|
Task
List |
PROGRAM
& |
WHAT
IT IS |
|---|---|---|
| DadApp |
DadApp.exe (Dell) |
Dell AccessDirect Applet.
Background task found on Dell laptops and which implements the
programmable buttons that you can set up for your laptop. The
setting up of those buttons is done via the Access Direct
software which you can start either from the Dell Applications
icon in the Control Panel, or from the Dell AccessDirect icon in
the System Tray (DADTRAY). Recommendation : Unless you see yourself using the programmable keys, you can disable this task with Startup Manager. Note, however, that once you disable it, if you decide at a later stage to re-enable it you will in most cases need to program again your programmable keys with the Access Direct software as in our experience the settings seem to get lost when DADAPP is disabled. |
| Dadtray |
DadTray.exe (Dell) |
Dell AccessDirect Tray.
System Tray icon which enables you to run the "programmable
keys" Access Direct software from the System Tray. Read DADAPP
above for more details. Recommendation : As per DADAPP above. |
| Damon |
DAMon.exe (Dell) |
Dell Alert Monitor which is
part of the Dell Support software suite. Recommendation : We do not yet know what DAMON does exactly as, at the time of writing, 3-Aug-2003, getting information on this task from Dell Support Technicians or their Knowledgebase has been like squeezing water out of a stone. But we do know two things : it tries to communicate with specific servers on the Internet, and on some PCs its very presence can result in startup problems, or programs not opening up when you try to open them. In-house our view is very clear on this one : that is the first item we get rid of ! You can try disabling it with Starter, but that often does not get rid of it coming up. The best way to get rid of this task is to de-install "Dell Support" through the "Add/Remove Programs" in the Control Panel – you will still be left with the valuable Dell Solutions Center. |
| Dap |
DAP.exe (SpeedBit Ltd.) |
Download Accelerator Plus
which runs in the System Tray once it has been started. Recommendation : Because of what it does we feel that the System Tray is indeed where Download Accelerator should be minimised to, so leave it be. |
| Datemanager |
DateManager.exe (The Gator Corporation) |
You are browsing the web.
Suddenly something pops up in the middle of your screen.
Annoyed you hurriedly check for a Cancel button. There is no
Cancel button, and the wording seems to indicate that the popup
popped up as a result of something you did, something you
wanted, so you click OK, again in a hurry. You’ve been
"got". Through one of their clever popup ads The Gator
Corporation have managed to trick you into installing Date
Manager, Precision Time, and their adware (in this context we
call "adware" software which communicates back to an advertising
server and pops up advertisements as you are browsing the
Internet). From now on your browsing experience becomes an
absolute nightmare of endless advertising popup windows. Recommendation : Date Manager is actually a nifty piece of software – a well designed System Tray calendar with a reminder facility. However, we object to end-users being tricked into installing software without realising that that is what is happening. And when that software also installs adware, then it becomes totally unacceptable. Worse still, programs randomly stop responding temporarily with this software installed, and then start working again. This is software we hate ! De-install "Date Manager" and "PrecisionTime" from the "Add/Remove Program" icon in the Control Panel, then download SpyBot Search & Destroy from our Downloads section and run it to get rid of the Gator adware (Note : at the time of writing, 3-June-2002, the de-installation process connects you back to the Date Manager home page and then displays "You have now un-installed Date Manager /Precision Time" !! Unreal.). |
| Datray |
DATray.exe (Ken Foster) |
System Tray icon for the
DeskTop Architect desktop themes management software. Recommendation : If you use Desktop Architect, the most convenient way to access all its functions is via this System Tray icon, so we suggest you keep this background task. |
| Dbserver |
DbServer.exe (gravis.com) |
Gravis AppAware Loader.
Background task loaded by the drivers for your Gravis game
controller, joystick, or game pad, and which implements the
controller, joystick or game pad button configurations that you
set up and configured. Recommendation : Essential for the use of your Gravis game hardware – leave alone. |
| Dcfssvc |
DcFsSvc.exe (Kodak) |
Kodak DC (Direct
Connection) File System Driver. Part of Kodak Digital Camera
software. All information which follows is courtesy of
extensive research by AnswersThatWork users. DCFSSVC is
essential to the operation of the Kodak digital cameras that it
is associated with. It runs in the background and fools the
operating system into thinking that the camera connected to the
PC via the USB port is in fact a hard disk drive, thereby
allowing the end-user to transfer pictures from the camera to
his PC. Recommendation : Essential to the proper interfacing of your Kodak camera with your PC. However, DCFSSVC interferes with drive imaging software such as PowerQuest’s Drive Image, Symantec’s Norton Ghost, or StorageSoft’s ImageCast, as these packages get confused when trying to figure out what type of hard drive they are dealing with. If you intend to use any drive image software, disable DCFSSVC with Startup Manager, then reboot your PC before using the drive image software. |
| Ddhelp |
DDHelp.exe (Microsoft) |
Microsoft’s DirectDraw
Helper – DirectDraw is a component of DirectX. DirectX is a
Windows technology which enables higher performance in graphics
and sound when you are playing games, watching videos, or using
some graphics software packages. DirectX does this by providing
software writers with a platform (a programming layer) which
enables them to access all the advanced features of modern
graphics and sound cards (3D rendering, 3D sound, audio effects,
graphics acceleration) without having to write code specific to
every single graphics or sound card out there – all the software
manufacturer needs to do is specify, for example, that this
game will only run on a 32Mb 3D graphics card. DirectDraw
is a major component of the DirectX architecture and is
effectively the "interpreter" between the software you are
running and the display driver for your graphics card. Under
Windows 95/98/ME DirectDraw is loaded into memory and managed by
DDHELP. DDHELP runs as a transparent process – you can only see
it through a program like Starter. Recommendation : |
| Defwatch |
DefWatch.exe (Symantec) |
Norton’s Definitions Watch
Service for Norton Corporarte Edition (NAVCE) on Windows
NT4/2000/XP platforms. DEFWATCH monitors the VirusDefs folder
for new virus definitions or older virus definitions (rolled
back) and upon detection of a change starts the Defwatch Wizard
which will attempt to repair quarantined files as well as do the
other tasks defined in the Defwatch Wizard. Recommendation : Essential – leave alone. |
|
Delay Delayrun |
Delay.exe Delayrun.exe (John Hysted ???) |
Used to delay the start of
an application which loads automatically as Windows loads. In
our experience this program is found solely on HP Pavilion PCs.
HP’s own description : "This program is a program that is
used to help prevent conflicts or timing issues on fast
computers. Do not prevent from starting". Although we may
be wrong, we feel this program may be an adaptation of John
Hysted’s free DELAYRUN which was written so as to be run from
RunServices where it gave his system a few more seconds to
actually display the password box before Microsoft’s TweakUI
would try to automatically fill in the password on the logon
screen. Recommendation : If HP put it there, leave it. Someone at Hewlett-Packard had very good reasons for doing so. |
| Desk98 |
Desk98.exe (ATI Technologies) |
Part of the Hydravision
software that comes with some of the ATI Radeon cards. The
Hydravision software enables users to use two monitors as one;
it also allows the user to have different virtual desktops which
behave differently, and to switch between each desktop via the
software’s System Tray icon. That System Tray icon is Desk98. Recommendation : Unless you use some of the above features, disable DESK98 with Starter. Some of the early versions cause illegal operations (if that’s you, upgrade to the latest version of Hydravision), and all versions sometimes exhibit conflicts when the user prints to HP or Lexmark printers. |
| Detector |
Detector.exe (LG) |
System Tray program which
constantly monitors for the presence of an LG scanner connected
to your USB port. If your LG scanner is connected, and DETECTOR
is running, you can press the one-touch scan button on your
scanner to begin scanning (if your scanner has such a button).
This System Tray program also enables you to run the LG scanning
software from the System Tray. Recommendation : If you use the LG software to scan and you use it a lot, then keep this program in your System Tray – we have not heard of problems with it. If you do not use the LG software, or you do not scan very often, then disable DETECTOR with Startup Manager. |
| Devdtct2 |
DevDtct2.exe (Olympus Corp) |
Device Detector 2. System
Tray application which gets installed by the Olympus DSS Player
Pro (Digital Speech Standard) voice
playback software. Using a USB or Serial connection, DSS Player
Pro enables the user to download onto his PC, digital voice
recordings made on an Olympus DS-3000; the software also enables
you to email the recordings directly from the DS-3000. Device
Detector 2, DEVDTCT2, automatically detects when the end-user
has come back to base and plugged his DS-3000 into his PC, at
which point it starts the application that was set up to handle
the DS-3000 and its stored digital voice recordings, typically
DSS Player Pro. Recommendation : As of November 2002 this System Tray application is a nightmare – it causes many programs to freeze, Outlook in particular, and sometimes the whole PC freezes. When the problems occur, the only way to properly recover is in most cases to reboot the PC. Avoid – disable with Startup Manager and manually start the Olympus DSS Player Pro software through "Start \ Programs". |
| Devgulp |
Devgulp.exe (Compaq) |
System Tray application
which implements the Compaq Digital Dashboard. The Compaq
Digital Dashboard has two main functions : time synchronization
from the Internet so that your PC always shows the right time,
and turning on the mail LED when there is mail for you to
collect at your ISP. Both these features are configurable
through the System Tray icon or in the Control Panel. Recommendation : Essential if you use Compaq’s Digital Dashboard. Otherwise you can disable it with Starter. |
| Devldr |
Devldr.exe (Creative Labs) |
Found on Windows 2000/XP.
It really does not matter how Creative call this task/service,
DEVLDR, DEVLDR16, or DEVLDR32, it is a thorough nightmare
whatever its name, and DEVLDR does not disappoint. What does
this task do – we do not know, it is such a frustrating task we
care little about what it does. Recommendation :
|
| Devldr16 |
Devldr16.exe (Creative Labs) |
Background task installed
with the drivers for some Creative Labs sound cards – it
provides SoundBlaster 16 emulation for DOS applications and
games. Without it, your DOS games will not have any sound.
Disabling this program, however, often gives problems with the
general behaviour of sound and of the Creative sound utilities
on your PC. Recommendation : This is another Creative program which is the cause of many frustrations for AnswersThatWork users. Once upon a time "Creative Labs" used to be synonymous with quality ! Some users experience unexplained crashes of this program where it is impossible to clear it off the screen; others experience occasional to total inability to start Windows 98/ME; some find that their modem no longer works properly; others experience strange behaviour of their software (Photoshop); others find that menus do not open up when clicking on them and that the only way to recover is to restart; some find that the mouse pointer disappears, till a reboot; some experience unexplained general instability problems; the list goes on. Shocking! For the technically minded all these problems are due to the fact that DEVLDR16 emulates old ISA sound cards which do not have the ability to share resources in the way that the newer PCI cards can. If you do not use DOS games, and you want to get rid of this task, the only way we have found to safely disable this task is as follows : 1) Disable in Startup Manager. 2) Next, in Device Manager, in the Sound section or under "Creative Miscellaneous Devices", disable Creative SB16 Emulation. |
| Devldr32 |
Devldr32.exe (Creative Labs) |
Creative Ring3 NT
Interface!! Runs solely on Windows 2000/XP. Just when you
thought you’d got rid of DEVLDR16, along comes your SoundBlaster
Live! soundcard’s DEVLDR32 which is just as problematic ! As
one website puts it "Rumours that Creative's driver team is
composed entirely of gorillas enthusiastically beating on their
keyboards with their feet have not been confirmed !".
Although we do not know yet what purpose DEVLDR32 serves, it
seems to be crucial to the audio input, the Creative Mixer, the
PlayCenter, and the AudioHQ application. Most of the problems
with DEVLDR32 are created by the installation of the Creative
Liveware 3.0 software, as the DEVLDR32 loaded by that software
creates endless conflicts. Recommendation : The list of problems is so long we will concentrate here on the major ones. If you have a shutdown problem, with DEVLDR32 hanging, try disabling the "Shutdown sound". If sound is at Max level every time you boot up, even though you adjusted it down, try the liveserviec.com fix (search the web for it). If you have some programs which do not work properly unless DEVLDR32 is killed off through an End Task, try de-installing Liveware, and then downloading and installing the latest version. Also try that remedy if you experience blue screens, or other severe problems. If that still does not work, try de-installing the Liveware (or SBLive) software altogether. Good Luck ! |
| Directcd |
DirectCD (Adaptec / Roxio) |
This is the DirectCD
software which enables you to drop files onto a CD-R directly
from Explorer, without using any CD-Recording software. While a
great and potentially very useful concept, the limitations of
DirectCD CDs, and the many conflicts that we have seen DirectCD
create, lead us to always recommend its removal. Recommendation : Unless you do make use of DirectCD, remove it via "Add/Remove Programs" in the Control Panel. Otherwise right-click on it and temporarily disable it whenever you need to use other software that will want to write to your CD Writer. |
| Dkservice |
DKService.exe (Executive Software) |
Background scheduling task
which belongs to Diskeeper and Diskeeper Lite and which runs
Diskeeper as scheduled. Recommendation : You can disable it with Starter under Win95/98/ME or set it as "Manual" under Windows NT4/2000/XP where it is installed as a service. |
| Dllcmd32 |
DLLCmd32.exe (Hewlett-Packard) |
System Tray icon for the
Configure Live Menu interface to the Efax faxing module
which gets installed as part of the JetSuite software that comes
with the LaserJet 3100/3150 series of HP laser printers. Recommendation : This module is needed by the efax print driver under Windows NT4/2000/XP, but is optional under Windows 95/98/ME where you can disable it through the Configure Live Menu settings. We have no reports of problems with this background task, so we suggest leaving it alone for Windows NT4/2000/XP users. |
| Dllhost |
DLLHost.exe (Microsoft) |
DCOM support module for DLL
based COM objects (DCOM = Distributed Component Object Model).
DCOM is a software architecture model which is an intrinsic part
of Windows, of most Microsoft products, and of many
non-Microsoft products. In most cases you should never see
DLLHOST in your Task List, as, typically, DLLHOST starts, does
what it has to do, and then terminates. However, sometimes, if
a Java COM object runs (this could happen if you are browsing
the Internet and come to a page which has Java code), DLLHOST
may not terminate, which is when you would see it in your Task
List. Recommendation : Do not "End Task" it as there is no way to determine whether DLLHOST has completed its task or not. For the more advanced users, however, deleting the registry key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Java VM\MSDebug" can often solve the problem of DLLHOST constantly appearing in the Task List. Finally, if you keep getting DLLHOST errors on a Windows 2000/XP/2003 PC, then you may have the Welchia virus. |
| Dmcenter |
DMCenter.exe (Diamond Multimedia) |
Diamond Multimedia "InControl"
Tools. System Tray icon which gets installed with some of the
[now defunct] Diamond VGA card drivers. As with all such
programs, all the icon does is give you access to the Display
Properties. Recommendation : Useless, it just clutters up the System Tray – you can access the Display Properties in many other ways. Delete using Startup Manager. |
| Dmhkey |
DMHKey.exe (Diamond Multimedia) |
Diamond Hotkey handler
module of the Diamond Multimedia InControl tools that get
installed when you install the drivers for some of the Diamond
Stealth graphics cards. The InControl Tools enable you, amongst
other things, to define keyboard hotkeys as quick shortcuts to
applications. DMHKEY is the background task which makes this
possible. Recommendation : If you do not use any of the user programmable keys feature of the InControl Tools, disable DMHKEY with Startup Manager as it is sometimes known to clash with certain applications and cause Illegal Operation crashes. |
| Dpmw32 |
Dpmw32.exe (Novell) |
This program runs in the
background if you are running the Novell Client to connect to a
Novell NetWare network and you have installed the Novell
Distributed Print Services (NDPS) part of the client. The
Novell Client is the software which presents you with the
familiar red Novell login box when you login to your company’s
NetWare network. It also transparently provides a closer
integration of your Windows PC with your Novell network,
particularly as regards to automated configuration of network
drives and applications when you login to your server, printing,
access to NetWare security features, and lots more. Recommendation : We have found that in many non-NDPS NetWare networks, on Win9x/ME platforms and with versions of the Novell client pre-version 3.32, this process will on some PCs sometimes prevent other programs from working properly, e.g. GroupWise, PageMaker, and it will at other times make the PC hang, or it will cause illegal operations. This problem is cured completely in version 3.32 and later, of the Novell Client. If you are not running Novell Distributed Print Services (most NetWare installations do not – ask your Network Administrator), disable this process with Starter regardless of which version of the Novell Client you are running. |
| Dpps2 |
Dpps2.exe (Panicware) |
Don’t Panic! Popup control
background task from Panicware. Don’t Panic enables you to
block those annoying popup advertising ads from displaying while
you are browsing the Net. Recommendation : The use of Don’t Panic!, and its sister products from Panicware, can result in seemingly strange behaviour of your e-mail software (hyperlinks not working), or of Windows Explorer (new explorer windows not opening up). This may in fact be expected behaviour, so make sure therefore that you acquaint yourself properly with Panicware’s FAQ on their products so that you know what to do if you experience any of the above. |
| Dragdiag |
Dragdiag.exe (Alcatel) |
Tray icon application
installed by the drivers for Alcatel’s ADSL (DSL) modems. These
Alcatel ADSL modems, which look like green manta rays, are
distributed by many ISPs who offer ADSL Internet Access. Recommendation : Not needed, but also harmless. You can leave it or disable/delete it with Startup Manager. |
| Dshmap |
DSHMap.exe (Intel) |
Background task which gets
loaded with the drivers for Intel’s range of AnyPoint broadband
products. Recommendation : We do not at this stage know what this task does. The only recommendation we can make therefore is to leave it alone. |
| Dslaunch |
DSLaunch.exe (Yamaha) |
System Tray icon installed
with the DS-XG drivers for Yamaha DS-XG based soundcards. It
enables the users to tune some of the features of his soundcard. Recommendation : Next to useless as there is no detailed help and so most of the settings mean nothing to the vast majority of users. This icon simply clutters up the System Tray. Disable it with Startup Manager. |
| Dssagent |
Dssagent.exe (Broderbund) |
Spyware/Adware.
DSSAGENT is a tool which "officially" allows software developers
to send you updated "splash screens", news updates, and latest
product offerings, whenever you are connected to the Internet.
Our translation : sending you advertising ! DSSAGENT is
installed by some of the Broderbund software titles, and also by
software products from other publishers. Recommendation : This is a tricky one. There is a real possibility that disabling DSSAGENT can result in the software program which installed it, not working That said we have yet to hear of this happening. One thing is certain : DSSAGENT is a resource hog and contributes significantly to a slower internet connection through its constant requests to the Broderbund central server. Additionally, it has the potential to send out information about your system. We are totally against such Spyware or Adware. And if that were not enough we have many reports of DSSAGENT causing boot-up or shutdown errors. With all the above in mind, our recommendation therefore is that you download and install SpyBot Search & Destroy from the Downloads area of our site, run it, and delete DSSAGENT if SpyBot Search & Destroy identifies it. If it does not, then disable DSSAGENT with Startup Manager. |
| Dumprep |
DumpRep.exe (Microsoft) |
Windows Error Reporting
Dump Reporting Tool. Found on Windows XP/2003. It shows as a
startup item whose execution line usually reads as "KernelFaultCheck"
%systemroot%\system32\dumprep 0 –k. DUMPREP creates memory
dump reports that you can send to Microsoft if you answer "Yes"
when prompted to send such reports. In our experience this
entry only shows up for the first time after your PC has
experienced a Windows XP "dump" crash, or an Office XP or
Internet Explorer 6 crash where you were prompted about sending
the crash results to Microsoft. Recommendation : It is our experience that having Error Reporting set to ON only causes more crashes. The mind boggles at this : in both Netscape and Internet Explorer our experience shows that if you turn error reporting ON, you will crash often in either browser, if not sometimes always !! You’ve guessed it, avoid Error Reporting like the plague. In both Windows XP and Windows 2003 turn it OFF by opening the SYSTEM icon in the Control Panel, choosing the ADVANCED tab, and then clicking on Error Reporting. |
| Dw (1) |
DW.exe (DownloadWare.net) |
If you came to this page
searching for DW, then this entry, rather than the Microsoft’s
DW, is likely to be the one you are after. This is
DownloadWare.net’s DownloadWare. As of 30-Dec-2002 –
Straight from their website : "DownloadWare is a download
accelerator that features intelligent multipart downloading
technology. DownloadWare can create, add, and modify multiple
connections for each download based on your current speed and
available bandwidth." So far so good. Then, straight from
another page on their website : "When you log on to your
computer, we launch a featured download of the day. You see
this cool new download ages before your roommates get wind of
it. You're staying on the cutting edge, so you're happy. We
get paid by the company whose download you accepted. (Thank you
very much). You're on your own to use the download you accepted
or uninstall it according to the terms you read when you
accepted it. You understand that we're just an advertising
network and that any and all questions need to be addressed to
the company whose download you accepted." At this point
we’d like to applaud DownloadWare.net. Bucking the trend of
advertiser networks, they use plain talking, they leave you
under no illusion that they are an advertising network, and they
tell you straight out what they’re in it for and where
your responsibilities are. You might still want to get
rid of their stuff, but at least they are not hiding behind
vague, confusing and misleading statements such as "...which
will enrich your Internet experience" ! Recommendation : Firstly, you can read DownloadWare.net’s Privacy statement here where you will learn about the sort of information they gather from your Internet browsing. Secondly, most users never actually actively download and install DW.EXE. It is usually installed as part of some other free software which you installed, e.g. KazaA (30-Dec-2002). Thirdly, and most importantly, DW.EXE is often the cause of start-up "DW" error messages, "Invalid Page Fault" errors, and excessive CPU usage (70% and upward) causing the PC to slow down to a crawl. On that basis alone we would recommend de-installing it – that’s enough serious problems to assume that there may be other as yet undiscovered problems with it. To de-install download SpyBot Search & Destroy from our downloads page, update it online, and then run it. And lastly, if you have a DSL/ADSL or Cable Modem Internet connection, you do not need a download accelerator program. |
| Dw (2) |
DW.exe (Microsoft) |
Microsoft’s Application
Error Reporting, loosely named after DrWatson, the other
Microsoft error reporting tool. DW.EXE gets installed with
Windows XP and with Microsoft Office XP. DW.exe starts whenever
an application (Windows XP) or an Office XP application crashes
– it is at that point that you might see Microsoft’s DW in the
Task List. DW.exe presents the user with a dialog box that
prompts for several options which include restarting the
application and sending an error report. It then shuts the
application down, captures various application and operating
system settings and data files relevant to the crash, makes a
memory dump, and then submits it all to Microsoft (or to a
location on your network). On completion DW.exe restarts the
application. Recommendation : In theory this program only shows up if you’ve had a Microsoft Office XP crash or a Microsoft app crash (Windows XP). In our experience, however, the very presence of error reporting is what often makes Office XP and Internet Explorer 6 crash. Our empirical tests prove that time and time again. Our recommendation, therefore, is to turn off error reporting; in Windows XP this is done via "Control Panel \ System \ Advanced Tab \ Error Reporting". In other versions of Windows it involves editing the Registry – so get in touch with us. |
| Dwrcs |
DWRCS.exe (DameWare Development) |
DameWare Mini Remote
Control Client Agent Service. This task/service is part of the
DameWare remote control utilities which enable a PC to take
control of another PC somewhere on a network (internally or
externally via the Internet). DWRCS is the software that needs
to be running on the target PC before it can be "taken over /
remote controlled" by another PC. Recommendation : In a majority of cases where this task/service is running on a PC without the user’s knowledge, it is there because a network administrator purposefully installed the DameWare remote control software so that this PC could be controlled/taken-over remotely for support purposes (usually). If you are such a user you should do two things : firstly, find out why it is on your PC and in which circumstances your PC will be remote controlled or, possibly, spied upon (!!!) – in short, appraise yourself fully of your organisation’s policy as regards DWRCS; secondly, if DWRCS is to remain on your PC, make sure your IT support staff are regularly updating the DameWare software with the latest updates and patches as, at the time of writing, 29-Sep-2003, some security flaws were found in July and August 2003 which could allow hackers access to an internal network from the Internet (fixes were promptly issued by DameWare for those flaws). In all cases our recommendation is that, if your organisation allows it, you should disable this task with Starter until such time that your IT support staff needs to connect to your PC for support purposes. If you cannot establish why this task is on your PC, nor who put it there, delete it. |