All Computer Experts, your advice is needed!

Me | 6/29/2002 | Me

[Severa]

All computer experts, your help is needed on a problem my friend and I are having on her computer.

When you click CTRL-ALT-DEL to get to the Close Program box there is a ton of programs neither one of us know what the hell they are. Here's the list:

Tgcmd
Whagent
Cfd
Loadqm
Ndetect
Acbtnmgr x83
Ptsnoop
Ocrawr32
Ocraware
Rnapp
Qttask
Acmonitor x83

The computer is a 700Mhz Intel PC, 184MB RAM, running Windows 98. Net access is through Cox Cable modem. Main email client is Outlook 2000.

[Severa]

None of these program names are familiar to either one of us. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Tennessee_Bob]

Tgcmd is likely installed by your cable modem software.

As of June 2001, Whagent has been installed on over seven million computers. Whagent is a product of the WebHancer company used to collect information about a users while they are browsing the Internet.

LoadQM: http://support.microsoft.com/s earch/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q309418

Ndetect - are you running ICQ?

Ptsnoop is a simple backdoor program written in Visual Basic. Being activated it first looks for active RAS connections and exits immediately if none is found

Ocrawr32 has to do with OmniPage software

Ocraware same as above

Rnapp (or is it RNAAPP) is dial up modem software - do you have fax software??

Qttask - quicktime software

If I didn't put it in here, then I'm not sure. But it looks definitely like you have a backdoor/trojan installed with that PTSNOOP

[APBaer]

That ptsnoop could be bad or it could be you are using a PCTel modem, which has that file as part of it.


There is a discussion of this PTSNOOP good/ or bad at:
http://www.computing.net/secur ity/wwwboard/forum/105.html

[B4Ranch]

To start, I am not any type of computer expert, that's for sure. These are just maybe's.

Ndetect, may be a program detecting Net Connection, Ptsnoop maybe something connected with Ports, Qtask maybe something to do with Quicktime, Ocraware is a program that may have been deleted, Acbtnmgr x83 maybe conneted with a printer, Loadqm maybe with Microsoft Queue Manager, Whagent may be with a Web Enhancer Agent, RNAPP runs when your dialup connection is active.

Now can you delete any of these? I DO NOT KNOW ! What I would tell you if I was sitting next to you and what I'll say when we are miles away are two different things. I have no idea what programs are on the pc or what was on it and has been removed. For those answers do a restore update, turn the pc off, back on and try it if you want to.

Good Luck

[damnlimey]

A lot of that stuff is kosher('tho unnecessary)instant message stuff etc,but,ptsnoop is a virus,if you're not running up to date virus software you need to get some.

[boris]

"Ocraware is a program that may have been deleted"

Nope. Tenn Bob has it right: it is part of Caere's Omnipage optical-character-recognition software.

[Tami]

Your question got me interested in my own Task List programs. Here is a web site that list ALOT of Task List programs and what they do.

http://www.answersthatwork.com /

Hope it helps!

Tami

[B4Ranch]

Let me repeat, "To start, I am not any type of computer expert, that's for sure. These are just maybe's."

[fnord]

Go here for info on startup programs:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm
This is very useful to find out what programs are running, and whether they are needed, or even harmful.

You will need to know what programs run at start-up on your machine and refer to the previous list to see if they are desired or not. Use the Ctrl-Alt-Del to view a partial list. A start-up manager can also show you other programs that may be hidden normally. A good one can be found here:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloa ds/file_description/0,fid,5018 ,00.asp
and you can disable (temporarily if desired) those you wish.

Also, check out your add/remove programs link from the Control Panel window. You might have some trashy program that self-installed there, unbeknownst to you. If you are sure it is unneeded (be sure!), try to uninstall from this panel.

Once deleted/uninstalled, this program will clean your registry and help remove unwanted files and folders.
EasyCleaner: http://www.toniarts.com/eclean e.htm

Be sure before uninstalling or deleting. You could go crazy and remove a system file. Please don't blame me if you go wrong; I use all these tips periodically to clean my system. The EasyCleaner in particular is a dream-come-true for cleaning up your system.