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viewmgr.exe

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Summary: viewmgr.exe is installed with recent versions of AOL, and most people feel that is a form of malware. However, it can be dealt with and removed.

What is viewmgr.exe?

From what I have been able to gather, it's a component of something called "Viewpoint Media Player" that most people feel is some sort of malware. It is apparently installed when you download and install recent versions of AOL Instant Messenger.

The consensus seems to be that you can uninstall Viewpoint Media Player if you want to. Go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, select it and hit Remove. It seems that the uninstall is less than complete, however, and you'll probably still need to go looking for the files - search for viewmgr.exe and delete it. (If you can't delete it, you may need to fire up Task Manager and end the task first: right click on the clock in your task bar, click on Task Manager, locate viewmgr.exe in the Processes tab, right click on it and select End Process. Now you should be able to delete the file.)

Important Update: Much more information on this topic, including comments from a Viewpoint representative, can now be found in the article Is Viewpoint Spyware?.

Related Links:

Article C2041 - June 14, 2004

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Recent Comments
60 Comments

Exactly like Dave said the other day, I noticed 2 charges from AOL for like 8 or 9 bucks and I called AOL to see what crap they were pulling this time. They said I agreed to subscribing to I tunes, I don't even know how to find it. so they said I have to contact some other india based dept of AOL to have it stopped. more AOL BS so anyway, today I had HIGH level alert which I just happend to check in my Zone Alarm and I did the right click on the file path in alerts and logs the details I got were : ViewMgrInstaller A program running on your computer, which either attempted to send an IP packet over the Internet or is waiting for an incoming packet.
Filename vmgrremok.exe ViewMgrInstaller Program Version 2, 0, 0, 42 Remote IP Address 151.164.1.8

somewhere in the Dallas TX area.God !$*%#@%* that @!$%^&* AOL and their @#&%^^% god @##$^%* crap!!

So I did the Add Remove and now I will go reboot to see what happened to it. Oh, BTW, does anyone know how to remove Quick time? I do the add remove but it stays right in the add remove list and i still can't ( after 4 months ) remove the damn thing. Anyway, if the viewmgr file is still there then i will hunt it down and use my grenades, RPGs, or what ever other weapon I still have ammo for, if it comes to that. whoa, flashback, lol sorry way too much far cry last night.

Posted by: Erick at March 25, 2005 3:28 PM

I don't understand all the confusion. The Viewpoint stuff is part of the Adobe Acrobat Atmosphere Player - that's all. It was an optional update and you chose to install it - or at least that's what I did after ignoring it for several months.

Posted by: dc at March 28, 2005 12:49 AM

I'm posting my comment on viewmgr.exe after searching and searching for info on it. I conclude this: I don't have AOL ,AOL Instant messenger, itunes, or many of the other programmes other forum users have mentioned , but the one thing we seem to have in common is the fact that we have listened to free music clips, mine were listened thru msn music via windows media player 10. Also have listened thru tiscaly,wanadoo and maybe napster. All via windows media player 10 where you can buy music online.The first I saw of this viewpoint player was a popup over my windows player saying it had just updated itself and it would not close or go away until I clicked NO THANKS to updating some search bar or other.

Posted by: annepeters at March 28, 2005 8:48 AM

I'm posting my comment on viewmgr.exe after searching and searching for info on it. I conclude this: I don't have AOL ,AOL Instant messenger, itunes, or many of the other programmes other forum users have mentioned , but the one thing we seem to have in common is the fact that we have listened to free music clips, mine were listened thru msn music via windows media player 10. Also have listened thru tiscaly,wanadoo and maybe napster. All via windows media player 10 where you can buy music online.The first I saw of this viewpoint player was a popup over my windows player saying it had just updated itself and it would not close or go away until I clicked NO THANKS to updating some search bar or other.

Posted by: annepeters at March 28, 2005 8:49 AM

I'm posting my comment on viewmgr.exe after searching and searching for info on it. I conclude this: I don't have AOL ,AOL Instant messenger, itunes, or many of the other programmes other forum users have mentioned , but the one thing we seem to have in common is the fact that we have listened to free music clips, mine were listened thru msn music via windows media player 10. Also have listened thru tiscaly,wanadoo and maybe napster. All via windows media player 10 where you can buy music online.The first I saw of this viewpoint player was a popup over my windows player saying it had just updated itself and it would not close or go away until I clicked NO THANKS to updating some search bar or other.

Posted by: annepeters at March 28, 2005 8:51 AM

I got Viewpoint player as a drive by download after visiting a web site called Space.com.The site ask if I wanted to download the player and I checked NO. I got it anyway.
Removal was a pain. I uninstalled through the control panel then went to program files and deleted the installation folder. Used Registry First Aid to remove the registry entries. My firewall alerted me that a program called vmgrremok.exe was still trying to call home. I ran a file search and found it in temp files. Could not delete it but could rename it to Vmgrremok.old. I could then delete the file. I hope I have seen the last of this program but will continue to check my firewall logs to make sure. I was really annoyed that this program installed after I refused the install. Only malware or spyware would go to great lengths to get installed on on an unspecting user. The program might serve some usefull purpose, however the underhanded way it was installed turned me off.

Posted by: Gary at April 1, 2005 7:33 PM

People slow down. No reason to place the scarlet letter on viewpoint and create mass hysteria.

Viewpoint was installed on your computer by adobe acrobat (install or update), Aim, Aol, preinstalled by OEMs, or installed when viewing vet content. It accesses the Internet to receive updates. It is the most sophisticated plug-in available. I wish all my apps updated themselves! AOL paid viewpoint corp. 10 million dollars twice to license their tech and Microsoft also paid them 10 million to license their tech for future versions of their OS. The longhorn OS graphics rendering engine is based on viewpoint tech - code named Avalon.

Viewpoint is not spyware, malware, adware, etc... lol - it is like calling flash, real player, quicktime or windows player spyware. The viewpoint manager is a mini app that runs off the viewpoint media player.
http://www.viewpoint.com/pub/technology/viewpoint_manager.html

The VMP is and has been the fortune 500 graphics delivery engine of choice. Also people this is a public company - not some bottom feeder. You all should really spend some time on their site and read all about them. Even call the company if you want. They are a real company - not some hokey pokey shit! I have been a developer for the web ever since aol was on a floppy disk and I have never been more impressed than I am with viewpoint technology. It makes flash look like an animated gif. I am not kidding either. Also, within 3 to 5 years it will be a household name.

This is thread is proof that people are sick and tired of crapware! So am I! It drives me crazy but Viewpoint is not in that category. As far as graphics go this is the Ferrari of the group.

Posted by: michael_tzez at April 7, 2005 7:30 PM

Best solution - People check out what they do. Here is a perfect example.

Tag Heuer
http://www.tagheuer.com/multimedia/3d.lbl?ref=CR5111_FC6176
Once it has loaded make sure you click on the link that says “Hyperview”. It wows me ever single time!

Posted by: michael_tzez at April 7, 2005 7:33 PM

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I'm closing comments here, as much more information on this topic can now be found in this article: http://ask-leo.com/is_viewpoint_spyware.html

Posted by: Leo at April 8, 2005 1:21 PM

Viewpoint was used to send trojans into one of my computers, most anti-virus/spyware programs didnt pick it up as a corrupt file. However finally Norton picked up the trojans and AVG anti virus. Needless to say by the time i started to remove the trojans it was too late, once i removed the trojans the day after the hard drive was shot. This is not the first time Viewpoint has messed up one of my computers.

Posted by: Chris at November 27, 2009 5:53 PM

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