Identify that process

On Windows XP, I can hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete and launch the Windows Task Manager. If I click on the Processes tab, it lists all the running processes on my system under the Image Name column. However, I see funky names like ehmsas.exe, mqtgsvc.exe, mcagent.exe, etc, not very readable and usually not helpful in identifying the software behind the process. I usually type the funky name in Google to get details about the software. There is a free software, ProcessQuickLink, that makes it much easier to get details about the process. It is shown below integrated with Window Task Manager.

Click on the “i” button and it will launch the browser with details about the process.

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Time to upgrade your free Lavasoft Ad-Adware anti-spyware software

Lavasoft Ad-Adware SE Personal edition is one of my long-time favorite free anti-spyware software. However, when I tried to update the definitions today, it gave me a rather nondescript error showing a progress of “5%…Error”. Huh, maybe the update server is down, so I tried it again (like 5 times). Each time I got the same error. So I did a search and discovered that the error is caused by an old version of the software having expired and the solution is to

1. Uninstall the old version
2. Clean out temp files, click start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup > select Temp.Files / Temp.Internet Files / Recycle Bin > run
3. Install the new 2007 version

I wish the error message has simply told me that I need to upgrade my software, pffft. All is well now. A side benefit of upgrading the software is the new UI, I like it.

BTW, I also occasionally run several other free anti-spyware programs because there is no one perfect solution. It is best to use a combination of anti-spyware programs to catch those sneaky hackers. I have been known to use the following anti-spyware / rootkit software (all are free): Spybot Search & Destroy, AVG Anti-Rootkit Free, Comodo Malware, Microsoft Windows Defender, Hazard Shield, and HijackThis. The list does not include anti-virus or firewall software, that’s for another post.

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