ctfmon.exe

Spybot identifies ctfmon as a possible parasite. Some websites say if it is anywhere but in C:\windows\system32 then it is a threat. I ran a search and have the following 3:
ctfmon Application in C:\windows\system32
ctfmon Stuffit Encoded file in C:\windows\prefetch
ctfmon EX_File in C:\windows\I386

are any of these threats?

the three locations are acceptable locations.

C:\Windows\System32
go in there... search for "ctfmon"
Delete it, you should never see from it again, if you do... just delete it, new text document inside System32, save as "ctfmon.exe" then whenever it tries to start, it wont start ;)

ctfmon."txt" is a file included in "Family Keylogger" a program that is considered a virus I think that is what the gentleman below was refering too.
Peace

Thanks for the info I disabled it in language bar advanced settings and at the same time always wanted to know how to shut it off since it overides startup configs and readds itself as enabled if already disabled or even not disabled, I personaly have not needed to use this process as of yet and have already shut down numerous services I dont need unless I was on a network which should give me a couple frams per second more in my applications or so I hope.

Using XPpro, the Advanced tab in Language Settings only gives me the option of selecting which languages non-Unicode programs can display. I can then check a box to apply these settings to the currect user and all new users. The box is unchecked. Using CrapCleaner (brilliant!) I can look at the Start up progs and CTFMON is there. Can I simply delete it from the Startup prog list?

I will chance not being erased and hopefully you will answer. I am configuring a System clean up and repair utility and I am not planning on using the anti-virus portion in the suite of utilities. It's Fixit 8. I was going thru start up programs and services when I was alerted by some portion of the new program to not believe that the ctfmon in services was the real ctfmon. If that is true then is has survived 2 versions of Panda, MS One Care and the Malicious Software tool that comes periodically eithe once or twice a month from MS. Would that detect such a program? It says that the ctfmon I have was installed bt RAIDYS TROGEN and refered me to a Paul Collins Startup kit, on the MS Web site. I don't know what its doing and I don't know any more after reading the Paul Collins piece or the thread on this site. It warns me to delete. I suppose this could be a story as well and don't know how to handle this if at all. Can you explain this for me please? Thanks in any case.

I tried to stop ctfmon from running but when I reached step 5 of microsoft procedures...

"Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows XP:
1. Quit all Office...
5. In the Maint Mode Options box, select Add or Remove Features..."

...I had no option to Add or Remove Features.

I always check my task manager to stop programs from running that I don't need. On 16 Jan 08 I found ctfmon running and stopped it. It restarted repeatedly.

I went to Microsoft knowledge base and found a procedure to stop it from running but that procedure was wrong in regard to Win XP (see above). I found CTFMON.EXE-0E17969B in windows prefetch created on 16 jan 08, the day I found it running in task manager, while the ctfmon.exe and CTFMON._xe were created on 26 Aug 04 in sytem32 and I386 folders.

Spysweeper (from microsoft), Spybot S&D and AdAware all ID ctfmon as a problem. What's up?

I followed JAGUART's procedures to stop ctfmon but won't know if that worked until after restart. Right now the program is not listed in my task manager.

Michael Polidori
[email address removed]

I haven't had Spybot or any other recognize ctfmon as spyware, but I have had several times when Word would not open. "has encountered error" & others. Awhile back I found an article that said to uncheck ctfmon in start up, restart, then recheck, restart. that helped for a few days, then back to same thing. I did as Jaguar suggested, word opens for now, but I'll wait & see if it solves it in the long run.

Question: What program is running CTF mon?
This buggy program complains everytime i open a tab. Office not installed so which program is running it?