Winchk16.exe error at XP startup

[Gilles]

Since 3 days now every time I launch windows XP Pro and when the desktop
appears, the system slows down, and finally I get the message saying that
winchk16.exe encountered a problem and needs to close.

As I have no idea what winchk16.exe can be I ran Norton anti virus and Ad
Aware, but nothing suspicious was detected.

Any idea?

 

[Malke]

Since 3 days now every time I launch windows XP Pro and when the
desktop appears, the system slows down, and finally I get the message
saying that winchk16.exe encountered a problem and needs to close.

As I have no idea what winchk16.exe can be I ran Norton anti virus and
Ad Aware, but nothing suspicious was detected.

Any idea?

Hi, Gilles. I only found one link on Google, which wasn't helpful. Make
sure your NAV version is at least 2002 (preferrably newer) and the
virus definitions are updated. AFAIK, this isn't a program that comes
with Windows and should be starting. Go to Start>Run and type
"msconfig" without the quotes. Look on the Startup tab and find the
culprit and uncheck the box next to its name. Click Apply and OK out
(when you reboot, you'll get a message that you've used the System
Configuration tool; just check the option not to show the message again
and OK).

Then do some maintenance by removing any spyware with Spybot Search &
Destroy from www.safer-networking.org and Ad-aware from
www.lavasoftusa.com. Be sure to update these programs before running
them. These programs are free, so run them both since they complement
each other. It is best to run antivirus and spyware removal tools in
Safe Mode. You may also need to run CWShredder from:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/index.html

Please read the instructions carefully. A great resource for dealing
with spyware is http://www.spywareinfo.com. Also, make sure you've
visited Windows Update and applied all security patches. Make sure you
are running a firewall.

Good luck,

Malke

 

[Gilles]

Thanks Malke.
I have run Norton antivirus corporate edition with the most current virus
definitions, and Adaware with today's update, in addition to 2 firewalls.
And I have every possible Windows update installed. I also did a search in
Google and all it shows is that other people have had the same problem
recently, without having a clue as to what it is or where it comes from.

I ran msconfig as you suggested and it appears winchk16 is launched... by
winchk16.exe, and located in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Any other idea?

 

[Malke]

Thanks Malke.
I have run Norton antivirus corporate edition with the most current
virus definitions, and Adaware with today's update, in addition to 2
firewalls.
And I have every possible Windows update installed. I also did a
search in Google and all it shows is that other people have had the
same problem recently, without having a clue as to what it is or where
it comes from.

I ran msconfig as you suggested and it appears winchk16 is launched...
by winchk16.exe, and located in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Any other idea?

Thanks for the detailed response. You can find the executable on your
system and right-click it, choose Properties, and see if it is
identified in any way. My guess is that you will find it isn't and it
is some piece of cr*p that just isn't being picked up by anything yet.
I would just delete the entry in Startup and either move the executable
to the Recycle Bin or rename it and see what happens. You may need to
do these things in Safe Mode. You might also want to post about this in
one of the spyware forums, like the ones on www.spywareinfo.com or in
the www.aumha.org forums.

Good luck,

Malke