IE constantly running in Task Manager

[49erinnc]

I've noticed lately that my laptop has been really sluggish. I also noticed that if I move my cursor around on my desktop, I catch a glimpse of the hourglass which tells me something is running in the background.

I opened up my Task Manager and under Processes, I notice that IEXPLORER.EXE is running and using up 30,000Kof mem. I don't even have a browser open and it's still doing this. If I highlight it and click "End Process" it ends but within a couple seconds, it reappears and gradually starts eating up more resources before getting back to 30,000K.

This is an older laptop so it's already on the slow side but having IE running in the background like this is bringing it to a crawl. Any idea why this is happening? I ran AdAware/SpyBot and found nothing. Haven't run a virus scan yet because I wasn't sure if this was related to something else.

Any help would be appreciated.

Edit: When I do actually open up IE, I then notice that I have two separate IEXPLORER.EXE processes running in my Task Manager. But if I close my browser, the one still remains. Weird.

 

[49erinnc]

Anyone? Really need some help because I can't figure this one out.

I also noticed last night, that when viewing my desktop with no VISIBLE browser open, that I can still see/hear my Google toolbard popup blocker working. And I also got a Microsoft Error Report message for IE despite not having the browser open.

So apparently, IE is executing and is running in the background but you can't see it. And if you try to end it in the Task Manager, it just keeps restarting itself and bringing my system to a crawl.

I ran AdAware and Spybot again and only found some advertising cookies so I don't think it's spyware. Doesn't sound like a virus. Anyone heard of this or know what's going on/how to fix it? I really don't want to have to format considering nothing else is wrong.

 

[BFG10K]

Doesn't sound like a virus

Yes it does.

 

[49erinnc]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

Doesn't sound like a virus

Yes it does.

Hmmm...

I don't have virus protection on this laptop because I only use it to connect via Remote Desktop. Just odd that I would acquire a virus when I'm never using it independently off the router. I guess I'll install Antivir and see if it picks up on anything though.

Would it be impossible to acquire a virus on the secondary system using Remote Desktop? Seems like the virus would infect the host and not the remote.

 

[imported_LoKe]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

Doesn't sound like a virus

Yes it does.

 

[Czar]

spyware/virus

 

[MrChad]

You say ...

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
I don't have virus protection on this laptop because I only use it to connect via Remote Desktop.

and yet ...

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
I ran AdAware and Spybot again and only found some advertising cookies

That implies you do use your browser. The bottom line is that if you run Windows you need up-to-date virus protection. I assume you have all service packs and updates installed too?

 

[49erinnc]

Originally posted by: MrChad
You say ...

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
I don't have virus protection on this laptop because I only use it to connect via Remote Desktop.

and yet ...

Originally posted by: 49erinnc
I ran AdAware and Spybot again and only found some advertising cookies

That implies you do use your browser. The bottom line is that if you run Windows you need up-to-date virus protection. I assume you have all service packs and updates installed too?

I just don't recall using my laptop online unless I was connected to my desktop. Not saying it never happened but I always connect via Remote Desktop because I don't really have anything other than the OS installed on the lappy. Yes, the handful of cookies that showed up does imply that the browser was used. But that doesn't mean I manually went online without the aid of Remote Desktop. The problem I'm currently having is that Internet Explorer is self-executing and running in the background, despite no visible browser. The cookies that Spybot found could very well be from when this was happening and not from me purposly opening my browser. It's obvious that because I am seeing/hearing a popup blocker working, that ads are being hit without me doing anything other than booting up.

 

[clickynext]

Very likely a virus. Use a proper virus scanner, install all windows security patches.

I had a virus before that was like that, the name was in all caps. Notice that the REAL IE is called "iexplore.exe".

 

[BFG10K]

Notice that the REAL IE is called "iexplore.exe".

This is an excellent point.

Furthermore an executable that keeps re-running after you kill it is a textbook sign of a virus.

 

[bruceb]

What you have is known as a Trojan Horse ... see this link at Symantec for instructions:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.drivus.html

You should also download a Good Anti Trojan Program & scan in SAFE MODE ... and install
a dececnt Antivirus such as AVG Free or Kaspersky ... lots of good ones out there