ctfmon.exe and msmsgs.exe

[BriGy86]

i've come to the conclusion that ctfmon.exe is a legit process put on by an MS update and has to do with office

but i do find it kind of annoying because it seems to be the thing behind when i start up my computer the language tool bar appears, would it be ok for me to delete the lil file from the windows\system32 folder?

msmsgs.exe on the other hand seems to be confused with msnmsgs.exe which is the .exe for windows messenger

i've also searched google and found some sources saying its a virus or worm

the reason im making this thread is because in my task manager there was some process that would use up 100% or so of me CPU every second or half second and also my computer would seem to lock up so i would have to restart

i already had MSN messenger uninstalled but msmsgs.exe was still running, so i ended the proccess then deleted the MSN messenger folder from my C drive and now my task manager isn't going haywire any more and i haven't had to restart for about and hour or so

i figured i'd let people know

what does everyone else think of these proccesses

 

[mechBgon]

First of all, some viruses/threats deliberately use known process names as a smoke screen, such as calling themselves explorer.exe or so forth. What brand and version of antivirus software are you using, what firewall, what operating system and service pack?

 

[OnEMoReTrY]

I just clean formatted and I have those, I wouldn't worry about em, I think ctfmon.exe has to do with the nforce drivers but I could be wrong.

 

[fishmonger12]

"ctfmon.exe is a part of the Microsoft Office suite. It activates the Alternative User Input Text Input Processor (TIP) and the Microsoft Office XP Language Bar. This program is a non-essential system process, but should not be terminated unless suspected to be causing problems."

it's extraneous feel free to terminate it.

 

[Nohr]

I first noticed ctfmon.exe running on my computer after installing UT2004. Has something to do with the voice chat feature of the game.

 

[jjzelinski]

I always thought CTFMON was related to NAV.

 

[BriGy86]

i also just recently installed UT 2004

and as for my specs

i have XP pro with SP2
norton A/V pro
Norton personal firewall

other programs i have are
spyware guardian
spyware blaster
spybot 1.3 along with the bug fix installer
MS anti spyware
used spysweeper a lil then uninstalled it
i also scanned with housecall and panda scan
ad-aware SE personal

(i did have AD-aware SE pro but i didn't like the ad-awatch feature, and still nothing showed up on scans)

i just figured i would let people know

 

[BriGy86]

im not all that worried about ctfmon.exe

but the msmsgs.exe..... the thing is, i uninstalled MSN messenger and msmsgs.exe was still running, that and other people have said that MSN messenger's exe is msNmsgs.exe, and when i ended that process my CPU usage went way down

 

[BriGy86]

here is a link to a screen shot of my task manager

although this pic was taken during a different problem i had

my task manager was doing the same thing until i ended the msmsgs.exe process

 

[mechBgon]

NAV Pro, what year? Hopefully 2004 or 2005, which have expanded-threat detection (Trojans, adware and spyware, with Trojans being the primary concern since you have good anti-spyware measures).

 

[Jeffyboy]

So what tasks do you see running that are consuming CPU time?

Jeff

 

[jjzelinski]

"Description:
msmsgs.exe is the main process relating to the MSN Messenger Internet chat tool installed by default on most Windows computers. A tray bar is also installed alongside this process for easy access to its features which include Internet chat, file sharing and audio/video conferencing. This is a non-essential process. Disabling or enabling this is down to user preference. Note: msmsgs.exe is a process which is registered as the W32.Alcarys.B@mm worm. This virus is distributed via the Internet through e-mail and comes in the form of an e-mail message, in the hopes that you open it?s hostile attachment. The worm has it?s own SMTP engine which means it gathers E-mails from your local computer and re-distributes itself. In worst cases this worm can allow attackers to access your computer, stealing passwords and personal data. It is a registered security risk and should be removed immediately. Please see additional details regarding this process"

Hooray for google!

 

[BriGy86]

i have norton A/V pro 2004

i also got the fire wall in a bundle with it

as for processes. it seems my computer was fixed after ending the msmsgs.exe process and then deleteing the messenger folder in the program files folder (note the folder named messenger had the MSN messenger stuff in it)

also my computer wouldn't let me click on start menu items or desktop items a couple of times

i was able to open the task manager and see that the process teatimer.exe seemed to be taking it all and wouldn't let go

the teatimer.exe is a legit process though, it comes with spybot and doesn't run by default

 

[mechBgon]

That's good news. Can I suggest on Norton 2004, enable scanning within compressed files, and max out the Heuristics. Play hardball :evil:

 

[BriGy86]

you wouldn't happen to know how to do that would you?

norton seems like a bit of a cluster fvck to configure

 

[mechBgon]

My mom's rig runs NAV2004 so I think I can get you on the right track. Log on with an Administrator-class account and double-click the Norton Antivirus icon in the system tray, and the Norton Antivirus panel should appear. Click Options at the top and begin going through all the various option panels that are listed at the left, and I think you'll see the stuff you want to enable/max out.

One nice thing about Norton is that you can manually download the daily Intelligent Update from here (otherwise, you only get weekly ones on Wednesdays, unless there's an urgent need due to a major outbreak). The detections added page will show you what new things the daily update is detecting. When I go over to my folks' place I bring along the Intelligent Updater on a thumb drive and top it off

 

[BriGy86]

should i have anything on the exclusions list?

 

[mechBgon]

Personally, I wouldn't have anything on the exclusions list, no. I also prefer to disable Windows System Restore, since it's almost always got to be disabled to get rid of viruses anyway, but that's a double-edged sword of course.