open.

Wmplayer (2)

Wmplayer.exe

(???)

You have the   W32.HLLW.Gaobot.EF  or  W32.Kelvir.H   virus, or one of the many other viruses which masquerade as the Windows Media Player.  If  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  shows the full path to this program as being anything other than  “C: \ Program Files \ Windows Media Player \ Wmplayer.exe”, then you most definitely have a virus.  Also, if you do  not  have Windows Media Player currently open and this program is running, then you also most definitely have a virus.

WN311T

WN311T.exe

(Netgear)

Netgear Configuration Utility for the WN311T PCI RangeMax wireless network adapter.  System Tray icon which provides a visual feedback as to the strength of your wireless connection and which also enables you to configure your wireless adapter to discover and connect to available wireless networks.

Recommendation :
Keep – There is nothing like having an instantly recognizable visual confirmation of the state of your wireless connection, and this icon certainly does that.  Additionally, it is extremely useful to be able to access the wireless configuration utility straight from this System Tray icon whenever needed.

Wnconnect

WNConnect

(My-Mainstreet.com)

Data extraction module of the STARS accounting system (STARS – Store Total Accounting & Retail System).

Recommendation : 
We do not know the STARS software, nor have we received negative reports about this module,  so our recommendation is to leave this module untouched.

Wnsapicc

Wnsapicc.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnsapisu

Wnsapisu.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnsapisv

Wnsapisv.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnscpsu

Wnscpsu.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnscpsv

Wnscpsv.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnsintit

Wnsintit.exe
 

See  WINSERVN.

Wnsinttr

Wnsinttr.exe
 

See  WINSERVN.

Wnsintsu

Wnsintsu.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnsintsv

Wnsintsv.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wnstscc

Wnstscc.exe

See   WINSERVN.
 

Wnstssv

Wnstssv.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wofe5

WofE5.exe

(???)

You have the   BADTRANS   virus.

WpcUmi

WpcUmi.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows [Vista] Parental Control Notifications.  System Tray icon which provides user feedback when a Standard Vista users tries to access a site which has been blocked through the Vista Parental Controls.  You can use Parental Controls to help manage how your children use the computer.  For example, you can set limits on your children's access to the web, the hours that they can log on to the computer, and which games they can play and programs they can run.  When Parental Controls blocks access to a webpage or game, this program displays a notification that the webpage or program has been blocked. Your child can click a link in the notification to request permission for access to that webpage or program.  When you next login to the PC through your Administrator account, this very same program will notify you of the request to allow a particular site and you can allow access by entering your account information.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user requirements.  If you use the Windows Vista Parental Controls, then you should leave this enabled, otherwise disable it on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  —  this is important as, at the time of writing, 7-Aug-2008, we have come across a number of PCs which did not use Parental Controls and where this task was directly responsible for computer slow-downs or incredibly slow Internet browsing.

This program normally uses anything from 1Mb to 32Mb of memory.

Lastly, note that even if you disable this program on the  Startups  tab of TUT, if you have Windows Parental Control turned ON, then Vista will often start this program regardless if a website is blocked or if there are notifications waiting for you as an Administrator user.

Wscntfy

Wscntfy.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows Security Center Notification App.  System Tray application introduced with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP and which alerts you if your  Firewall,  Automatic Updates,  or  AntiVirus  settings might put your PC at risk (according to Windows, that is).

Recommendation :
Imagine a world where you get alerts about your firewall, your antivirus, your automatic updates, your accounts software, your email software, your Microsoft Office programs about updates you should install, your screen saver about the latest offers, your DirectX settings, your Display settings, your Notifications settings, your Notifications settings about Notifications, ....  Correct !   This was indeed the description of  Hell !!   In our view this is about as annoying a task as there can be, particularly since, in our case, we normally recommend  against  automatic Windows updates.  Our recommendation :  make sure your firewall is running and configured (the default installation configuration of most reputable firewalls, including XP’s own firewall, is usually very safe), that your AntiVirus is running, protecting you in Real Time, and configured to automatically download antivirus definitions updates  (the normal default installation settings of most reputable antivirus products), and that your subscription is current, and then go and disable this annoying and superfluous task as follows :

1)  Go to the  Control Panel \ Security Center.

2)  Down the left pane locate the  Change the way Security Center alerts me  option.

3)  Clear all three check boxes.

4)  OK your way out.
 

wsqmcons

wsqmcons.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows SQM Consolidator.  Description of this background task by Microsoft at the time of writing, 30‑Aug‑2008 :  “This Vista scheduled task runs when you install Windows Vista and it also runs daily if the user consented to participate in the Microsoft Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program.  This program collects and sends usage data to Microsoft.  The Wsqmcons.exe program is located in the System32 folder”.

This task only runs transiently which is why you will not always see it on the  Tasks  tab of TUT.

Annoyingly, however, is the fact that most users will occasionally see this task running even though they know for certain that they never agreed to  participate in the Microsoft Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program !  Hmmm.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user’s choice.

If you feel you absolutely want to make sure this task never runs, then,  for advanced users only, here is Microsoft’s suggested solution for turning OFF the  Customer Experience Improvement Program :

The Customer Experience Improvement Program (Help \ Customer Feedback Options) is included with Office 2003/2007 and is turned off by default. The following Windows registry setting controls whether it is enabled :

Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Office\Common

Value name: QMEnable

Value type: DWORD

Value data: [0 | 1]

Setting the QMEnable data value to 1 enables the program; setting it to 0 disables it.

Wted

Wted.exe
 

See   IWAR.

Wtoolsa

TB_Setup,
WinTools,
Wsup,
Wtoolss

WtoolsA.exe

TB_Setup.exe,
WinTools.exe,
Wsup.exe,
WtoolsS.exe
(???)

Nightmarish set of tasks and services which form part of a Trojan horse virus which has been infecting large amounts of users since May 2004.  “Wtoolsa has caused an error in Kernel32”  is the most common complaint, along with 100% CPU utilization, and extremely sluggish Internet access as a result of these tasks continually communicating, or attempting to communicate, with some server out on the Internet.  While we are not sure how users get infected, most users we have come across also used KaZaA or some other file sharing program.  At the time of writing, 28‑May‑2004, this Trojan is not detected by most antivirus software.  All the files, except for  TB_SETUP,  are installed in the  C:\Program Files\Common Files\ WinTools  folder.  This has made many users think that the culprits were the people from  WinTools.net  but that is absolutely not the case.

Recommendation :  
You need to get rid of this software, quickly !   Do as follows (print this before you start) :

1)  Restart your PC into Safe Mode (earlier versions of this virus could be removed without this step, but the current versions need to be removed while in Safe Mode).  To boot your PC into Safe Mode repeatedly hit  F8  after turning your PC ON from cold till you get a menu where one of the options is  Safe Mode.

2)   Start  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  in Safe Mode.

3)  On the  Tasks  tab of TUT terminate each of the following tasks if present :   TB_Setup,  WinTools,  Wsup,  WtoolsA,  WtoolsS.

4)  If you are on Windows 2000/XP/2003, switch over to the  Services  tab and stop the following service if found (and if it is running) :   WinTools for IE service  (also listed as WToolsS).  Next, set the Startup Mode of this service to  Disabled.

5)  Switch over to the  Startups  tab, right-click on each of the following startup entries, if present, and run the  Delete from the hard disk the file that this startup points to  menu option :   TB_Setup,  WinTools,  Wsup,  WToolsA,  WToolsS.

6)  Next, on the same tab delete every startup entry associated with any of these programs :   TB_Setup,  WinTools,  Wsup,  WToolsA,  WToolsS.

7)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode and go and delete the  WinTools  folder in  C:\Program Files\Common Files.

8)  Manually update your antivirus software and run a full virus scan of your PC.

9)  Go to  “Add/Remove Programs”  in the Control Panel and remove  WinTools Easy Installer  and  WinTools for Internet Explorer 2.  If Windows tells you that the software has already been deleted and would you like to remove the entry from  “Add/Remove Programs”,  answer  Yes.

10)  Finally, download  SpyBot  from our  Downloads  library, install it and run a full inspection and cleanup of your PC.
 

WTouchService

WTouchService.exe

(Wacom Technologies)

Wacom Touch Screen Service.  Service installed under Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 by the drivers for Wacom’s graphics tablets.  This service is the interface between you, the user, and the tablet :  it interprets every touch of the screen that you do and sends them to Windows or whichever program you are currently running.

Recommendation :
Essential for the proper functioning of your graphics tablet as without it your touch screen will stop functioning – Leave alone therefore.

This background service normally uses 5Mb to 6Mb of memory.

Wtsit

Wtsit.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wtstr

Wtstr.exe
 

See   WINSERVN.

Wuauclt

Wuauclt.exe

(Microsoft)

Microsoft AutoUpdate for Windows ME/2000/XP.  Whenever you connect to the Internet, WUAUCLT checks the Microsoft website for updates to Windows Millennium Edition.

Recommendation :
We recommend against having any sort of AutoUpdate feature turned ON for operating systems.  If your system works, do not fix it unless there is a major security update released by Microsoft as a result of a virus outbreak, in which case do a manual  Windows Update  (if you do not have a  Windows Update  icon, simply go to  www.windowsupdate.com  to do a Windows Update).  Updates should be manually controlled as the downside, if something goes wrong, is potentially an unusable PC – we recommend doing a manual Windows Update once every two months or when there is a major new virus; this statistically lessens the chance of you picking up a Windows Update that causes problem as, in most cases, you will be picking up the update a few days after it has been released when Microsoft will have had the chance to correct what may have been a disastrous first release of the update.  Always backup your critical data (documents, emails, etc..) before doing a Windows Update.  To turn OFF Automatic Windows Updating, do as follows :
Windows ME :   “Start \ Settings \ Control Panel \ Automatic Updates \ Turn OFF automatic updating”.   Then reboot your PC.
Windows 2000 :   “Start \ Settings \ Control Panel \ Automatic Updates”.  Uncheck  “Keep my computer up to date”.
Windows XP :   “Start \ Settings \ Control Panel”  or  “Start \ Control Panel”  depending on how you have XP configured.  Then, double-click the  SYSTEM  icon.  Next, choose the  Automatic Updates  tab and uncheck  “Keep my computer up to date”.

Note :   December 2004 – recent Windows Updates have resulted in this task never disappearing from the Task List even when all  Automatic Updates  have been turned OFF.  This is fine – Automatic Updates will still stay OFF if that is what you have set them to.

Wupdated

Wupdated.exe

(???)

You have the   W32.HLLW.Moega   or the   Backdoor.Sdbot.Z  \  Backdoor.Sdbot.ht   virus.

Wupdater

WUpdater.exe

(KeenWare???)

We have little information on this task except that it is responsible for popup and popunder advertisements and frustrating shutdown problems whether the PC either fails to shut down properly, or the end-user gets  “Wupdater not responding”  errors.  We do not at this stage know the various ways in which it finds itself on someone’s PC, except that on the odd occasion that we have come across it the end-user had recently installed a screensaver they’d downloaded from the web.

Recommendation :
Delete from the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  and then use  SpyBot  from our  Downloads  library to completely rid yourself of this pest  (alternatively, you can get rid of it manually by looking for  WUPDATER.EXE  and deleting the folder that contains this file).

WW

WeatherWatcher

Ww.exe

(Singer’s Creations)

You have the   Weather Watcher   program currently open or running in the System Tray  (or set as a startup task). 

Wzcsldr

Wzcsldr2

ANIWZCS2Service

WZCSLDR.exe

WZCSLDR2.exe

(Alpha Networks)

Alpha Networks’  Wireless Zero Configuration Service Loader.  This is the driver for the wireless PCI, PCMCIA (PC Card), or USB network adapters made by the Taiwanese OEM manufacturer  Alpha Networks Inc  in which, at the time of writing, 29‑May‑2005, D‑Link is a major shareholder.  As an OEM manufacturer Alpha Networks designs and manufactures connectivity products for other companies to put their own badges, branding, and packaging on those products.  This means that you will find this particular driver installed by the installation CDs of a number of wireless brands, amongst them :  AT&T, Blitzz, Cellvision Systems, Conceptronics, D‑Link, and U.S. Robotics.

Recommendation :  
This is the main driver for your wireless network card; it will not work without it.  Leave alone therefore.

Wzqkpick

Wzqkpick.exe

(WinZip Computing)

Introduced with WinZip in version 8.1.  This is the System Tray icon task which enables you to start with WinZip from the System Tray.

Recommendation : 
If you do not want the WinZip icon to clutter your System Tray, open WinZip, choose the "Options \ Configuration" menu option, then choose the "System" tab, and then take the tick off the "Include WinZip Quick Pick in the taskbar tray" option.

All of the tasks below, and many more, although not detailed on this page, are explained in full in The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

The Ultimate Troubleshooter (TUT), has the full database in a remarkably easy and pleasing interface which makes the process of fine tuning your PC, or troubleshooting your computer's problems, a snip.  Get it here.

W32_ss.exe,  W32tm.exe,  W32Time Service,  W3sqlmgr.exe,  W3wp.exe,  Wab.exe,  Wacom_Tablet.exe,  Wacom_TabletUser.exe,  Wallpapertoy.Exe,  WinterWalltoy.exe,  Washer.exe,  WasherSvc.exe,  WashIdx.exe,  Watchdog.exe,  Wauclt.exe,  Wbjob.exe,  Wbscheds.exe,  Wbtray.exe,  WCU.exe,  WDBtnMgr.exe,  WDBtnMgrSvc.exe,  WDBtnMgrUI.exe,  WDFSvc.exe,  Wdns33.exe,  wdsvc.exe,  WeatherLink54.exe,  WebClient Service,  Webproxy.exe,  W11150.exe,  Webshots.scr,  Wfdmgr.exe,  WG111.exe,  WG111CFG.exe,  WG111v2.exe,  WG111v3.exe,  RTLWAKE.exe,  RTWLAN.exe,  WG511WLU.exe,  GEAR511.exe,  WGATray.exe,  WGRU.exe,  Wid32.exe,  WiFi SiStr.exe,  WiFiMsg.exe,  Wimsqaad.exe,  Win.exe,  Win24.exe,  Win32bat.exe,  Win32lib.exe,  Win32exec.exe,  Win32server.exe,  Win32server.scr,  Win32xpsys.exe,  Winamp.exe,  WinAV.exe,  Winaw32.exe,  Winboot_ini.pif,  WinCal.exe,  Wincalc.exe,  Wincfg32.exe,  Windates.exe,  WINDLHHL.exe,  Windll2.exe,  Windll32lib.exe,  Windns32.exe,  Window.exe,  Windows_kernel32.exe,  WindowsFirewall.exe,  WindowsSearch.exe,  WindowsSearchFilter.exe,  WindowsSearchIndexer.exe,  Windowz.exe,  Windrive.exe,  Windsns.exe,  WinDVD.exe,  WinDVD98.exe,  Winerdir.exe,  WinFIX1.0.vbs,  WINFRW.exe,  Winhelp.exe,  Winhlp.exe,  Winhlp32.exe,  Winhop32.exe,  Winhost32.exe,  Wini.exe,  Winicfg32.exe,  Wininfo.exe,  Winit.exe,  WinKey.exe,  Winldra.exe,  Winlibs.exe,  Winligon.exe,  Winlink32.exe,  Winload32.exe,  Winlog.exe,  Winlog0n.exe,  Winlogin.exe,  Winlogon.cab.exe,  Winlogon.scr,  Winlogonn.exe,  WinMail.exe,  WinMem.exe,  WinMem.exe,  WinMemOpt.exe,  Winmine.exe,  Winmon.exe,  WinMX.exe,  Winmysqladmin.exe,  WinNT.exe,  Winoa386.mod,  WinPatrol.exe,  Winpm-32.exe,  WinPop.exe,  WINPROJ.EXE,  Winprotect.exe,  WinRAR.exe,  Wins.exe,  WinSCP.exe,  Winserv.ila,  Winserver.exe,  Winservices.pif,  Winsfc.exe,  Winshellb.exe,  Winshost.exe,  Winsock.exe,  Winsock32.exe,  Winss.exe,  Winssnotify.exe,  Winstall.exe,  WinStylerThemeSvc.exe,  WinSvc.exe,  Winsys.exe,  Winsys32.exe,  Winsys33.exe,  Winsys4.exe,  Winsystem32xp.exe,  Wintask.exe,  Wintems.exe,  Wintime.exe,  Rundll32.exe,  Winup2date.dll,  Winupd.exe,  WinUpdater5.0.vbs,  Winupdates.exe,  Winupdsv.exe,  Winuser.exe,  WinUsr.exe,  WinVNC.exe,  Winvnc4.exe,  WinVNC5.exe,  Winxpro.exe,  Winzip.exe,  WinZip Quick Pick.exe,  WinZip_TMP.exe,  WinZip32.exe,  WirelessDaemon.exe,  WiseUpdt.exe,  Wisptis.exe,  WkDStore.exe,  Wkfxi.js,  Wkssvc.exe,  WLan.exe,  WLan111T.exe,  Wlancfg.exe,  Wlancfg.exe,  Wlancfg.exe,  Wlancfg2.exe,  Wlancfg4.exe,  Wlancfg5.exe,  Wlancfg8.exe,  WLanCfgAG.exe,  WLanCfgG.exe,  WLanMon.exe,  WLanMonitor.exe,  WLANPRO.exe,  WLANSTA.exe,  WLIDSvcM.exe,  WLKeeper.exe,  WLM.exe,  WLmail.exe, WLMon.exe,  WLService.exe,  WLSetupSvc.exe, WLTRAY.exe,  WLTUser.exe,  WMDC.exe,  WmdHost.exe,  WmdSync.exe,  Wmedia16.exe,  WMedia32.exe,  WMIADAP.exe,  WMIAdapt.exe,  Wmiapi.exe,  Wmiprvsw.exe,  Wmisg.exe,  Wmlaunch .exe,  Wmon32.exe,  WMP11CFG.exe,  WMP54G.exe,  WMP54GS.exe,  WMP54GSv1_1.exe,  WMP54Gv4.exe),  WMP54GX.exe,  WMPNetwk.exe,  WMPNSCFG.exe,  Wmsct.exe,  WN111.exe,  WN311B.exe, WN311BFCS.exe,  WN511B.exe,   WN511T.exe,  WNDA3100.exe,  Wnetlogin.exe,  Wnetmgr.exe,  WORDPAD.exe,  Wordpad.exe,  Wordpro.exe,  WORDVIEW.exe,  WorkRave.exe,  Worm.exe,  Wpabaln.exe,  WPC11Cfg.exe,  WPC300N.exe,  WPC54Cfg.exe,  WPC54GX4.exe,  WPC55AG.exe,  WPC55AGV2.exe,  Wpn111.exe,  WPN511.exe,  WPN511FCS.exe,  WPNT511.exe,  Wpwin8.exe,  Wpwin9.exe,  Wpwin10.exe,  Wpwin11.exe,  Wpwin12.exe,  Wpwin13.exe,  WRConsumerService.exe,  WRSSSDK.exe,  WSASrv.exe,  WSCommCntr1.exe,  WSCSvc service,  Wserver.exe,  WsftpCOMHelper.exe,  WSFTPPRO.exe,  WSJAlerts.exe,  Wspsrv.exe,  Wstat32.exe,  Wsys32.exe,  WtijqB2.exe,  WTouchService.exe,  WTouchUser.exe,  Wuamgrd.exe,  Wuamngr1.exe,  Wuamngr1.exe.exe,  Wuaucrlt.exe,  Wuauserv Service,  WUDFHost.exe,  Wudpcom.exe,  Wupd.exe,  WUpdates.exe,  Wupdmngr.exe,  Wupnp.exe,  WUSB11B.exe,  WUSB11CFG.exe,  WUSB12CFG.exe,  WUSB300N.exe,  WUSB54G.exe,  WUSB54GC.exe,  WUSB54GR.exe,  WUSB54GSC.exe,  WUSB54Gv2.exe,  WUSB54Gv4.exe,  WUSB54Gv42.exe,  WUSB54GP.exe,  WUSB54GPv4.exe,  WUSB54GS.exe,  WUSB54GSv2.exe,  WUSB600N.exe,  WVapFM.exe,  wwDisp.exe,  WWE DIVAS.exe,  WWeb32.exe,  Wwin32.com,  wwSecure.exe,  Wxtide32.exe,  WZCBDLS.exe,  Wzip32.exe.
 

PRESS & RADIO

September 2009
AskJack Blog,
The Guardian, UK

May 2009
Courier Mail, Brisbane, Australia

October 2008
The Philadelphia Bulletin

September 2008
NetworkWorld.com
——
VNUnet.com
London, UK

February 2008
The Wall Street Journal

September 2007
TechByter Worldwide

August 2007
IT Week Labs Blog
London, UK

June 2007
On Computers
Joy&Bob Schwabach
——
Simplehelp.net
——
Courier Mail, Brisbane

May 2007
Christopher Null
at Yahoo!Tech

January 2007
WFAA.com TV
Dallas/Fort Worth  Texas

2006
TechNewsWorld.com
——
Developer Shed
——
The Wall Street Journal
——
WTVN Radio
Columbus, Ohio

2005
WorldStart Computer Tips
——
A-Clue.com
——
Corante.com
——
PC Magazine
'Top 100 Classics'
——
Infodad.com

2004
PC Magazine
'Top 100 Classics'
——
The Examiner (Texas)
——
St Petersburgh Times
——
ToledoBlade (Ohio)
——
Office Zealot
——
Kevin Respecki
——
Mike McBride Online