re: wow.exe in process list command prompt on startup
Monday, May 21, 2007 at 10:47 am
Windows 2000 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Larry
(1297 messages posted)
"Windows on Windows Executable environment process, or more specifically Win16 on
Win32 – it runs on Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003. WOWEXEC is started by NTVDM. As explained
elsewhere on these pages, NTVDM is itself started every time you run a 16-bit program
(this may be a DOS program, a Windows 3.1 program, or even a program designed for
Windows 9x/NT4 but which has a mixture of 16-bit and 32-bit programming code)."
Recommendation :
Leave alone – see NTVDM for more details:
http://www.answersthatwork.com/
On Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 10:53 am, BloodStorm wrote:
>I am writing on behalf of my roommate who runs a machine with Windows 2000 on it.
>A few days ago he noticed a command prompt window flash when he started windows
as
>it was loading then he found in taskmanager's process window a wow.exe entry that
>he had not noticed before. A further search revealed wow.exe was in his system32
>folder and also in his dllcache subfolder under that. His computer has been sluggish
>for a long time and he's never been able to find a cause, long time on boot up etc.
>It is a secondhand machine that was used in a business before he got it so he is
>not sure of all the previous software it may have had installed. Searches on google
>are frustrating as some warn it may be part of a malicious spyware while other sources
>say wow.exe is something inherent to windows for running 16 bit programs. Since
he
>does things like online banking and bill paying he is concerned about his security
>and would like to know if this is something that is a threat. Any help would be
appreciated.
>
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 |  | re: wow.exe in process list command prompt on startup (Larry: Mon, May 21, 2007, 10:47 am) |
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