Damon

DAMon.exe

(Dell)

Dell Alert Monitor which is part of the Dell Support software suite and which we believe alerts the user with special announcements from Dell Support (software updates for Dell software, etc...).

Recommendation :
In order to perform its task, DAMON regularly tries to communicate with specific servers on the Internet – we have not been able to find out what information it sends back to Dell from your PC.  Additionally, on some PCs its very presence can result in startup problems, or programs refusing to open when you try to start 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 on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  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.

Datalayer

DataLayer.exe

Datala~1.exe

(Nokia)

Nokia Data Layer Module support task that is needed by  NCLTRAY  and by the Nokia Connection Manager for either to work properly.

Recommendation :  
Whatever you do with  NCLTRAY, you should do with this task.  If, for example, you decide to terminate  NCLTRAY  because it is causing conflicts with other communications programs, or with your laptop docking station or touchpad, as it sometimes does, then you should also terminate  DATALAYER, and SERVICELAYER,  to ensure that all the conflicts disappear.

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.  Update:  in 2005 Date Manager is still around but it is easily removed with either  Ad-Aware  or  SpyBot.).

DComLaunch  service

svchost.exe

(Microsoft)

DCOM Server Process Launcher service.  DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) is a Microsoft programming concept where client program objects can request services from server program objects on the same computer or on other computers in a network. DCOM is based on the Component Object Model (COM) which provides a set of interfaces for the creation of client and server processes within the same computer, all interacting with each other.  For the layman, a server process is a program which provides services for other programs, the client programs, much in the same way that a restaurant is a server [of food] to you [the client].  For example DCOM is used by Windows Update – Windows Update goes online and works out which updates need to be downloaded.  You, the user, finalize the exact updates that you want installed and then instruct Windows Update to start the downloading and updating process.  Windows Update starts the download of the updates, except that it does not do that itself – using DCOM it actually sends a request in the background to the BITS service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (which acts as a server to Windows Update), to transfer/download from the Microsoft servers to your PC the various updates that you requested.

This particular service, DComLaunch, launches at Windows startup the various DCOM server processes which have been registered (in the Windows Registry) as server processes.

Recommendation :  
Leave alone – since over half of Windows and Windows programs work using DCOM, you will end up with an extremely unstable PC where most things do not work, starting with  RPC server is unavailable   errors when you try to install programs or even run existing programs, to inability of your PC to network, to many antivirus programs failing to work or update automatically,  your firewall not working (Windows Firewall or other firewalls), Remote Desktop and Terminal Services not working, and most USB devices not working, etc...  The list is endless – this is clearly a service that is not to be messed with !

(Microsoft)

Recommendation :
Essential – leave alone.

Deam

Deam.exe
 

Delldmi

DellDMI.exe

(Dell)

Dell’s  DMI Service Provider  service.  A DMI Service Provider layer task/service is needed for DMI system management software (Dell’s OpenManage software suite in this case) to be able to access DMI enabled hardware.  In layman terms, the DMI Service Provider is the interface between the System Management software and the hardware items being managed.

Recommendation :
This service is crucial to the proper operation of the  ACTIONAGENT  and  EVENTAGT  services of the Dell OpenManage software.  Thus, if you use Dell’s OpenManage software, you need this service running, otherwise you can disable it by setting its startup mode to  Disabled  on the  Services  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

DellWMgr

DellWMgr.exe

(Creative Technology)

You have the   Dell Webcam Manager   currently open or running in the System Tray  (or set as a startup item).  This icon is installed on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  by the drivers for your Dell webcam (made by Creative Technology).  Using the Webcam Manager you can toggle Face Tracking ON or OFF, you can adjust brightness, contrast, colour, burst rate, you can increase the gain, etc...

Recommendation :
Although most users are unlikely to be using the Dell Webcam Manager on a daily or even weekly basis (if only because nowadays the  Automatic  setting of most webcams results in a perfect picture in almost all prevailing conditions), the fact is that on the very day that you actually need to increase brightness, contrast, etc..., you will not want to spend your time finding this program through  “Start \ All Programs”  as, most likely, you will be at in the middle of a video conference or video call when you urgently need to adjust a setting because the picture is not as good as normal (e.g. dark picture caused by a gloomy overcast rainy day outside).  For this reason, and since the program uses little memory, 4Mb to 11Mb, we recommend keeping this startup task so that the  Dell Webcam Manager  is available at all times in the System Tray  (unless, of course, you no longer have a Dell webcam).

DeskAdKeep

DeskAdKeep.exe

(???)

Nightmarish adware which has appeared on the scene in January 2005.  This program is responsible for endless popup and popunder advertisements and a slow Internet connection.  At the time of writing, 8‑Jan‑2005, we do not know much more about it except that it is most definitely picked up through file sharing activities, particularly if using KaZaA.  In all cases that we have seen thus far the PC is also infected with other adware, spyware, and, worse, viruses.

Recommendation :  
Get rid of this pest as follows :

1)  Restart your PC into Safe Mode by pressing  F8  continually after turning your PC ON till you get a menu where  “Safe Mode”  is one of the options  (you  must  start your PC in Safe Mode as you will not be able to remove this program in any other way).

2)  Go to  “Add/Remove Programs”  in the Control Panel and see if there is a  “DeskAd ....”  entry.  If there is, remove it.

3)  Go to the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  and for  DESKADKEEP  and  DESKADSERV, do the following in turn :  right-click and choose  “Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to”;  next, right-click on the entry again and this time choose  “Delete this Startup Entry”.

4)  Click on the big green  APPLY  button to make your changes stick.

5)  Start  Windows Explorer  or  My Computer, whichever you’re most comfortable with, and delete the following folder :  C:\Program Files\DeskAd Service.

6)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode.

7)  Make sure you have up‑to‑date reputable antivirus software and run a full virus scan on your PC.

8)  Download  Spybot  or  Ad-Aware  from our  Downloads  library and scan your PC for adware and spyware.
 

DeskAdServ

DeskAdServ.exe

(???)

Nightmarish adware which has appeared on the scene in January 2005.  This program is responsible for endless popup and popunder advertisements and a slow Internet connection.  At the time of writing, 8‑Jan‑2005, we do not know much more about it except that it is most definitely picked up through file sharing activities, particularly if using KaZaA.  In all cases that we have seen thus far the PC is also infected with other adware, spyware, and, worse, viruses.

Recommendation :  
Get rid of this pest as follows :

1)  Restart your PC into Safe Mode by pressing  F8  continually after turning your PC ON till you get a menu where  “Safe Mode”  is one of the options  (you  must  start your PC in Safe Mode as you will not be able to remove this program in any other way).

2)  Go to  “Add/Remove Programs”  in the Control Panel and see if there is a  “DeskAd ....”  entry.  If there is, remove it.

3)  Go to the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  and for  DESKADSERV  and  DESKADKEEP, do the following in turn :  right-click and choose  “Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to”;  next, right-click on the entry again and this time choose  “Delete this Startup Entry”.

4)  Click on the big green  APPLY  button to make your changes stick.

5)  Start  Windows Explorer  or  My Computer, whichever you’re most comfortable with, and delete the following folder :  C:\Program Files\DeskAd Service.

6)  Restart your PC into Normal Mode.

7)  Make sure you have up‑to‑date reputable antivirus software and run a full virus scan on your PC.

8)  Download  Spybot  or  Ad-Aware  from our  Downloads  library and scan your PC for adware and spyware.
 

Deskup

Deskup.exe

(Iomega)

Background task installed by the full IomegaWare drivers for your Iomega drive.  When this background task is running your desktop will show an icon for each Iomega drive that you have, with the icon showing whether the drive is plugged in or not.

Recommendation :   
Down to end-user preference.  Many users like the ability to backup their files by simply dragging them straight onto the Iomega drive icon on the desktop.  Advanced users, on the other end, will know how to create a  “send-to”  icon on the desktop and may therefore decide not to have this task running by disabling it with  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Recommendation :
"Not responding" on shutdown or problems at startup are the most common problems associated with this task.  There are some workarounds that sometimes work.  For both Windows 2000 and XP a solution that often works is to remove all sound items from "Control Panel \ Administrative Tools \ Device Manager", de-install any Creative SoundBlaster software from "Add/Remove Programs", then search your hard disk for DEVLDR.EXE and rename or delete it, then delete/disable it in "Control Panel \ Administrative Tools \ Services", and finally download and install the latest SoundBlaster Live software.  Under Windows XP, instead of installing the latest SoundBlaster Live software you can opt to restart your PC, and when prompted for the drivers for the re-detected soundcard, use the Windows XP CD so that the XP drivers are used rather than the Creative drivers (the same sometimes works with Windows 2000 SP3, although no CD is required in that case).  Walking away from Creative Labs has also been suggested to us as an option...

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 on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.  
2)  Next, in Device Manager (through the SYSTEM icon in the Control Panel), in the Sound section or under  “Creative Miscellaneous Devices”, disable  Creative SB16 Emulation.
Note, however, that this is not necessarily possible on all PCs where DEVLDR16 can be found – sometimes the only way out of this nightmare is to get a new sound card !

Dfrgfat

Dfrgfat.exe

(Microsoft)

You have the   Microsoft Disk Defragmenter for FAT32 hard disk partitions  currently running.

Dfrgntfs

Dfrgntfs.exe

(Microsoft)

You have the   Microsoft Disk Defragmenter for NTFS hard disk partitions   currently running.

DFSR

DFS Replication

DFSR.exe

(Microsoft)

Distributed File System Replication.  A distributed file system is a system where network folders are accessed by users on a network but where the files inside those folders are not necessarily all on the same server – some files may be stored on one server, while other files on another server, etc.., but the entire folder appears as one folder to all users whichever server they connect to.

On a fileserver this service runs on all the servers which are participating in the Distributed File System network and its role is to ensure that all the servers are instantly aware of files that have been added, modified, or deleted from the Distributed File System structure.

In Windows Vista this service kicks in when you use the  People Near Me  networking feature of Vista and its role, in that environment, is, similarly, to ensure that all the users participating in a particular  People Near Me  network, see at all times the exact same files and folders that are being shared.

Recommendation :
Leave alone.  The default startup mode of this service is  Manual.  Windows will automatically start this service when it needs it.

Dfssvc

Distributed File System

DFSSvc.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows NT Distributed File System Service – Windows NT4 Server, 2000 Server, and 2003 Server.  The Distributed File System (DFS) Service manages logical volumes distributed across many servers on a local or wide area network.  Logical volumes enable the network manager in a large organisation to pool similar sets of data into single access points (one drive letter in Windows, ie. H: ) for the convenience of the users of that data.  For example, you could have an organisation with 5 offices, each office having their own fileserver, but all servers linked via a wide area network.  On each server you might have a network share called  HELPDESK  where each office saves helpdesk-type documents for users to search through.  In order to allow some users (eg. enterprise managers) to search through the help documents for the entire organisation when needed, you might create a logical volume which includes all the  HELPDESK  shared folders on each of the servers, thereby enabling those end-users to do an organisation‑wide search through just one mapped drive rather than search the HELPDESK share on Server-1, then the one on Server-2, then the one on Server-3, etc...  The DFSSVC service manages and maintains such logical drives.

Recommendation :
If you do not use DFS, such as in the case of single server organisations, then you can set this service to  Disabled  on the  Services  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Digstream

Digstream.exe

(Disney)

Disney Internet Group Streaming.  System Tray background downloading task from ESPN Motion, the online sports channel, MOVIES.COM, or ABC TV (all part of the Disney Group).  This task downloads in the background videos that you will watch or are likely to watch when you access, or next access ESPN Motion, Movies.com, or ABC TV.  It is through this invisible background downloading that these services achieve their seemingly seamless, no-buffering, and uninterrupted, video streaming when you watch a video.

Recommendation : 
Down to end-user preference as regards home users.  To be avoided in most cases in a corporate network environment.  At the time of writing, 23‑Dec‑2004, we have as yet not found a way to limit the amount of video files downloaded in the background by  DIGSTREAM.  The result is two-fold :  we are not sure about the storage implications of constantly having DIGSTREAM running in the background.  More importantly, however, on a corporate network the use of DIGSTREAM by a number of users very quickly reduces the Internet bandwidth of the network with serious implications for those users who rely on speedy Internet access for their work.  In such environment it is vital to involve your network manager so that he/she can assess the likely impact of the use of DIGSTREAM on the corporate network.  Removing the software from any of the above 3 content providers is done through the  “Add/Remove Programs”  icon in the Control Panel.

Distnoted

Distnoted.exe

(Apple)

Apple Mobile Device Helper.  Task which springs up when you plug in an Apple device (iPod Touch, Apple TV, iPhone) and use it with iTunes.  We are not yet sure as to the exact role of this task.

Recommendation :
Leave alone – although we do not yet know the exact role of this task, what we do know is that it will only spring up on the  Tasks  tab of TUT when you actually plug in one of the Apple devices mentioned above, in other words “it runs only when needed”.

Djfgucxr

Djfgucxr.exe

(???)

You have the  W32.Gluber.B@mm  virus.

Dkservice

DKService.exe

(Executive Software)

Originally a background scheduling task of Diskeeper and Diskeeper Lite and which would run Diskeeper as scheduled, this task (Win9x/ME) or service (Win2000/XP) is now also the main  “organising”  task of the Diskeeper software – it is this task/service which actually starts the defragmentation jobs, whether they are manually started jobs or scheduled jobs.

Recommendation :
Diskeeper will not run if this task is stopped or if this service is disabled – Leave alone therefore.

Dl

Dial32

Dl.exe

(???)

Trojan horse undetected by most antivirus programs and which, in our experience, is picked up through the use of KaZaA or through kids downloading supposedly free games from specific websites.  When running, this task attempts to connect to a particular IP address and attempts to install additional parasite and insecure software which, luckily, gets picked up by most firewalls.  We are not yet sure about what else it does, but we do know you should get rid of it immediately.

Recommendation :
Since this task does not get picked up by antivirus products, do as follows :
1)  Terminate this task on the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter. 
2)  Next, switch to the  Startups  tab, right‑click on the startup entry for this task, and choose the  “Delete the file that this Startup points to”  option to erase this dangerous parasite from your hard disk. 
3)  Next, delete the startup entry for this program.
4)  Finally, either empty your Recycle Bin, or at the very least delete this particular file permanently from your Recycle Bin and PC.

DLACTRLW

DLA

DLACTRLW.exe

(Sonic)

Sonic’s   Drive Letter Access (DLA) Component.  Sonic’s Drive Letter Access is software which enables you to drag and drop files from Windows Explorer straight onto the drive letter corresponding to your CD/DVD‑Writer, or to save files directly onto CD/DVD from within Windows programs, such as from within your Wordprocessor, from within your spreadsheet programs, etc...   This is called packet writing software.  Packet writing software usually has the major drawback that the only guarantee you have is that you will be able to read the CDs/DVDs in the same drive that you created them in – there is no guarantee you will be able to read them in another PC.  Sonic’s Drive Letter Access is different thanks to its  Make Compatible  feature which creates CDs and DVDs in Universal Data Format (UDF) so that you can rest assured that you will be able to use the CDs and DVDs you created with Sonic DLA, in other PCs.  Sonic’s DLA can be bought as a product on its own, or it also gets installed as part of the  Sonic’s RecordNow!  CD/DVD‑Writing software (which often comes as part of the software bundle on many laptops).  This task, DLACTRLW, implements the Sonic Drive Letter Access support on your PC.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference.  If you find that you have this task because it came bundled with your laptop but you prefer using a different CD/DVD‑Recording program which has its own packet writing interface, then either disable this task on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  or uninstall  Sonic RecordNow!  and/or  Sonic Drive Letter Access  through the  “Add\Remove Programs”  icon in the Control Panel.

Dlcicoms

Dlci_device

Dlcicoms.exe

(Dell)

Dell AIO 946 Communications  service.  Multi‑purpose service installed on Windows 2000/XP/2003 by the drivers for the Dell 946 Photo multifunction printer/scanner/copier.  This background task monitors the 946 for activity and interacts with the Dell System Tray icon or Dell end‑user programs involving the PC (e.g. scan to e-mail).  Also, for large copy jobs it relays the current copy count back to the System Tray icon so you can view it on your PC.  Finally, this service is also used when printing to the printer.

Recommendation :
This is an essential service – Leave alone therefore.  Note that the  Startup Mode  of this service is  Manual  on some PCs.  If so, this is because this service gets started on boot‑up by a Dell startup entry whose sole purpose is to start this service after a little delay which allows Windows to boot up completely before this service attempts to connect to your printer.

Dlcqmon.exe

(Dell)

Dell AIO 966 Device Monitor.  System Tray icon for the Dell 966 Photo multifunction printer/scanner/copier.  Through that icon you can access from your PC all the functions available on the control pad of your Dell 966 :  scan, scan to e‑mail, scan and fax, scan to OCR, copy, scanning resolution settings.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference.  This program is not strictly necessary for the proper operation of your Dell 966 as you can use most of the above features via the printer’s control panel.  However you need this System Tray program to scan to e-mail, fax, or OCR, and to change the machine’s defaults, such as the default scanning resolution, the email address to scan and e-mail to, etc…  Should you decide to disable this task on the  Startups  tab, you can start it at any time via  “Start \ Programs \ Dell 966”.

dldtMsdMon

dldtMsdMon.exe

(Lexmark for Dell)

DELL V305 Series Printer Card Transfer Monitor task.  This background task, which shows as an icon in the System Tray, is a monitoring task – as soon as it detects that you have connected to the printer’s memory card reader, or USB port, a device which holds pictures/photos (e.g. a memory card, a digital camera, or a USB pen drive with photos & pictures on it), it fires up the DELL Productivity Studio photo downloading, photo editing, and photo printing program.

By default this task monitors only the printer’s memory card reader and the printer’s USB port;  however, in some versions, you can right‑click on the icon in the System Tray to configure it to monitor for connecting media on your PC’s USB ports.  In some versions you can also configure it not to monitor anything.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference.  This task uses 12Mb to 15Mb of memory.

Windows XP/Vista users :  the features implemented by this task are built into Windows XP/Vista; thus you only need to leave it running if you prefer the interface of the  DELL Productivity Studio  to the Windows XP/Vista interface.

Additionally, if you only ever use the printer’s memory card reader and USB port for printing directly from the printer’s LCD display, and never to transfer pictures to your PC (ie : you use your PC’s own card reader and USB ports to transfer pictures to your PC), then you can also disable this task as it is then of no use to you.

Should you decide not to have this task running, you can disable it on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Dlg

Dlg.exe

(BVRP Software)

Digital Line Detection background task installed with BVRP Software’s Classic Phone Tools software suite which offers, amongst other things, a Phone Book, Faxing, Emailing, Answering Machine, and more.  The majority of PCs which have Classic Phone Tools installed will have had it bundled with the fax modem that came with the PC.  DLG, the Digital Line Detection background task, is a task that is present when Classic Phone Tools is bundled with modems with a Conexant chipset (for example :  a Conexant D480 MDC v92 modem – many DELL PCs come with such modems).  When you install or use Classic Phone Tools, this task detects whether you are connected to a normal analogue telephone line which your modem can work with, or a digital line, such as an ISDN line or a PBX/PABX line as found in offices.  If you are connected to a digital line, something which your analogue fax modem cannot handle, a message is displayed telling you that you will not be able to use your modem on that line, because it is digital, and to connect your modem to a normal analogue line.

Recommendation :
If you know for certain that you have an analogue line compatible with normal fax modems, then you absolutely do not need this task, particularly since it has a history of errors on boot‑up (failure to initialize) and numerous bug-fix software releases – disable it with The Ultimate Troubleshooter.  If you are using your PC in an office where there is a mixture of PBX/PABX and analogue lines, and you will need to use your fax modem, then you may wish to temporarily enable this task so that if you plug your modem into a digital line because you cannot tell from the socket, then at least this task will save you a lot of frustration trying to locate an analogue line.  Once you have located an analogue line that your modem will work with, disable the task again.

DLLML

RCSystem

DLLML.exe

(Creative Labs)

Remote Control System DLL Module Loader.  Task installed by the drivers for Creative Audigy Pro 4 and X‑Fi range of sound cards.  This startup task enables support for the Remote Control which comes with those sound cards.

Recommendation :
Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear !

Those of you who have followed our Task List pages since 2000, or those of you who have bought  The Ultimate Troubleshooter, will recall how once we came across a great quote on the web about the Creative Development Team – here goes :  “Rumours that Creative’s driver team is composed entirely of gorillas enthusiastically beating on their keyboards with their feet have not been confirmed !”.

Well, the rumours refuse to die away.  Creative Labs unparalleled  “creativity”  and ability to produce either useless (in our opinion) or downright destabilizing background tasks down the years, continues unabated.  DLLML.EXE is the latest incarnation.  We’re in 2006, eight years on from Windows 98 and, still, we continue to get these occasional nightmares from Creative !   This task’s achievements :   90% to 100% CPU utilization on some PCs, freezes, extreme slow-downs, incompatibilities with other devices, high memory usage, sound problems on X-Fi cards (!!!), shutdown or boot‑up errors, inability to shut down, and the list simply goes on.  Even the odd Creative tech will suggest  “Kill that task!”  when you call in desperation.

If you are lucky enough not to experience any of the above problems (some versions of the drivers are actually problem free – also, the problems do not occur on all PCs), then do nothing.

If, on the other hand, you are one of the unlucky ones, then disable this task as follows :

a)   Disable it on the  Startups  tab of TUT.

b)   Click the big green  APPLY  button to may your changes stick.

c)   Reboot your PC and check if the task stops coming up.  If it does, then all is fine, otherwise make the disabling process more comprehensive by first right‑clicking on this task on the  Tasks  tab of TUT and terminating it.

d)   Next, switch to the  Startups  tab, right‑click on this task and choose  Rename the file that this Startup points to.  All you will be missing is the ability to use the Remote Control.
 

Dlm

Dial33

Dlm.exe

(???)

Trojan horse undetected by most antivirus programs and which, in our experience, is picked up through the use of KaZaA or through kids downloading supposedly free games from specific websites.  When running, this task attempts to connect to a particular IP address and attempts to install additional parasite and insecure software which, luckily, gets picked up by most firewalls.  We are not yet sure about what else it does, but we do know you should get rid of it immediately.

Recommendation :
Since this task does not get picked up by antivirus products, do as follows :
1)  Terminate this task on the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter. 
2)  Next, switch to the  Startups  tab, right‑click on the startup entry for this task, and choose the  “Delete the file that this Startup points to”  option to erase this dangerous parasite from your hard disk. 
3)  Next, delete the startup entry for this program.
4)  Finally, either empty your Recycle Bin, or at the very least delete this particular file permanently from your Recycle Bin and PC.

Dmadmin

DMAdmin.exe

(Microsoft)

Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service for Windows NT.  Windows 2000/XP/2003.  This essential service is used and started only during the detection, configuration, or partitioning of a hard disk, or the management of hard disk volumes.  Once all such activities have been completed, the service stops.

Recommendation :
Essential – Leave alone.  In most cases this service will show as  Stopped  anyway.  If you get  “Disk Manager has generated errors and will be closed by Windows”  when trying to perform Disk Management tasks, update your PC with the latest Service Pack  (at the time of writing, Service Pack 4 for Windows 2000, and Service Pack 1a for Windows XP).

Dockapp

DockApp.exe

(Dell)

Docking support background task found on Dell laptops (particularly the Inspiron range).  This task detects if the laptop is connected to its docking station, and if it is, it makes the docking station peripherals available within Windows.

Recommendation :
Essential if you use a docking station, otherwise you can disable it with  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

dopusrt

Directory Opus Desktop Dblclk

dopusrt.exe

(GPSoftware)

Directory Opus Helper Application.  Directory Opus is a File Manager replacement for Windows Explorer which supports a truly wonderful range of features including built‑in image and file viewers, synchronization of folders, advanced search and rename functions, a large range of display views, slideshows, image conversion, hotkeys, and multi‑tasking.  This particular program, the Helper Application, runs in the background whenever you open Directory Opus, and performs a number of tasks in the background on behalf of Directory Opus – it is critical to the speed of Directory Opus and the ability of Directory Opus to allow you to do other files and folders manipulations at the same time that a large folder is being copied, for example.

You will also see this entry on the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter  (with /dblclk at the end of the launch command and a startup name :  Directory Opus Desktop Dblclk) where its prime purpose is to have this program running in the background at Windows boot-up so that you can start  Directory Opus  at any time by double-clicking anywhere on an empty space on your Windows desktop.

Recommendation :
If you are on the  Tasks  tab of TUT, and you have  Directory Opus  open, leave this program open – Directory Opus needs it.

If, on the other hand, you are on the  Startups  tab of TUT, and the startup name shows as  Directory Opus Desktop Dblclk,  then it is down to your own preferences as to whether you keep this entry enabled or disabled – as explained, on the  Startups  tab its purpose is to enable you to open  Directory Opus  through a double‑click anywhere on an empty space on your desktop.

Dp-k13w13

Dsi

DP-K13w13.exe

(???)

We have no idea as to what this task is or does.  What we do know, however, is that   a) you do not need it, and  b) that we have found it only on PCs which have or have had KaZaA installed !

Recommendation :
We normally disable this task, restart the PC, delete the program from the hard disk, and then delete this entry from the  Startups  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.  We recommend you do the same.

Dpi

Dpi.exe

(The Delfin Project)

Background task for the PromulGate line of advertising products from The Delfin Project from 2004 onwards.  This is what we call adware.  Worse, this is some of the worst type of adware there is – together with PCSVC it is directly responsible for incredibly slow PCs, “unhandled exception” errors on boot-up on Windows 2000/XP PCs, illegal operations on boot-up on Windows 9x/ME PCs, interference with your Internet connection, and more.  This is TerribleWare !   DPI  is, in most cases that we have seen, installed by KaZaA.

Recommendation :
Get rid of it straight away.  Make a note first of the  DPI  folder that is shown in the path to  DPI.EXE  on the  Tasks  tab of  The Ultimate Troubleshooter.  Next, de‑install any Delfin or PromulGate product listed in  “Add/Remove Programs”  in the Control Panel (e.g. Delfin Media Viewer).  Restart your PC and delete the  DPI  folder if it is still there.  Next, download and install  “Spybot Search & Destroy”  from our