Task List Programs - AnswersThatWork's famous Database of Processes, Process Library, Windows Startups, Windows XP Services, Windows Vista Services, Vista Services

Task List
Name

PROGRAM &
MANUFACTURER

WHAT IT IS
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO

Zapro

ZAPro.exe

(Zone Labs)

Zone Alarm Pro is an Internet firewall which runs in the background protecting your PC from hackers. The Pro version is a more advanced version of the free Zone Alarm which you can find in our Downloads section.

Recommendation :
Vital ! Leave untouched.

Zcast

ZCast.exe

(NetZero)

ZCAST and CHKRAS are two background processes installed by the NetZero software. NetZero is the largest free ISP in the US. In return for free Internet Access with NetZero, you are required to view advertisements while online. This is done by means of the NetZero banner advertising window. ZCAST and CHKRAS ensure that that window is always showing. If it is not, because you terminated it through terminating CHKRAS, the window is restarted by ZCAST. CHKRAS also in turn checks that ZCAST is running – if you closed ZCAST, CHKRAS restarts it !

Recommendation :
Interfering with either ZCAST or CHKRAS is in contravention of your agreement with NetZero, so if you want to enjoy free Internet Access through NetZero, you will have to put up with the advertising banner window.

Zcfgsvc

ZCfgSvc.exe

(Intel)

Zero Config MFC Application Windows 2000/XP/2003 Service, part of Intel’s ProSET utilities and installed by the drivers for many of Intel wireless network cards, whether onboard as seen in some laptops (e.g. Intel Pro Wireless 2100 in Dell laptops amongst others), or in the shape of PCMCIA wireless network cards (e.g. Intel Pro Wireless 2011). This task provides background support functions for the Intel ProSET utilities which enable you to configure your wireless adapter and connection through the Intel ProSET icon in the System Tray.

Recommendation :
This is a difficult one. First, ZCFGSVC is actually essential to the proper functioning of many of the Intel ProSET utilities (but not all) and, as with most wireless adapters, whether from Intel or not, these System Tray ProSET utilities are a must if you are using your wireless connection, if only so you know when the signal is fading or dropping. Most importantly, part of the ProSET utilities are responsible for sending out the Wireless network name (SSID) that you need to connect to; so if you fully de‑install the ProSET utilities, you will not be able to connect to your wireless network. Thus, if you are using your wireless adapter, you should in principle keep this service and the ProSET utilities. The problem is that, in some PCs, ZCFGSVC can be incredibly badly behaved : taking up to 100% of CPU time and therefore resulting in an extremely slow PC, preventing the installation of software or Windows updates, or causing “Not Responding” or “End this Program” shutdown problems. If you experience this, try first the very latest drivers from Intel or your laptop manufacturer. If that still does not solve the problem and you have Windows XP/2003, try setting the “Wireless Zero Configuration” service to Disabled. If that still does not solve the problem, then try renaming the C:\Windows\System32\ZCfgSvc.exe file to ZCfgSvc.exe.old as ZCFGSVC is seemingly not necessary for the part of the ProSET utilities which enable you to connect to your wireless network.

Ziptoa

ZipToA.exe

(Iomega)

“Iomega ATAPI Zip to A:” Windows NT4/2000/XP service installed when you install the IomegaWare software that came with your internal Zip drive. The purpose of this service is to allow your PC to see your internal Zip drive as a floppy drive (translate this to mean “making your Zip drive have either the letter A: or B: in Windows Explorer or My Computer”). The prime use of this is so that, as a result of being seen by Windows as a floppy drive, the Zip drive will appear automatically in the “Send-To” menu that comes up when you right-click on a file or folder in Windows Explorer and choose “Send-To”, thus enabling you to send files to your Zip drive through the right-click menu rather than through dragging them to the Zip drive.

Recommendation :
There are many problems with this service, and many undocumented restrictions with it as well. For a start, if you change the letter that may have been assigned to the Zip drive by Windows 2000/XP and then install IomegaWare, then ZIPTOA will not work and will therefore not start either. This service does work in some environments and when it does, it achieves its purpose without fuss. The problem is that in many versions of IomegaWare this service is buggy – it generates startup errors, or causes slow shutdowns, it consumes unreasonable amounts of CPU time, or it fails to work for no understandable reason. Our recommendation, therefore, is that if your version of ZIPTOA works, then leave it alone – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it ! If, however, you have any of the above mentioned problems, then simply set the Startup Mode of this service to Disabled on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter – it will not prevent your Zip drive from working, you simply will not have it showing as an A: or B: drive.

Zlclient

Zlclient.exe

(Zone Labs)

Zone Lab Client task which comes with the newer versions of the Zone Alarm and Zone Alarm Pro firewall (version 4.5 and later). This task used to be named “ZoneAlarm” in previous versions and has now been renamed to ZLCLIENT.

Recommendation :
This is the main workhorse task of your Zone Alarm firewall – in other words, absolutely essential to the proper functioning of your Zone Alarm firewall. Nevertheless, at the time of writing, 10‑Aug‑2004, this task is still prone to generating errors on boot‑up. If you have such a problem, check the Zone Labs website for possible updates to Zone Alarm.

Zm32nt

ZM32NT.exe

(Aladdin Systems)

ZipMagic, the Zip files utilities originally from Mijenix, then Ontrack, then VCOM, and now Aladdin Systems. ZM32NT will appear in the Task List if you are either actively using ZipMagic, or if it has been minimized to the System Tray.

Recommendation :
The ZipMagic 98 version of ZipMagic interferes with Internet Explorer 5.0 with the result that the title bar of Internet Explorer displays only a single letter instead of the title of the page you are viewing. If you have this problem upgrade to the latest version of ZipMagic.

ZoneAlarm (1)

Za

ZoneAlarm.exe

(Zone Labs)

Zone Alarm is an Internet firewall (available from our Downloads section) which runs in the background protecting your PC from hackers.

Recommendation :
Vital ! Leave untouched.

Zonealarm (2)

Zonealarm.exe

(???)

You may have the Backdoor.Sdbot.T virus.

Recommendation :
If you know you use the Zone Alarm firewall software and you also have reputable daily updated antivirus software, then you most probably do not have a virus and need not worry. If, however, you had never heard of the Zone Alarm firewall software before or you do not have reputable daily updated antivirus software, then you should ensure you have proper antivirus protection, update it, and run a full virus scan as you may have a virus.

zshp1020

zshp1020.exe

(Hewlett-Packard)

HP LaserJet 1020 Status Monitor. Program installed by the drivers for the HP LaserJet 1020 and which sits in the System Tray. It provides user feedback on the progress of print jobs and the status of the printer.

This is one of the most shocking background tasks we have EVER come across. It goes like this : every time you print this process starts up on the Tasks tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter and stays there. The next time you printer, the same process shows up a second time. The next time you print you get a third instance of the process. If you print 20 times during the day, this process will appear 20 times on the Tasks tab progressively slowing your PC or server unbearably till, eventually, your PC or server crashes. On a server you can very easily end up with over 100 instances of this programs running on the Tasks tab of TUT depending on how many users are connected to the server and how many print to an HP LaserJet 1020. This is absolutely virus-like behaviour, and so unlike HP to come up with a shocker like this one.

Recommendation :
You absolutely must disable this pest of a program. Unfortunately there is no easy way to get rid of this program using TUT, so you will have to do it as follows :

1)   Print these instructions.
2)   Double-click on this task on the Tasks tab of TUT and click Copy to clipboard. This copies to the clipboard the full path to this program.
3)   Paste the path into a wordprocessing document or into a text file and save the document/text file.
4)   Reboot your PC.
5)   Make sure you do NOT print to your HP LaserJet 1020.
6)   Open the document/file you saved in (3) above and paste the folder path portion into the Address Bar of Windows Explorer – on an XP PC this will usually be C:\WINDOWS\system32\.
7)   Locate ZSHP1020.EXE.
8)   Highlight it.
9)   Right-click and Rename it to ZSHP1020.EXE.SHOCKING
10)   That’s it – You’re done !

Zstatus

ZStatus.exe

(Zenographics)

System Tray status monitor task for Hewlett-Packard’s LaserJet 1000 range of printers. This task displays various status information about your printer and print jobs.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference. You can disable it with The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Zupdate

ZUpdate.exe

(Brilliant Digital)

Program which gets installed with B3DUPDATE and which tries to communicate with Brilliant Digital’s servers.

Recommendation :
Read B3DUPDATE.

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.

Z.exe, Zanda.exe, ZATray.exe, ZClientM.exe, Zcodec.exe, ZDWLan.exe, ZeteraService.exe, ZHotkey.exe, Zimdrv32.hta, ZipSendService.exe, ZLH.exe, Zod32.exe, ZoomingHook.exe, rundll32.exe, Zrwchrhu.dll, Z-SANService.exe, Zsys.exe, rundll32.exe, Zxbnredm.dll

If you know of a background program that is missing from our database, but which you feel others should know about because of its potential side-effects, then let us know via the Feedback button.