_wowexec.exe

What is this?

[garann]

Apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place..

I just downloaded a browser to test the accessiblity of a site I'm working on. As soon as I installed it, I found a process named _wowexec.exe (underscore represents a leading space) running on my machine, processor use shot up to 100%, and I started getting crazy amounts of pop-ups in places I shouldn't be getting any.

I'm convinced it's spyware, but everything a Google search turned up says it's not. AdAware says there's nothing on my machine but a few cookies. Can anyone help track this down? I'd like to get rid of it, but I don't know where to start.

tia,
g.

[bcolflesh]

Try Spybot instead - check for updates after installing:

safer-networking.org/index.php?lang=en&page=download

[netguy]

One of WOW's shortcomings is that WOW remains in memory until you shut down the system or log off. You can free up the memory and CPU resources NT has allocated to WOW by manually terminating the wowexec.exe process after you finish running all Win16 applications during a session.

To terminate the wowexec.exe process, press Ctrl+Alt+Del or right-click an empty space on the taskbar and click Task Manager to run the NT Task Manager. On the Processes tab, locate the instance of the ntvdm.exe process containing wowexec.exe.

[winnetmag.com...]

When it happens again, remove it and see if your processor immediately settles down.

[bcolflesh]

This isn't the real wowexec.exe process he's talking about - a spyware prog is using a similarly named process with a space in front of it - this strategy is becoming more commonplace with the stealth advert crowd...

[Mohamed_E]

> AdAware says there's nothing on my machine but a few cookies ...

If AdAware has been on your system for some time, try updating the reference file. Today I just got an update dated Sept 13th.

[garann]

This isn't the real wowexec.exe process he's talking about

...process she's talking about, thank you. ;)
And it looks like it is the real thing - must have started up with whatever I installed. I did download SpyBot, and it found a number of infected areas, which it fixed - thanks for the tip, bcolflesh.

I've only got one problem left, a directory I can't delete. After multiple restarts, it insists the files are being used by another process. I assume this is a signal that it's time to give up.

Thank you both for your help!

<added>Mohammed_E, I did try updating AdAware, but it said there were no updates available. But thanks anyway.</added>