Rundll32 and prefetch questions

[Guest]

Can anybody tell me what rundll32 is. Apparantly it is
an application that is constantly going and I cant close
it down permanently in task manager. It pops right back
up. It makes the CPU speed go through the roof because I
can hear it working. Why does it use so much of my CPU?
And can anybody tell me what prefetch is? I think the
two are connected but dont know. A folder of this name
is in my system32 directory, and new files are written to
it each time I startup a program. Is this related to a
virus? How do I stop it from doing this? I have run
mcafee virus scan but it doesnt recognize it, even with
the most recent update.
Thanks

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Rundll32.exe is a legitimate Windows file that is used to run 32-bit dll
(dynamic link library) files. This is a completely normal and necessary
Windows function. Dll files are used by many, many applications and
processes. Prefetch is a mechanism by which frequently used and reused files
are housed for easy access. However, the location of this folder is
troubling, prefetch is normally in the windows directory not the system32
directory. As you've checked for viruses, have you thought of checking for
illicit spyware programs? Download and run Adaware from www.lavasoft.de and
see what it finds.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

While Rundll32.exe is an essential file, Task Manager does not show the entire command-line argument of a running process. [The actual command running at the background may be "Rundll32.exe <dll name>" The DLLName is not visible in Task Manager and the DLL may be the culprit [malware]. Running a scan using Ad-Aware should detect it.

--
Ramesh - Microsoft MVP
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k
-------------------------------------------
Virus attachment claims to contain software updates from Microsoft
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/VirusAlert.htm

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http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/firewall.htm

How to block Pop-ups?:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Popups.htm
-------------------------------------------


Can anybody tell me what rundll32 is. Apparantly it is
an application that is constantly going and I cant close
it down permanently in task manager. It pops right back
up. It makes the CPU speed go through the roof because I
can hear it working. Why does it use so much of my CPU?
And can anybody tell me what prefetch is? I think the
two are connected but dont know. A folder of this name
is in my system32 directory, and new files are written to
it each time I startup a program. Is this related to a
virus? How do I stop it from doing this? I have run
mcafee virus scan but it doesnt recognize it, even with
the most recent update.
Thanks