Task List
Name

PROGRAM &
MANUFACTURER

WHAT IT IS
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO
Calcheck CalChek.exe

(ULead Systems)		 ULead Photo Express Calendar Checker.  This tray icon gets installed when you install the ULead Photo Express software which comes with many scanners.  Ulead’s own description of the Calendar Checker :  "If you create multiple Weekly/Monthly/Yearly calendars to be your wallpaper, Photo Express will replace the wallpaper automatically.  Thus there is a calendar checker in Photo Express 2.0, which checks the dates of the system, and you don't need to change the wallpaper manually.".

Recommendation :
An interesting feature in theory, not so good in practice.  CALCHECK often comes up with errors at boot-up under Windows 2000/XP, particularly XP.  Additionally, it is responsible for very slow boot-up times as it checks whether the wallpaper needs to be switched.  We strongly recommend not using this feature of Photo Express 2 SE and deleting this entry with Starter.
Carpserv CArpServ.exe

(Conexant)		 Task installed by the drivers for certain types of 56K HSF SoftK56modems based on the Conexant 11252 chipset.  It can be found on many Gateway PCs.

Recommendation :
We are not sure as to what this task does, so can only recommend to leave it alone.  That said, this startup item will sometimes open up a DOS Windows on startup after a PC has been upgraded to Windows 2000 or XP, or Windows updates were performed.  When this happens, de-installing and re-installing the modem seems to solve the problem.
Ccapp ccApp.exe

(Symantec)

 Symantec’s Common Client Application for Norton AntiVirus 2003, Norton Personal Firewall 2003, and Norton Internet Security 2003.  This task is, effectively, the "master" task in these products as its role is to call the different program features of the above products.  For example, if Auto-Protect and E-mail Scanning are enabled, then CCAPP makes sure that those programs are running. If CCAPP is disabled, then Auto-Protect and Email Scanning will not run.

Recommendation :
Leave well alone – this task is crucial to the proper working of your Norton 2003 security product.  We recommend, however, that you do a manual LiveUpdate at least once a week as, at the time of writing (10-Dec-2002), we have experienced a few irritating problems with the 2003 edition of the above Norton products, and Symantec seem to be fixing things every week (via LiveUpdate updates).
Ccevtmgr ccEvtMgr.exe

(Symantec)		 Common Client Event Manager Service for Norton AntiVirus 2003, Norton Personal Firewall 2003, and Norton Internet Security 2003.  This task is responsible for keeping track of all events that are occurring within the above products and then writing the details of those events to the Activity Log.  The end-user can view the Activity Log through the Reports section.

Recommendation :
Leave alone – essential to the proper functioning of your Norton 2003 security product.
Ccpxysvc ccPxySvc.exe

(Symantec)		 Common Client Proxy Service.  This task is found in Norton Personal Firewall 2003 and Norton Internet Security 2003 under Windows 2000/XP. We do not yet know what it does.

Recommendation :
We do not know what this task/service actually does, but we do know it is essential to the proper functioning of the firewall, so leave it alone.  That said, this task is often seen "not responding" on some PCs;  when this happens, start any Norton program and do a manual LiveUpdate to pick up the latest software updates (as opposed to virus definitions which are the only item "Automatic LiveUpdates" pick up) – this usually solves the problem.
Ccregvfy ccRegVfy.exe

(Symantec)		 Common Client Registry Integrity Verifier.  This is not a Task List item, it is purely a startup task which, on Windows boot-up, checks the integrity of the Windows Registry entries for Norton AntiVirus 2003 and Norton Internet Security 2003 in case they may have been modified by a hacker or a new as yet unknown virus. Once done, this task terminates.

Recommendation :
Leave alone – essential to the safety of your PC.
Cd_load CD_Load.exe

(Cydoor Desktop Media)		 Ad serving software for the Cydoor "adware".  Cydoor Desktop Media specializes in "delivering targeted banner, button, pop-up, or keyword ads and messages".  It markets itself with software developers who include Cydoor within their software :  this enables them to allow you to use the software free of charge while they get revenue through advertisements displayed either within their software, or while you are browsing the Internet.  Cydoor’s website indicates that products such as Opera, Kazaa, iMesh, and JetAudio use Cydoor.  CD_LOAD, part of the Cydoor software, runs in the background to detect the presence of an Internet connection.  As soon as you are connected to the Internet, it downloads ads for you to view.

Recommendation :
Get rid of it. As always :  by connecting to advertising servers and pulling up advertisements, any adware software slows down your Internet connection.  Additionally no-one likes popups or obtrusive advertising which is what we term products like Cydoor.  Banner advertising or side bar advertising on websites is fine, but ads which pop up in your face as extra windows while you browse are an absolute nightmare in our opinion.  You can get rid of Cydoor with SpyBot Search & Destroy which you will find in our Downloads section.  Note :  Getting rid of Cydoor can often totally disable the product that it came with.  That product may be vital to you, so, as an alternative you may want instead to initially disable Cydoor software with Startup Manager while you ascertain which product it came with.
Cdac11ba Cdac11ba.exe

(C-Dilla, bought by MacroVision)		 Background task which is an integral part of MacroVision’s SafeCast copy protection software (software which enables other software manufacturers to protect their products from illegal copying).  SafeCast is used in many products such as Intuit’s TurboTax (from version 2002 onward) and quite a few games.

Recommendation :
Leave alone or you may disable the product that came with it.  Note, however, that if you intend to register via the Internet rather than by phone, and if you have a firewall, you may need to enable CDAC11BA to go through your firewall. We have heard reports that CDAC11BA interferes with the use of CD-Writers but have been unable to confirm them.  Note also :  because SafeCast may be in use in more than one product from the same software manufacturer, in almost all cases de-installing the product that came with SafeCast, will not de-install SafeCast – you have to go and manually de-install it yourself through "Add/Remove Programs" in the Control Panel if you are sure you do not have other products using it (de-install anything called C-Dilla, or SafeCast, or MacroVision SafeCast). Lastly, anti-spyware/adware products, like Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware, may list the SafeCast software as spyware/adware, so make sure you do not have those anti-spyware products remove SafeCast if you know you have products using it (such as Intuit’s TurboTax).
Cfd CFD.exe

(Broadjump, now Motive)		 Application Client Foundation.  This is the newer name for BJCFD written up elsewhere in these pages.

Please refer to BJCFD.

Cg16eh

CG16eh.exe

(Symantec)

Norton Crash Guard Deluxe.  This program gets installed with Norton Utilities 3.0.

Recommendation : 
Norton Crash Guard is automatically installed with Norton Utilities 3.0 and there is no option not to install it.  If CG16EH causes you a problem, upgrade to the latest version of Norton Utilities.
Cgmenu CGMenu.exe

(Symantec)		 Norton CrashGuard Monitor.  Norton CrashGuard is a program which was released in the early days of Windows 95 when users first started to experience the wonderful new world of "Blue Screen" crashes (Blue Screen of Death – BSOD), "Illegal Operations", etc...  The idea behind Norton CrashGuard, and umpteenth other programs of the same ilk from other software authors, was that they would watch out for conditions that might lead to crashes and would either prevent crashes or would at the very least enable the end-user to recover "gracefully" from a crash.  Hmmm!  Well, reality caught up and once it became clear that no program can ever successfully always prevent crashes, companies like Symantec withdrew their products from the market – in the case of Symantec CrashGuard was withdrawn in September 2000 when it was no longer included as part of SystemWorks 2001 (the "official line" is probably different to what we say it is!).

Recommendation :
Norton CrashGuard causes more problems than it ever solves or catches – the list :  startup problems, conflicts with installation programs, freezes, general protection faults, and...  increased system crashes (!!!!!!).  Our recommendation to anyone still running Norton CrashGuard is that they should de-install it (or at the very least disable it within the older versions of Norton Utilities or SystemWorks).
Chkfont ChkFont.exe

(Ulead Systems)		 Ulead Photo Express 2 Special Edition Check Fonts program.  This background task is installed by the Ulead Photo Express 2 Special Edition CD that comes bundled with many scanners.  In Starter this task has a Win9x/ME display name of "PE2CKFNT SE".

Recommendation :
We have never been able to find out what exactly this task does, and as a result we have always disabled it with Starter (without any adverse effect).

Chknet

CHKNET.EXE

(Microsoft)

Truly ancient item of networking software which used to come with Microsoft’s LAN Manager 2.x Enhanced Workstation software.

Recommendation :
If you are still running this piece of software, then check with your network manager as you are unlikely to still be on a LAN Manager network in 2002, and the presence of CHKNET.EXE probably means an incorrectly configured network card.  CHKNET.EXE in a Win9x/ME environment can result in serious performance degradation.
Chkras ChkRAS.exe

(NetZero)		 CHKRAS and ZCAST are two background processes installed by the NetZero software. NetZero is the largest free ISP in the US.  In return for free Internet Access with NetZero, you are required to view advertisements while online.  This is done by means of the NetZero banner advertising window.  CHKRAS and ZCAST ensure that that window is always showing.  If it is not, because you terminated it through terminating CHKRAS, the window is restarted by ZCAST.  CHKRAS also in turn checks that ZCAST is running – if you closed ZCAST, CHKRAS restarts it !

Recommendation :
Interfering with either ZCAST or CHKRAS is in contravention of your agreement with NetZero, so if you want to enjoy free Internet Access through NetZero, you will have to put up with the advertising banner window.
Chotkey CHotKey.exe

MK9805.exe

(Cherry??? / Chicony???)		 Background task and System Tray icon which enables the end-user to program keyboard hotkeys.

Recommendation :
If you have programmed keyboard hotkeys, then you need to keep this task running as it ensures that the hotkeys your programmed, will work.  Otherwise you can disable it with Starter.
Cidaemon CiDaemon.exe

(Microsoft)		 Windows NT4/2000/XP task which is part of the Microsoft Index Server (NT4) or its replacement, the Microsoft Indexing Service (2000/XP).  The Indexing Service is a background process which catalogues files so that you can then do searches for any piece of text across your entire file system, or across a specific range of folders. The Indexing Service works differently on server operating system than it works on desktop operating systems.  On fileservers running Windows NT4/2000-server/XP-server, the Indexing Service, which needs to be set up, configured, and started, is used to construct library catalogues which end-users on the network can then search to find specific documents – in short, it is an Intranet tool. On desktop operating systems (Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home or Professional), the Indexing Service runs by default and simply catalogues in the background all files on your PC so that when you do a "Search for Files or Folders", the results come back much faster as Windows 2000/XP gets its results from the catalogues (indexes) that were built by the Indexing Service rather than through trawling your entire disk for every search you make.

Recommendation :
In most cases you should leave it alone on desktops;  however, there are cases where CIDAEMON runs amok and consumes excessive amounts of memory and CPU and the PC slows down as a result – when that is the case, setting the Indexing Service as a disabled or manual start service in "Services" in the Control Panel (WinNT4) / Administrative Tools (Win2000/XP) should solve your problem.  On fileservers, on the other hand, most problems are resolved with the most recent Support Packs, particularly on NT4 (SP6) and 2000 (SP3).
Cij3p2ps Cij3p2ps.exe

(Compaq from Lexmark)		 LXP2PS MFC Application.  This task is installed by the drivers of Lexmark OEM printers re-badged as Compaq printers, such as the Compaq IJ300. While we do not know what this task does, "MFC Application" background tasks tend to be server tasks which provide services to other foreground or background tasks, and which are therefore needed.

Recommendation :
We have only come up against this task once and the printer did not work correctly when we disabled it, exactly as expected given that it is an "MFC Application". We suggest you leave it running.
Cisvc CISvc.exe

(Microsoft)		 Content Index Service first seen in Windows 2000 Server with Microsoft Index Service 3, and then in Windows XP.  CISVC is a safeguard process which monitors the memory consumption of CIDAEMON above.  If CIDAEMON exceeds 40Mb of memory usage, CISVC automatically terminates CIDAEMON and then restarts it.  This mechanism prevents the PC/Server from reaching a low memory situation and a resulting slow down in processing.

Recommendation :
Leave alone.
Cjstcom Cjstcom.exe

(Canon)		 Canon Bubble Jet Status Monitor.  From what we can make out this task sits in the background and relays status information between the printer itself and CJSTLST below, but we are not completely sure about that.

Recommendation :
Since we are not certain about the role of this task, our recommendation is to leave it alone.
Cjstlst Cjstlst.exe

(Canon)		 Canon Bubble Jet Printer Monitor, installed by the drivers for some of the Canon Bubble Jet printers (BJC600, BJC1000, BJC6200, etc.) and which sits in the System Tray where it enables the user to monitor print jobs, check ink levels, clean print heads, etc...

Recommendation :
Useful as with modern inkjet printers that is often the only way to check ink cartridge levels.
Clipsync ClipSync.exe

(Zita Farm Ltd)		 ClipSync is an extremely useful piece of software which enables the user to transfer text, images, and memos via the Windows clipboard and Hotsync to their Palm device running Palm OS.  It runs as a background task.

Recommendation :
Essential if you use ClipSync.
Cmagent CMAgent.exe

(Cybermedia Inc, now McAfee)		 Definitely a Cybermedia program which we believe to be part of First Aid 98.  Read FA_GD32 for more details.

Recommendation :
CMAGENT is often responsible for illegal operations, particularly on Windows 95/98 PCs that have had various software upgrades since the demise of Cybermedia (such as Internet Explorer upgrades, DirectX, Windows Update, etc...).  Thus, if after reading FA_GD32 you decide not to de-install First Aid 98, you should at least disable this background task with Starter.
Cmcp16 CMCp16.exe

(CyberMedia Inc, now McAfee)		 Background task that is part of the CyberMedia First Aid 98 suite of programs.

Recommendation :
Often responsible for Windows Explorer crashes on PCs that have had various software upgrades/updates since the demise of CyberMedia (such as Internet Explorer, DirectX, Windows Update, etc...).  Read FA_GD32 for more details about First Aid 98 software.
Cmesys Cmesys.exe

(Gator)		 Background program which is part of the Gator GAIN software (Gator Advertising and Information Network).  Gator GAIN is what we call adware (advertising spyware).  Gator GAIN is used by software manufacturers to enable them to offer you the FREE use of their software – instead, they receive advertising revenue through the advertisements displayed by the Gator GAIN add-on whenever you are using their software.

Recommendation :
We are against all adware.  Download SpyBot Search & Destroy from our Downloads area and use it to remove Gator and any other adware or spyware.  Note, however, that in some cases removing adware will totally disable the application which installed it, and this maybe an application which is important to you, so you may want to initially only disable this with Startup Manager while you ascertain how Gator Gain got into your PC.
Cmgrdian CMGrdian.exe

(McAfee)		 McAfee System Tray icon in pre-version 6 releases of the product which enables you to access all the McAfee AntiVirus features.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference.  You can disable it with Starter.
Cmmon32 Cmmon32.exe

(Microsoft)		 Microsoft Connection Manager Monitor. Little known Microsoft program on which there is no documentation.  We have only ever seen it used in conjunction with the Internet dialler provided by some ISPs – we still do not know what it actually does.

Recommendation :
There seems to be a definite impact on the performance of the PC when this background task is running.  We do not have a specific recommendation yet, but in our case, whenever we have terminated the task the PC’s performance has improved, the Internet connection has stayed up, and we have observed no consequences as a result of terminating CMMON32.

Cmmpu

CMMPU.exe

(C-Media Inc)

C-Media’s MPU-401 Emulator for MIDI driver for the CMI-8330 and CMI-8338 C-Media chipsets.

Recommendation : 
This is a Windows 95 only driver, and is necessary only under Windows 95.  If you are running a later version of Windows and are not experiencing any problems with sound or CMMPU, then leave it alone.  Otherwise de-install the drivers, then delete CMMPU with Startup Manager, and finally go through the DRIVERS section of this website to download more up-to-date C-Media drivers.
Cnxdsltb CnxDSLTB.exe

(Conexant)		 Conexant DSL TaskBar Application.  System Tray icon which shows the connection status of your Conexant AccessRunner DSL modem (your modem may be re-badged under a different manufacturer’s name, but still be based on the Conexant chipset).  The icon has two green LEDs which show the traffic of data.  You can also double-click on the icon to disconnect and re-connect your modem from the ADSL signal (as a different process from connecting to and login in to your ISP’s server).

Recommendation :
We feel it is quite reassuring to have the data traffic LEDs showing, particularly when troubleshooting an ADSL problem, so we ourselves tend to always leave this task enabled.

Comsmd

COMSMD.exe

(3Com)

3Com Tray icon installed by the drivers for the 3Com 3C9xx series of network cards.  That tray icon gives you access to various 3Com diagnostics for your 3Com network cards.

Recommendation :
A waste of time, it just adds to the clutter and sometimes is actually the cause of [minor] boot-up errors on NT4.  Disable or Delete with Startup Manager.

Comsocks

ComSocks

(Linkbyte)

ComSocks Internet proxy/NAT and simple firewall program.

Recommendation : 
Essential.  Leave alone.
Conmgr ConMgr.exe

(Earthlink??)		 Internet Access Connection Manager used by some ISPs, most notably Earthlink.  CONMGR is installed if you run the Earthlink installation CD to set up your Earthlink connection.  Advanced users will normally set up their Internet connection without running the installation CD and so will never see CONMGR in their Task List.

Recommendation :
Depending on which version of the Earthlink installation CD you have, CONMGR is often configured to start as Windows starts, often resulting in extremely annoying behaviour where it is constantly trying to connect to Earthlink even though you might not want to.  If you have such problems, disable CONMGR with Startup Manager and simply double-click on the Earthlink icon on your desktop whenever you want to connect.
Couponica Couponica.exe

(??)		 As of 12-Apr-2003, where we do not as yet have detailed information about this task, it looks like this task is adware.

Recommendation :
Use either Ad-Aware or SpyBot from our Downloads section to see if it gets removed (update either product online before running it).
Cpdclnt

Cpd		 CPDClnt.exe

CDP.exe

(McAfee)		 Background task from the ConSeal Private Desktop Firewall which was originally developed by Signal9 Solutions.  McAfee acquired Signal9 Solutions in 1999 and ConSeal Private Desktop became McAfee Personal Firewall.  CPDCLNT/CPD implements the firewall security features (CPDCLNT in some versions, CPD in newer versions).

Recommendation :
We have had repeated reports of CPDCLNT "not responding" and blue screens seemingly traceable to CPDCLNT.  We also have definite reports of CPD, the newer incarnation, generating run-away CPU usage of 90%+ as well as total consumption of memory, resulting in a major slow-down or virtual freeze of the PC.  Since a good firewall is crucial nowadays, if you experience such problems try updating your McAfee Personal Firewall – that may just solve the problem.  If it does not, and you have the latest updates, and McAfee cannot help, then change to a different firewall as you cannot take the risk of running without a firewall.
Cportpatch CPortPatch.exe

(Dell???)		 We have no idea as to what this task does except that we have only ever found it on Dell laptops.

Recommendation :
We can only recommend to leave it alone as we do not know what it does.
Cpqeadm CPQEADM.exe

(Compaq)		 See CPQEAUI below.
Cpqeaui

CPQ EasyAccess Buttons Support		 CPQEAUI.exe

(Compaq)		 CPQEAUI, CPQEADM, EACLEAN, and BTTNSERV, are all part of Compaq’s EasyAccess Button Support which enables you to program the extra "Easy Access keys" on the Compaq multimedia keyboards.  Without these tasks you will not be able to use those extra keys.

Recommendation :
If you decide to use a keyboard other than your Compaq multimedia keyboard, then disable CPQEAUI, CPQEADM (if present), and EACLEAN in Startup Manager, as they will no longer be of any use to you.  If, however, you are replacing the Compaq multimedia keyboard with another type of multimedia or specialist keyboard, such as the Microsoft Internet keyboard, the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard, or some of the Logitech or Kinesis multimedia/internet keyboards, then it will become necessary that you disable the above two tasks as they will otherwise interfere with the proper working of your new keyboard.
Cpqnpcss Cpqnpcss.exe

(Compaq)		 Related to Compaq.Net, Compaq’s own Internet Service introduced in 1999.  Aside from that we do not know for certain what this task does.

Recommendation :
If you do not subscribe to Compaq.Net, you can definitely disable or delete this task with Starter.

Cpunumber

Cpunumber.exe

(Compaq)

Intel Pentium 3 Serial Number Blocker.  This background task which can be seen on Pentium 3 based Compaq PCs and laptops, prevents programs from obtaining the serial number of your Pentium 3 CPU.

Recommendation : 
Leave alone – no known conflicts.
Crashmon Crashmon.exe

(CyberMedia Inc, now McAfee)		 Crash Monitor background program part of the CyberMedia First Aid 98 suite of programs.

Recommendation :
Read CGMENU, the Symantec equivalent, but most of all, FA_GD32, to see what we feel about such software.

Createcd

Createcd50

CreateCD.exe
CreateCD50.exe

(Adaptec / Roxio)

System Tray icon for Adaptec Easy CD Creator (or Roxio Easy CD Creator from version 5.0 onward).  This icon enables you to start Easy CD Creator from the System Tray.

Recommendation : 
This task often gets in the way of other Windows programs which need to use the CD-Writer, yet you can start Easy CD Creator through "Start \ Programs".  Delete with Startup Manager.

Creative Launcher

CTLauncher.exe

(Creative Labs)

This is the Creative Launcher toolbar which is installed with the drivers for some of the Creative sound cards.  When active the toolbar appears every time you take the mouse to the top of your screen and you are then presented with a toolbar which enables you to launch some of the Creative audio programs.

Recommendation : 
This is the most irritating toolbar ever – the toolbar appears when your mouse nears anywhere the top of your screen, and it overlays the whole area at the top of your screen (till you realise you may be able to move it).  This means you cannot close programs, you cannot minimize them, etc...  What an irritant !!  Delete or Disable with Startup Manager – you can launch all those audio programs from Start \ Programs.

Csinject

CSInject.exe

(Symantec)

Component of the Norton Clean Sweep software.  In our experience CSInject is sometimes incompatible with other software, and at other times causes serious performance problems, if not outright crashes.

Recommendation : 
Disable using Startup Manager.
Csinsm32

Csinsmnt		 Csinsm32.exe

CsinsmNT.exe

(Symantec)		 Norton Clean Sweep Install Monitor.  It monitors the installation of programs on your PC so that it can fully de-install them when you decide to de-install them.  CSINSM32 is the Windows 9x/ME task while CSINSMNT is the Windows NT4/2000/XP task.

Recommendation :
The purpose of programs like Clean Sweep is that they run in the background and "kick in" as and when required, obviating the need for the end-user to remember to use them.  So, although you could run this program via "Start \ Programs", we recommend leaving it alone if you are happy with Norton Clean Sweep.

Csrss

Csrss.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows NT4//2000/XP only.  CSRSS is the Client Server Runtime SubSystem.  CSRSS is started by SMSS.  When the user application makes a Win32 API call, it is usually CSRSS which communicates with the operating system’s Kernel to execute the API call.  CSRSS is also known as the Win32 Subsystem.

Recommendation : 
An integral part of the operating system, leave alone.
Ctfmon CTFMon.exe

(Microsoft)		 CTFMon comes with Microsoft Office XP and Windows XP – it activates the Alternative User Input Text Input Processor (TIP) and the Microsoft Office XP Language Bar.  As long as the Text Services & Speech are enabled in the Control Panel, this program will force itself back into your list of background programs.

Recommendation :
Disable  "Text Services & Speech"  in the Control Panel if you are not using them.  Then, disable CTFMon using Startup Manager.  (Note that if you use Word, Excel or PowerPoint to write in different languages, eg. English and Arabic, then you will be using  "Text Services & Speech"  facilities).
Cthelper CTHelper.exe

(Creative Labs)		 CTHELPER is a background task that is a plug-in manager for Creative drivers.  It first appeared with Creative’s SoundBlaster Live and Audigy soundcards.  The theory is that 3rd party manufacturers can use the CTHELPER plug-in interface to produce drivers, add-on features, and fixes that will integrate with a tighter fit with Creative’s sound drivers and utilities.  One of the very first uses of this interface has been for InterVideo’s WinDVD in the shape of a fix called "WinDVDPatch" and, at the time of writing 12-Jan-2003, there have not been other uses for it yet.

Recommendation :
Given its purpose CTHELPER would normally be classified as a "leave alone" background task.  Unfortunately, as with many other Creative background tasks in these pages, there are often problems with CTHELPER.  The most common complaint is random excess CPU utilization, up to 100% !  We have also had complaints of PCs freezing when CTHELPER is around, although that is probably also 100% CPU utilization.  Additionally, on PCs running Intel’s Pentium 4 Hyper-Threading CPUs, the sound stutters.  In short :  CTHELPER is far more trouble than it is a help.  Disable with Starter.
Ctmix32 CtMix32.exe

(Creative Labs / Creative Technology)		 System Tray Mixer which gets installed by the drivers for some of Creative Labs’ soundcards.  When present it goes and replaces the standard Windows mixer (Yellow speaker in Win9x/NT4/ME/2000, Black speaker in WinXP) and enables the user to change settings specific to his Creative soundcard (in addition to the standard mixer and volume settings).

Recommendation :
In our experience there have been problems with CTMIX32 throughout its history, from some features not working, to KERNEL32 errors, illegal operations, the lot !  If you like it, and it does not give you problems, fine.  If on the other hand you are having recurring problems with it, see if you can disable it with Starter.  If you cannot, then the likelihood is that it is installed as your default Windows Mixer, in which case editing of the Registry is required – before you do that, however, see if the latest drivers for your soundcard get rid of your problems.

Ctnotify

CTNotify.exe

(Creative Technology)

"Disc Detector" from Creative Technology.  This System Tray icon gets installed with the drivers of some of the Creative Sound Cards and, wait for it, detects when you insert a CD !

Recommendation : 
This is the worst type of System Tray software – a useless program which causes problems to end users.  In every single case that we have ourselves seen this program in the Task List, the end-user could not use the Windows CD Player (Win95/98) or the Windows Media Player (WinME/2000) to play music CDs.  No sound would come out.  In some cases the mere presence of this task prevented any sound coming out of the ..... Creative sound card !!!  Software this bad defies belief.  Delete with Startup Manager.
Ctsvccda CTsvcCDA.exe

(Creative Technology)		 Creative Services for CD-ROM Access.  This background task gets installed by the Windows 9x/ME drivers of some Creative SoundBlaster soundcards.  It also sometimes gets installed, in error, on Windows 2000 by non-driver related Creative software suites, such as Creative Jukebox, etc..

Recommendation :
With modern CD-ROM drives (36-speed and above) this task is of no use to any system, so we recommend you disable it with Startup Manager and let Windows handle everything to do with your CD-ROM drive.  If you have just upgraded from Win9x/ME to Windows 2000/XP, this task (converted to a service during the upgrade) will give you endless error messages.  Disable it by setting it to Manual in "Control Panel \ Administrative Tools \ Services" – even better still, remove that service.