What are these mToolkit programs on my Dell laptop (Can I just remove them?)?

[lisa harkema]

What are these 'm' programs that show up in the Add or Remove Programs
of CCleaner and X-Setup Pro (but not in WinXP Add or Remove Programs)?

mIWA
mIWCA
mLogView
mMHouse
mPfMgr
mPfWiz
mProSafe
mSSO
mToolkit
mWlsSafe
mXML
mDrWiFi
mHlpDell
etc.

Can I just delete these 'm' programs?
Are they known security or virus programs?
Or are they Dell specific tools that we really need?

Note they do not show up in the 'normal' Windows XP add/remove
programs (which lies) but they show up in the CCleaner and X-Setup Pro
add/remove programs (which I believe tell more of the truth).

Do you know what these programs are?
Lisa

 

[Malke]

What are these 'm' programs that show up in the Add or Remove Programs
of CCleaner and X-Setup Pro (but not in WinXP Add or Remove Programs)?

mIWA
mIWCA
mLogView
mMHouse
mPfMgr
mPfWiz
mProSafe
mSSO
mToolkit
mWlsSafe
mXML
mDrWiFi
mHlpDell
etc.

Can I just delete these 'm' programs?
Are they known security or virus programs?
Or are they Dell specific tools that we really need?

Note they do not show up in the 'normal' Windows XP add/remove
programs (which lies) but they show up in the CCleaner and X-Setup Pro
add/remove programs (which I believe tell more of the truth).

Where are the programs on your hard drive? Give the fully qualified
path; e.g., c:\Program Files\name-of-program\executable or
c:\Windows\System32\executable.

Malke

 

[lisa harkema]

Where are the programs on your hard drive?

Hi Malke,
I do not know where they are on my hard drive.
When I run a Windows XP search, they're not found.
They are only in the Add/Remove Programs applications.

Is there another way to find out how/why these 'm' programs are
installed but hidden from the 'normal' WinXP add/remove programs?

Lisa

 

[lisa harkema]

What are these 'm' programs that show up in the Add or Remove Programs

of CCleaner and X-Setup Pro (but not in WinXP Add or Remove Programs)?
mIWA mIWCA mLogView mMHouse mPfMgr mPfWiz mProSafe
mSSO mToolkit mWlsSafe mXML mDrWiFi mHlpDell etc.

Interestingly, I find absolutely no mention of these 'm' programs in
the google groups (search just run) but the following references in
Google web searches show that others are as perplexed as I with the
same programs showing up in the true add remove programs listings.

http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50237
http://forum.ccleaner.com/lofiversion/index.php/t5940.html
http://forums.pcpitstop.com/lofiversion/index.php/t124518.html
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=130978&pid=804529&st=0&#entry804529
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=si_hijack&message.id=45484
http://forum.malwareremoval.com/viewtopic.php?p=112288&sid=44567d825f71f9e47bf93deb2df1b2d8
http://forums.spybot.info/archive/index.php/t-2800.html
etc.

While it's gratifying to know I'm not the only one in the world with a
score of 'm' programs running (when you really look at the real
add/remove programs) ... none of these sites actually tell us WHAT
these m programs are and if they should be deleted or not.

Do YOU know what these 'm' programs are?

Lisa

 

[antioch]

Where are the programs on your hard drive? Give the fully qualified
path; e.g., c:\Program Files\name-of-program\executable or
c:\Windows\System32\executable.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Hi Malke
These look like the sort of items listed in part of a 'hijackthis' log?
Antioch

 

[shplink]

What are these 'm' programs that show up in the Add or Remove Programs
of CCleaner and X-Setup Pro (but not in WinXP Add or Remove Programs)?

mIWA
mIWCA
mLogView
mMHouse
mPfMgr
mPfWiz
mProSafe
mSSO
mToolkit
mWlsSafe
mXML
mDrWiFi
mHlpDell
etc.

Can I just delete these 'm' programs?
Are they known security or virus programs?
Or are they Dell specific tools that we really need?

Note they do not show up in the 'normal' Windows XP add/remove
programs (which lies) but they show up in the CCleaner and X-Setup Pro
add/remove programs (which I believe tell more of the truth).

Do you know what these programs are?
Lisa

Is your computer a brand name (if so, what?), or a put-it-together job?

 

[Tom Willett]

If you looked at subject, you would see 'dell'

">

 

[Ze Muffinman]

Professional way: Ask a qualified computer expert. Patience way: Look
at every single program on Add and Remove, look up the required files
for those programs online, and if it's not in anyone, delete it.

My Personal Favorite way: Jus' delete 'em. It's only 1500 dollars for a
new one, and 800 dollars if you don't mind a slow one.

 

[shplink]

If you looked at subject, you would see 'dell'

">

Sorry, my bad. I have my columns sized down and got careless.

Doing some searches with the parameters "dell" and some of the m whatsises
might help the OP. She probably already did, so I'll be quiet now.
;-)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

What are these 'm' programs that show up in the Add or Remove
Programs of CCleaner and X-Setup Pro (but not in WinXP Add or
Remove Programs)?
mIWA
mIWCA
mLogView
mMHouse
mPfMgr
mPfWiz
mProSafe
mSSO
mToolkit
mWlsSafe
mXML
mDrWiFi
mHlpDell
etc.

Can I just delete these 'm' programs?
Are they known security or virus programs?
Or are they Dell specific tools that we really need?

Note they do not show up in the 'normal' Windows XP add/remove
programs (which lies) but they show up in the CCleaner and X-Setup
Pro add/remove programs (which I believe tell more of the truth).

Do you know what these programs are?

Is your computer a brand name (if so, what?), or a put-it-together
job?

Seriously.. Wow.
How can you miss the two mentions of the name brand of this system... One
in the subject line no less...?

Lisa,

I think you are putting too much stock in these third-party add/remove
programs. If you were smart and ordered the Windows XP CD with your Dell
laptop - since it is new - format it with that Windows XP CD and get rid of
all the Dell crud and put only your stuff on it... Then you know exactly
what is there.

 

[lisa harkema]

These look like the sort of items listed in part of a 'hijackthis' log?

Actually, these 'm' programs are listed in the CCleaner Add or Remove
Programs section (and in the X-Setup Pro add remove wizard); they were
NOT listed in a HiJackThis log (although the references I posted from
googling _were_ listed from Hijackthis log files).

Point is that I'm not the only one with a perfectly standard DELL
laptop that has these 'm' programs.

Question is: What are they and what happens if we delete them?

Lisa

 

[lisa harkema]

Is your computer a brand name (if so, what?),
or a put-it-together job?

Dunno why this matters but it's a 100% Dell laptop, whose WinXP
operating system was supplied by Dell.

I do have the three recovery disks; but they install the same Dell
softare as what was originally on the laptop PC.

I do suspect these 'm' files are Dell specific ... but I would need
another Dell user to confirm.

If you have a Dell laptop ... can you do this?
1. Download & install CCleaner
http://www.ccleaner.com

2. Run the CCleaner "Tools" "Uninstall" wizard.

3. Tell us if you see the same 'm' programs that I see.

Lisa

 

[lisa harkema]

If you looked at subject, you would see 'dell'

Yup. Dell. 100% factory.

If anyone else has a Dell laptop, can they look for these same 'm'
program files running in the CCleaner add remove programs listing and
report back to us if you have the same 'm' files I have.

Lisa

 

[glee]

Hi Lisa,
I think what you may be seeing are programs that were installed by the OEM (Dell, in
this case) that they did not want the end user to remove, possibly because they are
integral to certain features of the laptop, or to their support plan. Most if not
all of the entries appear to be for troubleshooting and configuring an Intel
wireless adapter and drivers (does the laptop have an integrated wireless adapter?).
Removing the items may well be "shooting yourself in the foot" if the applications
are needed for the functioning of your wireless adapter. I would *not* remove any
of them for that reason. Have you asked Dell support personnel about them?

The most likely reason they all have an "m" at the front of their names is that one
method to hide an item in the Registry's uninstall keys is to use the
"ApplicationDisplayName" string to identify the items to be hidden. The OEM may
have used a script to hide all entries in the Uninstall key whose DisplayName began
with "m" at the time the system was built (before you got it and installed more
apps).

I would be wary of the suggestion to wipe the system and install fresh from a
Windows CD only because you may find items such as the integrated wireless adapter
no longer work, unless you can download and install the drivers and configuration
apps from Dell.....in which case you'd likely be back where you began, but with the
items perhaps no longer hidden. That assumes that Dell has those apps available for
download.

Hope this helps.

 

[lisa harkema]

Hi Lisa,
I think what you may be seeing are programs that were installed by the OEM (Dell, in
this case) that they did not want the end user to remove, possibly because they are
integral to certain features of the laptop, or to their support plan. Most if not
all of the entries appear to be for troubleshooting and configuring an Intel
wireless adapter and drivers (does the laptop have an integrated wireless adapter?).
Removing the items may well be "shooting yourself in the foot" if the applications
are needed for the functioning of your wireless adapter. I would *not* remove any
of them for that reason. Have you asked Dell support personnel about them?

The most likely reason they all have an "m" at the front of their names is that one
method to hide an item in the Registry's uninstall keys is to use the
"ApplicationDisplayName" string to identify the items to be hidden. The OEM may
have used a script to hide all entries in the Uninstall key whose DisplayName began
with "m" at the time the system was built (before you got it and installed more
apps).

I would be wary of the suggestion to wipe the system and install fresh from a
Windows CD only because you may find items such as the integrated wireless adapter
no longer work, unless you can download and install the drivers and configuration
apps from Dell.....in which case you'd likely be back where you began, but with the
items perhaps no longer hidden. That assumes that Dell has those apps available for
download.

Hope this helps.

Oop. I already deleted some of them. And, YES, I DO have a wireless
card installed by the manufacturer. I'd better hold off on deleting
them I guess. I got rid of about half of them. I generally don't use
the wireless card but I do use it when I travel.
Lisa

 

[lisa harkema]

If you were smart and ordered the Windows XP CD with your Dell
laptop - since it is new - format it with that Windows XP CD and get rid of
all the Dell crud and put only your stuff on it... Then you know exactly
what is there.

The only problem with this is that DELL sends us three recovery disks
if you ask them to, none of which is a 'pure' windows xp cdrom.

One is the recovery cdrom for the system (with all dell drivers
included), the other is an application cdrom, and the third is yet
another application cdrom.

Dell doesn't provide a pure windows xp cdrom.
Lisa

 

[lisa harkema]

Professional way: Ask a qualified computer expert.

That's what I'm doing here.

Patience way: Look up the required files for those programs
online, and if it's not in anyone, delete it.

I did that until I found out that they may be used for the wireless
adapter. Plus, they are mentioned only in folks' hijackthis log on the
Internet. To my knowledge, I'm the first person to ever ask on the
Internet what they do.

My Personal Favorite way: Jus' delete 'em. It's only 1500 dollars for a
new one, and 800 dollars if you don't mind a slow one.

I did that too. But now I found out they might be for the wireless
adapter. Oh my.

Lisa

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "lisa harkema" <[email protected]>


|
| The only problem with this is that DELL sends us three recovery disks
| if you ask them to, none of which is a 'pure' windows xp cdrom.
|
| One is the recovery cdrom for the system (with all dell drivers
| included), the other is an application cdrom, and the third is yet
| another application cdrom.
|
| Dell doesn't provide a pure windows xp cdrom.
| Lisa

Since it is a Dell....



If you are using any version of Sun Java that is prior to JRE Version 5.0 update 6,
then you are strongly urged to remove any/all versions that are prior to JRE/JSE
Version 5.0 update 6. There are vulnerabilities in them and they are actively being
exploited.

Therefore, it is highly suggested that if there are any prior versions of Sun Java
to Version 6 on the PC that they be removed ASAP.

The latest version is Sun Java JRE/JSE Version 5.0 Update 9

Simple check, look under...
C:\Program Files\Java

The only folder under that folder should be the latest version.

Such as...
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09


http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

or

http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

FYI:
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-102557-1

 

[Shenan Stanley]

If you were smart and ordered the Windows XP CD with your Dell
laptop - since it is new - format it with that Windows XP CD and
get rid of all the Dell crud and put only your stuff on it... Then
you know exactly what is there.

The only problem with this is that DELL sends us three recovery
disks if you ask them to, none of which is a 'pure' windows xp
cdrom.

One is the recovery cdrom for the system (with all dell drivers
included), the other is an application cdrom, and the third is yet
another application cdrom.

Dell doesn't provide a pure windows xp cdrom.

Dell *does* provide a pure Windows XP CD - but you have to ask (and usually
pay) for it - like $10.
Like I said - "... ordered the Windows XP CD with your Dell ..." - so, you
did not order it.

Call them, it's new - pay the $10 and get your Windows XP CD. Complain and
say that is what you actually want with this new system is ahte actual
Windows XP CD and not a recovery set... I know they do this from the
dozens of Dells that I see each month pass through.

 

[lisa harkema]

If you are using any version of Sun Java that is prior to JRE Version 5.0 update 6,
then you are strongly urged to remove any/all versions that are prior to JRE/JSE
Version 5.0 update 6. There are vulnerabilities in them and they are actively being
exploited.

I have the following on my Dell laptop:
C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_03

Does that mean I should remove it and re-install a newer Java?
What does Java do for me anyway?
I never execute any program called "Java" (sounds silly).

What is Java and why do I need it if it's exploited anyway?
All I do is look at web pages (I hate fancy moving web pages so I
don't ever even install Flash or RealPlayer, yuck!).

Do I really need this Java in the first place?
Lisa