Task List Programs - AnswersThatWork's famous Database of Processes, Windows Startups, Windows XP Services, Windows Vista Services, Process Library

Task List
Name

PROGRAM &
MANUFACTURER

WHAT IT IS
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO

NABWatcher

SymantecAntiBotWatcher

NABWatcher.exe

(Symantec)

NortonAntiBot Watcher Service. This is the Norton AntiBot Watcher service which monitors the behaviour of the programs currently running on the Tasks tab of TUT. If it detects suspicious Registry writing, unexpected or unusual System File modification, suspicious Internet activity, or suspicious Email sending behaviour, it informs the user and, upon positive action from the user, it invokes the Norton AntiBot Agent (NABAgent.exe) which proceeds with terminating and quarantining or removing the offending program, and preventing it from re‑installing itself (on negative confirmation from the user the program is added to the list of allowed programs).

Recommendation :
Essential for the protection of your PC with Norton AntiBot – Leave alone. This program uses very little memory, between 2Mb to 5Mb of memory.

Note that you can turn off realtime monitoring from the Norton AntiBot Control Center which you can start from the System Tray icon.

Naimag32

Naimas32

Naimag32.exe

Naimas32.exe

(Network Associates – McAfee)

Workstation background programs for Network Associates’ McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator. McAfee’s ePolicy Orchestrator is a network management tool for enforcing antivirus protection of the workstations using system policies. It works with both McAfee and Norton AntiVirus. NAIMAG32 and NAIMAS32 communicate with the ePolicy Orchestrator processes on the network fileserver to check for virus updates or for the need to perform a virus scan.

Recommendation :
Essential for the antivirus protection of your networked PC. If you experience problems which you can trace back to either of these two background tasks, then contact your network administrator. For the record we have seen many reports about NAIMAS32 terminating unexpectedly on Windows 9x/ME, or terminating with "unexpected errors" under Windows NT4/2000. It has also been responsible for generating "Invalid Page Faults", although the latest ePolicy Orchestrator fixes correct most of these page fault problems.

NASvc

NASvc.exe

(Nero AG)

Nero Auto-Update Service. Background service installed by a Nero product, such as Nero BackitUp, Nero Burning ROM, Nero Multimedia. The role of this service is to update your Nero software automatically in the background.

Recommendation :
At the time of writing, 19-Sep-2010, we cannot see any reason for having this service set to automatically start at every Windows boot-up.

Firstly : there are still too many issues with Nero’s automatic updates, most of them to do with this service not working properly and the Control Centre update feature not working as a result. Secondly, add to this that, because of the type of products they are, none of the Nero products are products with frequent updates. Thirdly, in our experience of their products Nero have an unreliable updates history, so much so that we’ve taken to having the habit of keeping all old installation CDs and downloads, and, whenever possible, we always keep the old version installed as well in case the new version has terrible bugs. In short, Nero’s updates often do a disservice to the quality of the product that they are updating.

For all these reasons our policy is to always set the startup mode of this service to Manual on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter. This ensures that this service does not automatically start at every Windows boot-up whilst at the same time allowing the Control Centre update function to work on the rare occasions that you may need it.

This background service normally uses 3Mb to 7Mb of memory.

Navapsvc

NAVAPSvc.exe

(Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus)

Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect Service. This is the Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 background Auto-Protect task (service) from Norton Anti-Virus which protects your PC as you are using it (if you have Auto-Protect turned ON).

Recommendation :
Leave untouched !

Navapw32 (1)

Navapw32.exe

(Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus)

Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect for Windows 32-bit. This is the Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP background Auto‑Protect task from Norton Anti-Virus which protects your PC as you are using it by scanning programs and files in real time every time they are accessed. The path as shown on the Startups and Tasks tabs of The Ultimate Troubleshooter should be C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus or C:\Program Files\NavNT, or something similar. If the path is C:\Windows or C:\WinNT then you have a virus.

Recommendation :
Essential for the proper antivirus protection of your Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP PC – Leave untouched !

Navapw32 (2)

Navapw32.exe

(???)

If the location of this file as shown on the Startups and Tasks tabs of The Ultimate Troubleshooter is C:\Windows\navapw32.exe or C:\WinNT\navapw32.exe, or if your antivirus software is not Norton AntiVirus, then it is almost certain you have the W32.Joot.A@mm virus.

NBHGui

NBHGui.exe

(Nero)

Nero SecurDisc Host background task. Startup task installed by the Nero CD/DVD authoring software and whose main role is to implement the Nero SecurDisc features.

At the time of writing, 12-Nov-2010, SecurDisc is described by Nero in the following manner : “SecurDisc is the comprehensive, state-of-the-art protection solution for CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, offering multiple levels of protection for data, music, photo and video files. Nero products utilize SecurDisc 2.0 technology for optical disc protection to ensure disc data readability regardless of scratches, age or deterioration, advanced password and encryption protection against unauthorized access, digital signature feature to protect against content manipulation and an early disc deterioration detection feature to alert you to back up your data.”.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference and requirements.

If you have no interest in password protecting or encrypting your data CDs and DVDs (both of which requiring of you that you remember a password), and if you only create backup CDs and DVDs (which by definition means that you will store those CDs/DVDs away to be used only once if you ever have a hard disk crash or delete and empty a file by mistake), or if you only create one-off CDs and DVDs (e.g. to give to friends), then you really do not need to have this background task running – it is of no use to you. Even if you create CDs and DVDs that you will be wanting to use over and over, the likelihood is that you will create two copies, one as backup, and that you will be using those CDs/DVDs in a different piece of equipment, such as your Hi-Fi or Xbox or Nintendo, so having an “early warning of disc deterioration” running on your PC is effectively useless given that you are not using the CDs and DVDs on the PC itself.

This task is not needed to burn CDs/DVDs.

You can disable this task on the Startups tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

This task normally uses anything from 5Mb to a staggering 47Mb of memory, with the majority of PCs using between 18Mb to 47Mb – even more reasons not to have this task running for those users who will never need encryption and password protection.

Ncltray

NCLTray.exe

(Nokia)

Nokia Connectivity Library support task, also called Nokia Connection Manager, also called Nokia Connection Monitor. This task runs as a System Tray icon and is installed by the Nokia PC Suite (also called Nokia Data Suite!) – it monitors your connection ports to see if you have connected your Nokia mobile phone, and if you have, it brings up the Nokia PC Suite.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user preference. If you only infrequently connect your Nokia phone to your PC, you may want to elect not having this task running as it can sometimes gobble up up to 6-7Mb of memory. Additionally, this task can also have serious conflicts with other communication programs till it is killed via an End-Task. Should you want to disable this task, in some versions of the PC Suite you can double-click on the icon in the System Tray and untick the "Monitor" option on the dialogue that comes up. With all versions you can alternatively disable this task with The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

NclUSBSrv

NclUSBSrv.exe

(Nokia)

Nokia USB Media Server. Background program which is started by the Nokia PC Suite and whose role is to enable the PC Suite synchronize with your Nokia phone through a USB cable.

Recommendation :
Leave alone. This program is started by the PC Suite and performs tasks in the background for the PC Suite. This program normally uses 3Mb of memory.

Ndetect

NDetect.exe

(Symantec)

Symantec NetDetect. NDETECT is part of Norton’s LiveUpdate. It checks whether you have an Internet connection and whether it can communicate with the Symantec website. If it can, it then switches over to LiveUpdate which itself checks for updates to your Norton AntiVirus, PCAnywhere, Internet Security, or Personal Firewall software.

Recommendation :
If you see NDETECT in your Task List, it is only because you brought up the Task List at the exact moment that NDETECT was checking for an Internet connection. NDETECT only stays in the Task List very briefly. Also, NDETECT will only run if you have configured LiveUpdate to update your PC automatically, as it is run through Scheduled Tasks.

Nerocheck

NeroCheck.exe

(Ahead Software)

Background Task installed by Nero’s CD Burning software. Straight from Ahead software : "The NeroCheck program looks for known driver conflicts with our Nero software. So that when a Nero Log file is printed, at the very bottom of the Nero log file you will find a list of drivers we have found on your system that could be causing conflicts, if you are running into problems.".

Recommendation :
If Nero is working on your system then you do not need NeroCheck to run. Disable it with The Ultimate Troubleshooter unless you experience problems with Nero, in which case re-enable NeroCheck to see what the log file reports.

Netdde

NetDDE.exe

(Microsoft)

Microsoft Windows Network DDE server (DDE = Dynamic Data Exchange). Network DDE is a technology that allows applications that use the DDE transport to transparently exchange data over a network. For the layman a typical application of NetDDE is chatting over a network where WinChat, or some other chat program, will automatically be started by NetDDE when someone else on the network calls you. In this particular example, without NetDDE running in the background you would have to be running WinChat at all times in order to instantly receive a chat message.

Recommendation :
If NetDDE is running on your PC it was probably configured in this manner by some software that needs it to "do things" over a network, like the WinChat chat program mentioned above, or Microsoft’s Hearts networked game for that matter. If you do not have such software running on your PC, or do not use it, then simply disable or delete NetDDE with The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

NetMon

NetMon.exe

(???)

You have the W32.Mimail.M@mm virus.

Netscp

Netscp.exe

(Netscape)

You either have Netscape 7.x open right now, or you have the Netscape 7.x Quick Launch System Tray icon. This icon enables you to launch through a double-click any of the Netscape 7.x programs.

Recommendation :
If the Internet started in March 2005, Netscape 7.2, with its multi-tabbed interface, is so good it would leave Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.0, trailing in its wake, a welcome change from version 4.79 which had so many problems with the current Internet standards, or the atrocious and unmentionable Netscape 6 series. However, Netscape 7.x is almost dead by virtue of the fact that it was announced in 2003 that Netscape 7.1 would be the last version of Netscape, only for that decision to be reversed in the latter part of 2004. As a result most Netscape users moved over to Mozilla which looks exactly like Netscape, uses the same folder structures for its data, the same bookmarks, and the same registry entries, but it is a leaner and much faster browser than Netscape (in our opinion Mozilla is also a better browser than the much marketed Mozilla FireFox). Your choice !

Netsync

RSync

Netsync.exe

(???)

This startup entry is seriously crippling adware and will, usually, not be the only unwanted entry on your Startups tab in The Ultimate Troubleshooter. It is responsible, along with the other related programs which get downloaded onto your PC at the same time, for endless popup advertisements, very slow Internet access, freezes, boot-up or shutdown errors, and a generally frustrating computing experience, not to mention what sensitive information it may be sending out from your PC. The most common method of infection is through the user having clicked somewhere on a web page, or an advertising banner, promising to block ........... popup advertisements and other unsafe web pests !!   Yes!, some adware/spyware masquerades as .... anti-adware/spyware !!!   We have also noticed that a significant number of our users who use the Morpheus file sharing program, seem to be infected with this pest.

Recommendation :
Get rid of it immediately, 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 (if you are unable to start your PC into Safe Mode, then try the following in Normal Mode).

2)   Next, start The Ultimate Troubleshooter and go to the Startups tab and for each instance of any of the following – AUTOUPDATE, BMAN1, BKZBRA, CASHBACK, CFGMGR51.DLL, ELITEANV32, EXP, FARMMEXT, GKBLA, IAKD, KZPRLK, MBKWNST, MORPHSTB, MZNTXT, NLS, PSOFT1, NETSYNC, WINTASK, WINUP2DATE.DLL, WMSCT – do the following : right-click on it and choose Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to; next, right-click on this entry again and this time choose Delete this Startup entry.

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

4)   Reboot your PC into Normal Mode.

5)   Download Ad-Aware or SpyBot from our Downloads library and run it to eliminate all possible adware and spyware.

6)   Make sure you have an up-to-date reputable antivirus program and run a full virus scan on your PC.

NetWatch (1)
Net Watcher

NetWatch.exe

(Microsoft)

Net Watcher is a Win9x/ME Microsoft application usually located in "Programs \ Accessories \ System Tools" and which enables you to see on the one screen all your Shared Folders, Shared Printers, Shared Files, and Users who are connected to you via File & Printer Sharing. You can disconnect users and close files opened on your PC over the network

Recommendation :
This program will only show if you have specifically started it.

NetWatch (2)
NetWatch32

NetWatch.exe

(???)

You have the W32.Mimail.C@mm virus.

NetworkThread

NetworkThread.exe

NETWOR~1.exe

(AnswersThatWork.com)

The Ultimate Troubleshooter’s TCP/IP discovery task.

Recommendation :
This is a component of The Ultimate Troubleshooter – Leave alone.

Newsupd

Newsupdate

NewsUpd.exe

NewsUpdate.exe

(Creative Labs)

News Update System Tray task which gets installed when you install the full suite of add-on applications that come with SoundBlaster Live soundcards. On non-DELL PCs this task is called NEWSUPD / NEWSUPDATE – on DELL systems, however, it is called UPDTRAY. Its main purpose seems to be to alert the user to software and hardware updates for his Creative Labs products. If you have a permanent Internet connection and a firewall, you will notice regular attempts from this task at connecting back to Creative Labs servers.

Recommendation :
Another Creative Labs nightmare. On Windows XP this task often causes endless startup and shutdown errors, while in other Windows environments some users experience Windows hangs and freezes caused directly by this task. Additionally, there is no information on the Creative Labs site as to what exact data this task exchanges over the Internet between your PC and the Creative Labs servers – that alone is sufficient in our mind to recommend that you always Disable/Delete this task. You can either do that by double-clicking on the System Tray icon and setting it as "disabled", or you can delete/disable the task with The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Nhksrv

NHKSrv.exe

(Netropa for Dell)

Netropa Hotkey Server task seen only on DELL and Compaq PCs running Windows NT4/2000/XP. Our understanding is that this task prevents any hotkeys you configured via the Netropa/Dell hotkeys configuration software, from working when your PC is locked by a screensaver.

Recommendation :
NHKSRV is sometimes responsible for literally eating up CPU cycles, up to 90% CPU usage sometimes. So, although NHKSRV is effectively a security feature, you may need to disable it and possibly completely disable hotkey support altogether. To disable, use The Ultimate Troubleshooter, or if you cannot see NHKSRV in The Ultimate Troubleshooter, go to "Control Panel \ Services" in WinNT4, or "Control Panel \ Administrative Tools \ Services" in Win2000/XP to set this service to "Manual".

Nisserv

NISServ.exe

(Symantec)

Norton Internet Security Service which is installed with both Norton Internet Security and Norton Personal Firewall. It is an essential component of the firewall but we do not know its specific role within the various background tasks of Norton Internet Security and Norton Personal Firewall. NISSERV does not show in the Task List in Windows 95/98/ME as it runs as a transparent task, so you have to run The Ultimate Troubleshooter to see it. NISSERV shows as a service under Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 on the other hand.

Recommendation :
Leave alone – essential firewall component.

Nisum

NISUM.exe

(Symantec)

Norton Internet Security Stats, also listed by Symantec themselves as Norton Internet Security User Manager !! Although we are not sure it would seem that the role of this task may have changed over the years. In early versions of Norton firewall products (Norton Internet Security & Norton Personal Firewall) this task was definitely linked to the implementation of various levels of through-the-firewall access for different users. This disappeared in the latter versions of the products and NISUM seems to now be the task which gathers and aggregates all information about the traffic that goes (or does not go!) through your firewall. Under Windows 95/98ME NISUM is a transparent task visible only with a program like The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Recommendation :
Leave alone as we are not entirely sure of its role – either way it seems essential.

Njg40

NJG40.exe

(???)

You have the PWSteal.Bancos.D virus.

Nkvmon

NkvMon.exe

(Nikon)

Nikon Monitor. This background task monitors for a Nikon CoolPix camera being connected to your PC via a USB port. As soon as it detects a CoolPix camera having been connected it executes the Nikon View software which enables the user to preview and transfer images from the camera to the PC.

Recommendation :
Useful – leave alone.

Nkvwmon

NkVwMon.exe

(Nikon)

Another version of the Nikon View Monitor, as per NKVMON above.

Recommendation :
This particular background task is directly responsible for computer freezes, whether it is freezes of specific applications, or freezes of the entire PC. Turning the "System Performance" setting from Optimal/Top Performance to Normal in the BIOS sometimes solves the problem (if that setting exists). In most cases, however, the only real solution is to disable this task with The Ultimate Troubleshooter and to start the Nikon View software manually from "Start \ Programs" whenever you need to, or use Windows Explorer.

Nls

NaviSearch

NLS.exe

(???)

This startup entry is seriously crippling adware and will, usually, not be the only unwanted entry on your Startups tab in The Ultimate Troubleshooter. It is responsible, along with the other related programs which get downloaded onto your PC at the same time, for endless popup advertisements, very slow Internet access, freezes, boot-up or shutdown errors, and a generally frustrating computing experience, not to mention what sensitive information it may be sending out from your PC. The most common method of infection is through the user having clicked somewhere on a web page, or an advertising banner, promising to block ........... popup advertisements and other unsafe web pests !!   Yes!, some adware/spyware masquerades as .... anti-adware/spyware !!!   We have also noticed that a significant number of our users who use the Morpheus file sharing program, seem to be infected with this pest.

Recommendation :
Get rid of it immediately, 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 (if you are unable to start your PC into Safe Mode, then try the following in Normal Mode).

2)   Next, start The Ultimate Troubleshooter and go to the Startups tab and for each instance of any of the following - AUTOUPDATE, BMAN1, BKZBRA, CASHBACK, CFGMGR51.DLL, ELITEANV32, EXP, FARMMEXT, GKBLA, IAKD, KZPRLK, MBKWNST, MORPHSTB, MZNTXT, NLS, PSOFT1, NETSYNC, WINTASK, WINUP2DATE.DLL, WMSCT – do the following : right-click on it and choose Delete from the hard disk the file that this Startup points to; next, right-click on this entry again and this time choose Delete this Startup entry.

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

4)   Reboot your PC into Normal Mode.

5)   Download Ad-Aware or SpyBot from our Downloads library and run it to eliminate all possible adware and spyware.

6)   Make sure you have an up-to-date reputable antivirus program and run a full virus scan on your PC.

NLSSRV32

NLSSRV32.EXE

(Nalpeiron)

Nalpeiron Licensing Service. Background service task which is an integral part of Nalpeiron’s copy protection software (software which enables other software manufacturers to protect their products from illegal copying).

Recommendation :
Unless you know for certain which product that you installed is dependent on this service, leave alone or you may disable the product that came with it. If, on the other hand, you know you definitely no longer use the product which came with this copy protection software, or you uninstalled it, then disable this service by changing its Startup Mode to Disabled on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

This service normally uses 10Mb of memory.

NMIndexStoreSvr

NMIndexStoreSvr.exe

(Nero AG)

Nero Media Index Store Server. Background task installed by Nero 7 and which is part of the Nero Scout utility which comes bundled with Nero 7. Nero’s definition of Nero Scout at the time of writing, 8‑Mar‑2007 : “Nero Scout is a unique database application. Many media players use a proprietary database to store meta data and the locations of media files spread over the PC. However, Nero Scout is different. It is optimized to provide you the fastest access ever to your media files from all Nero applications. It also allows you to browse your media files from Windows Explorer or virtually any application you want. You no longer have to worry about having five databases on your system each storing the same information in a slightly different way. All you need now is Nero Scout.”. This program, NMINDEXSTORESVR.EXE, is exclusively started by the Nero Media Indexing Service, NMIndexingService.exe – it interacts with the indexing service to update the Nero Scout database.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user requirement. You can disable Nero Scout by simply right‑clicking the icon in the System Tray, choosing OPTIONS and unchecking “Enable Nero Scout”. Then, on reboot, check on the Services tab of TUT that the Startup mode of the Nero Media Indexing Service has been set to Manual – if it has not, set it to Manual.

Note, that at the time of writing, 8‑Mar‑2007, there are still issues with this program, unresolved from 2005. This is shocking..

First, together with its parent program, the Nero Media Indexing Service, it can sometimes use up to 120Mb of memory or more and significantly decrease the performance of the PC, and we mean SIGNIFICANTLY !!

The other issue, at the time of writing, is that it will also sometimes interfere with ........... Nero itself (!!) preventing the user from successfully creating CDs and DVDs, for from creating backups with Nero BackitUp or any software which backs up Outlook Express !! This is perverse : Nero AG producing a program which causes problems to another Nero AG program ! This second problems happens because this background indexing program will sometimes have Outlook Express files locked open.

Nmonitor

Nmonitor.exe

(Novell)

This background process is part of the WIN2NCS network modem software on Novell NetWare networks. WIN2NCS enables the workstations to access modems that are attached to the fileserver, as if those modems were local to the workstations.

Recommendation :
Essential for the good functioning of WIN2NCS. Leave untouched.

Nmssvc

NMSSvc.exe

(Intel)

Intel’s Network Management Station Service task. This task is installed by the drivers for some Intel network cards and provides SNMP support (Simple Network Management Protocol).

Recommendation :
If you are not on a network, then you do not need this task and you can disable it either with The Ultimate Troubleshooter, or by setting it to "Manual" under Services in the Control Panel for Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003. If you are on a network, liaise with your network administrator to see if SNMP is used on your network – if SNMP is not used, then, again, you do not need this task.

NOBuAgent

NOBuAgent.exe

(Symantec)

Norton Online Backup Agent. Service found on new laptops and PCs which have, preloaded at the factory, a trial version of the Norton Online Backup backup software. This service is the core program of Norton Online Backup and its role is to backup your files “in the cloud” or restore them from “the cloud”.

Norton Online Backup is software which allows you to backup your data to online servers provided by Symantec (“the cloud”). You can then access your files online from any other PC, or re-download them onto another PC or your PC / laptop after you’ve recovered from a hard disk disaster. This service from Symantec is not a free service.

Note : Norton Online Backup is also rebranded as Dell Datasafe Online on DELL laptops, so on Dell laptops what you need to look out for is Dell Datasafe Online rather than Norton Online Backup.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user requirements.

Decide whether or not you want the Norton Online Backup / Dell Datasafe Online service and, if you do not want it then immediately disable this background service on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter by setting its Startup Mode to Disabled.

This background service normally uses 6Mb to 24Mb of memory.

Nod32krn

NOD32Krn.exe

(ESET)

NOD32 Kernel Service. This is a central component of the NOD32 antivirus program. It runs as a startup item under Windows 95/98/ME and as a service under Windows 2000/XP/2003.

Recommendation :
Essential for the proper running of NOD32. Leave alone

Nod32kui

NOD32Kui.exe

(ESET)

NOD32 Control Center. System Tray app for the NOD32 antivirus program which appears as a CC icon in the System Tray. Double-clicking on the icon enables you to configure NOD32 or to manually update it. The Control Center is also responsible for automatically downloading updates to NOD32 if you have configured NOD32 for automatic updating.

Recommendation :
Essential for the proper operation of your NOD32 antivirus software since it keeps it up‑to‑date with the latest virus detection updates. Leave alone.

Nopdb

Nopdb.exe

(Symantec)

Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 service installed by Norton Speed Disk (part of Norton Utilities / Norton Systemworks). It is mainly associated with scheduling Speed Disk and is installed to start automatically by default on Windows boot-up. If you disable it, Speed Disk can still be run manually.

Recommendation :
This task can be extremely disruptive when left in its default Automatic mode. It intrudes at the most inopportune moments, thrashing the hard disk and floppy drive, and utilising upward of 80% of CPU. If you do not want such unwelcome interruptions, optimize your disk by always starting Speed Disk manually. If you go for that policy, then set the Startup Mode of NOPDB to “Manual” on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

NokiaMServer

NOKIAM~1

NokiaMServer.exe

NOKIAM~1.exe

(Nokia)

Nokia M Platform Server process. Background process started when you run the Nokia Ovi Suite, the intended replacement for the traditional Nokia PC Suite. This background program performs phone / PC data exchange tasks on behalf of Ovi Suite.

Recommendation :
A year after it first appeared on the scene, still not all is well with Ovi Suite, and most particularly with this background process. This background process is supposed to automatically terminate itself whenever you shut down Ovi Suite, but often it does not and continues to run. This would not be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that it is so often badly behaved in terms of memory consumption, using anything from 16Mb of memory, to 26Mb (40% of PCs), to 50Mb (50% of PCs), to sometimes over 95Mb of memory. Additionally, it also often uses significant CPU cycles so the net effect is that the PC feels really slow while this program is running.

Our recommendation therefore : check this process in TUT every time you finish using Ovi Suite and terminate it if Ovi Suite is closed but this process is still running.

Notify

Notify.exe

(Novell)

This is the background Novell GroupWise Notify task which notifies the user of incoming e-mails and messages. It sits in the System Tray.

Recommendation :
Essential. Leave untouched.

Notifyalert

NotifyAlert.exe

(Dell)

Background task which informs you of Dell critical alerts (if there are any) whenever you are connected to the Internet. You can modify the behaviour of this task through the “Quick Links \ Settings” option in Dell Support (“Start \ Programs \ Dell Applications \ Support \ Support”).

Recommendation :
We always turn off all critical alerts in the Dell Support software in the manner described above and disable this task on the Startups tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter. There are many reasons for this; however, the main reason is that this background task has a consistent and irritating history of conflicts or crashes if you happen to change something on your PC, such as installing a Windows update, or a new version or update of your antivirus product, etc... – there is no point in having a critical alert task which itself has [often confusing or alarming] problems ! Additionally, it is our view that if you do a Windows update once every three months and install the recommended Microsoft critical updates, you will in any case pick up 98% of all updates that might have been the subject of Dell critical alerts.

Npfmntor

NPFMntor.exe

(Symantec)

Norton AntiVirus Personal Firewall Install Monitor service installed by Norton Internet Security 2005 on Windows 2000/XP. This service helps Norton AntiVirus detect immediately after boot-up whether the Personal Firewall part of your Internet Security suite, is currently installed and working properly, whether it is currently enabled or disabled, and what features of the firewall are turned ON.

Recommendation :
While it is alarming to see the number of tasks installed by Norton Internet Security increase with each new version since 2002, this particular new task is actually a very sensible move which enhances the security of your PC. Rather than only check that some Registry keys and files from the Personal Firewall can be found in order to determine whether the firewall is installed or not, this service also tries to communicate with the firewall to make sure that it has not been maliciously disabled or prevented from working properly by a virus or trojan. Essential for the proper protection of your PC – Leave alone.

Nprotect

Nprotect.exe

(Symantec’s Norton Utilities)

This is the Norton Utilities program that protects your Recycle Bin by adding an extra layer of safety to the deletion of information from your PC.

Recommendation :
Leave untouched. If you want to remove it, do so via the Norton Utilities’ control screen.

Nrpr

Nrpr.exe

(NetRatings Inc)

Software from NetRatings which collects what is probably mainly statistical data about your Internet usage habits, and then sends it to specific servers on the Internet, http://premeter.opistat.com being one such server. NetRatings states that it is "the global standard for Internet audience measurement and analysis".

Recommendation :
At AnswersThatWork.com we simply will not have statistical software which sends data out, running on any of our PCs. Additionally, in this particular case we have been unable to find any Privacy Statement on the NetRatings site relating to NRPR, nor do we know for certain if the Privacy Statement on the Opistat site is the one we should be using. Unless you have willingly subscribed to NetRatings, we advocate its removal through the "Add/Remove Programs" icon in the Control Panel followed by a cleanup with "Spybot Search & Destroy" from our Downloads page.

Nsched32

Nsched32.exe

(Symantec’s Norton Anti-Virus)

Norton’s Program Scheduler. This program has the same functionality as the Windows Task Scheduler and, just like the Task Scheduler, it appears as an icon in the System Tray – you can use it to schedule regular tasks, such as overnight disk defragmentation, virus scanning, etc…

Recommendation :
Disable it if you do not have scheduled tasks. To do so, double-click on the icon in the System Tray, then go to the "Tools \ Option" menu option, and take off the tick showing against "Load with Windows".

NSRTray

NSRTray.exe

(Symantec)

Norton Save & Restore System Tray icon. System Tray icon which enables you to do one-click backups or access Norton Save & Restore functions directly from the System Tray. Hovering the mouse over the icon also provides some feedback on the current status of your backup software.

Recommendation :
Down to end-user requirements.

Note : At the time of writing, 6‑Sep‑2006, we have observed this task use between 8Mb to 12Mb of memory on 50% of PCs, but also, incredibly, to use from 20Mb to 45Mb of memory on the other 50% of PCs !!! This is staggering and clearly an indication of program bugs which Symantec need to fix. Ensure therefore that you regularly manually run LiveUpdate in order to pick up any fixes which Symantec may have issued.

If you need to disable this icon because of excessive memory consumption, you can either do so on the Startups tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter, or open Norton Save & Restore, click on the TRAY ICON tab, and then uncheck System Tray Icon.

NTOSA32

OSA32

NTOSA32.exe

(???)

You have the W32.HLLW.Anig virus.

Ntvdm

NTVDM.exe

(Microsoft)

Windows NT Virtual DOS Machine – Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003. Whenever you start a DOS or 16-bit Windows program (Windows 3.1 software, or a program designed for Win9x/NT4 but which has a mixture of 32-bit and 16-bit programming code) under Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003, that 16-bit program gets run by the Windows NT Virtual DOS Machine, NTVDM, which basically emulates a DOS/16-bit environment so that your program can run. There will be a different instance of NTVDM running for each DOS/16-bit program that you run. (Note that NTVDM in turns starts a different process called WOWEXEC).

Recommendation :
If NTVDM is in your Task List, you have a DOS or 16-bit program running. If it is twice in your Task List, you have two DOS or 16-bit programs running, etc... Leave alone; as soon as you close your running DOS/16-bit program(s), NTVDM will disappear from your Task List under Windows 2000/XP/2003 although it will remain in your Task List under Windows NT4 – under NT4 this is by design to ensure that the next 16-bit program you run loads faster.

NUANCEWDS

NUANCEWDS.EXE

(Nuance)

Nuance Windows Desktop Search background program which provides Windows Desktop Search with the ability to search inside PDF files.

Recommendation :
There are severe resource consumption problems with this task. Find the PDFProFiltSrv service on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter for more details on what to do.

Nvcpldaemon

NvCpl.dll

(Nvidia)

Nvidia Control Panel Display Properties Extensions applet. When it is running this startup and background task displays the additional Nvidia-specific tabs when you go into “Display Properties” . Through these tabs you can configure the advanced features of your Nvidia or Nvidia-based graphics cards, something you cannot do through Windows’ standard display configuration tabs.

Recommendation :
Leave alone if you want to have access to the Nvidia-specific display configuration tabs. Also, if you have configured some of the advanced features, this task will need to always be running for those features to be implemented. If you do not have an Nvidia card, and this entry has remained after the de‑installation of the Nvidia drivers, delete this entry on the Startups tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Nvmctray

NvMCTray.dll

(NVidia)

NVidia Media Center Library Taskbar icon. This is one of the oddest tasks we’ve ever come across. If on reboot after the installation of NVidia drivers for your NVidia (or NVidia based) graphics card you did not configure the nView configuration screen that came up, then all this task does subsequently is display an icon in the System Tray which gives you two options when you right‑click on it : About Media Center, and Exit. Worse, the “About” window does not even give you an NVidia driver version number or something similar that might be really useful – it simply displays a copyright message and the amount of memory (total and available) on your PC !!

If, however, you did configure the nView configuration screen after the installation of your NVidia drivers, then right-clicking on this icon in the System Tray brings up a wealth of options which enable you to access the configuration screens for your NVidia, or NVidia based, graphics card (colour, display modes, quality settings, Direct3D, rotation, resolution, etc...), or which enable you to manage multiple displays if you use multiple displays.

Recommendation :
If nView is not configured and as a result you have the “useless” version of the NVidia icon in your System Tray, then it pays to configure nView through the nView icon in the Control Panel. Beyond that it is down to end-user preference as to whether you want this icon in the System Tray or not – if you use multiple displays, or if you work a lot with graphics or produce publications for commercial printers to print for you (where colour calibration may be needed), then we suggest you leave this icon alone as it is a quick and easy way of getting at some of the features that you will need to use from time to time. You can disable this icon with The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

nvSCPAPISvr

nvSCPAPISvr.exe

(NVidia)

NVidia Stereoscopic 3D Vision support service. Background service installed by the drivers of NVidia cards introduced from August 2009 onwards. This service supports the new NVidia Stereoscopic 3D Vision feature for gamers who want to use 3D wireless glasses when playing their games.

Here is “Stereoscopic 3D Vision” as described by NVidia at the time of writing, 28-Dec-2009 : “Upgrade your PC to a fully immersive stereoscopic 3D experience with NVIDIA® 3D Vision™. A combination of high-tech wireless glasses and advanced software, 3D Vision automatically transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D. In addition, view movies and digital photographs in eye popping 3D. Now supporting full HD 1080p clarity with ACER GD245HQ and GD235HZ LCDs.”.

Recommendation :
At the time of writing, 28-Dec-2009, this task is nothing but a nightmare.

When you first boot your PC, this task will usually use as little as 1Mb to 5Mb of memory. However, throughout the day this memory usage will increase, and increase, and increase, and will increase even more if you do not reboot your PC between different days. On at least 25% of PCs where we have seen this task running, after having started at 2Mb of memory consumption straight after boot-up, the consumption has risen to 30Mb, 85Mb, 200Mb, 656Mb, all the way to a staggering 1Gb of memory ! This is seriously buggy software !!!

Unless you are a gamer using 3D wireless glasses, immediately disable this background service by changing its Startup Mode to Disabled on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Nvsvc

Nvsvc32

NVSvc.exe

NVSvc32.exe

(NVIDIA)

NVIDIA Driver Helper Service which gets installed as a service under Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003, and as a startup on Windows 98/ME by the NVIDIA drivers for some of their graphics cards (or graphics cards based on an NVIDIA chipset). This task is used only when you use specific Advanced features of your NVidia graphics card, in particular overclocking, overriding of the refresh rate for OpenGL games, and dual monitor display. It is also needed if you have configured your PC or laptop to go into Sleep Mode or Hibernation.

Recommendation :
This service is often responsible for various glitches, from significant boot-up and shutdown delays to excessive memory usage.

If you use any of the Advanced Graphics features mentioned above, or if you Hibernation or Sleep Mode, then you have no choice but to keep this service enabled.

For all other users, however, we recommend that you disable this service by setting its Startup Mode to Disabled on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter on Windows 2000/XP/2003, and on the Startups tab on Windows 98/ME.

Nvvsvc

Nvvsvc.exe

(Nvidia)

NVIDIA Driver Helper Service which gets installed as a service under Windows Vista by the NVIDIA drivers for their graphics cards (or graphics cards based on an NVIDIA chipset). This task is used only when you use specific Advanced features of your NVidia graphics card, in particular overclocking, overriding of the refresh rate for OpenGL games, and dual monitor display. It is also needed if you have configured your PC or laptop to go into Sleep Mode or Hibernation.

Recommendation :
This service has a long history under Windows 2000/XP for being responsible for various glitches, from significant boot-up and shutdown delays to excessive memory usage.

If you use any of the Advanced Graphics features mentioned above, or if you Hibernation or Sleep Mode, then you have no choice but to keep this service enabled.

For all other users, however, we recommend that you disable this service by setting its Startup Mode to Disabled on the Services tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

Nwdhcpoptions

NWDHCPOptions.exe

(Novell)

DHCP patch service for version 4.81 of the Novell Client for Windows NT4/2000/XP (For the layman : the Novell Client is the software which enables you to login to your Novell network through the red Username/Password dialogue box). This service fixes a bug in version 4.81 of the Novell Client.

Recommendation :
Leave it alone. Note, however, that subsequent versions of the Novell Client (4.83, 4.90, etc...) remove this service as the fix is incorporated into those versions.

Nwiz (1)

Nwiz.exe

(Nvidia)

Nvidia nView Wizard present in Nvidia newer graphics card drivers (2002 onward). The Nvidia nView wizard is normally run from the Control Panel and provides the end-user with a literally staggering range of “things” he can do with his Nvidia, or Nvidia based graphics card : from having up to 32 virtual desktops, to having a desktop that is larger than the viewable area of the monitor, being able to split the display across more than one monitor, managing applications, adding transparency to applications’ windows, ability to zoom portions of the display, keyboard hotkeys, Internet Explorer extensions, additional features for laptop users so they can have a separate display on their laptop screen from the one on the monitor connected to their laptop, and, finally, monitor calibration. It is a truly amazing piece of software. On installation of the drivers, you will find NWIZ added to your Startup items, with or without switches. The only purpose is for NWIZ, the nView Wizard, to detect if you have used some of the special features mentioned above, and to re-install them immediately after bootup. If you have not used any of the special features, NWIZ terminates, otherwise it stays resident in the background.

Recommendation :
If you have not used any of the special nView features, you can disable this item on the Startups tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter. If you do use some of the special nView features, on the other hand, then leave this Startup item alone.

Nwiz (2)

Norton Wizzard

Nwiz.exe

(???)

You may have the W32.Gaobot.ZX \ Backdoor.Agobot.IQ virus, or one of the many other viruses trying to masquerade as the nVidia’s nview configuration program.

Recommendation :
Double-click this task in The Ultimate Troubleshooter. If it does not indicate “NVidia” as the manufacturer, the likelihood is that you have a virus. At all times, however, if you have reputable daily updated antivirus software, if you have this virus it will be picked up. If you do not have proper antivirus protection, then you should be worried.

Nwrecmsg

Nwrecmsg.exe

(Novell)

Broadcast message handler. Part of the Novell Client – it handles NetWare broadcast messages, such as messages from your fileserver, or print job completion messages, etc...

Recommendation :
Essential. Leave untouched.

Nwtray

NWTray.exe

(Novell)

Novell System Tray icon which enables the user to access various features of the Novell Client, such as bringing up the login window, mapping and unmapping drives, modifying access rights to files and folders, and managing printer captures. The icon appears as a big red N in the System Tray and is installed by the Novell Client.

Recommendation :
This icon is not needed for end‑users on a Novell network and, in our opinion, should be disabled to avoid the possibility of end-users accidentally causing themselves mapping and capture problems while investigating what the icon might be about. System Managers, however, may find it very useful on their own PCs as a quick access to Novell facilities. To disable it from running under Win9Xme, go into the Properties of the Novell Client in the Network icon in the Control Panel – this usually removes NWTRAY from startups; if it does not, go to the Startups tab of The Ultimate Troubleshooter to “finish” the job. The only way to disable NWTRAY from running at all under Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista is to first terminate it on the Tasks tab of TUT, and then switch over to the Startups tab, right-click on it and choose Rename the file that this Startup points to – if all you do is disable it on the Startups tab of TUT, it will simply be re-instated as a startup item on the next boot. Note : it is perfectly OK to have NWTRAY running. Thus, if your only concern is to ensure that it is not accessible to end-users (ie, that the red N is not available in the System Tray), then install the latest Client for NT/2000/XP/Vista where Novell finally enables the System Administrator to configure the Novell Client, and set Show Novell System Tray Icon to OFF on the Advanced Menu Settings tab of the Novell Client properties. This will remove the big red N from the System Tray but NWTRAY will still be running in the background, which is OK. You can achieve the same result by right‑clicking on the icon in the System Tray, choosing “Configure System Tray icon”, and checking “Remove N icon from system tray”, but unless you are at least on v4.90 SP4 of the Novell Client for 2000/XP/2003/Vista (v4.91 is the most current version, and the one we recommend, at the time of writing, 25‑Mar‑2008, particularly for NetWare 5.0 as it solves all client file caching bugs) you will not be able to re‑instate the icon without re‑installing the whole Client, or editing the Registry !!

Nzfprop

NZFProp.exe

(Netzip Inc)

Background task installed by the Netzip zip and unzip utility. This task implements the Netzip Folders feature which makes your zip files look like folders so that you can move files in and out of those zip files with Windows Explorer as if you were dealing with folders (rather than files needing a special utility). This useful facility is now part of Windows in Windows XP/2003.

Recommendation :
Essential to the proper functioning of Netzip. Note, however, that NZFPROP has been known to interfere with Norton AntiVirus LiveUpdate. If you experience LiveUpdate problems, and you also have Netzip installed, then do an End-Task on NZFPROP before doing a LiveUpdate.

All of the tasks below, and many more, although not detailed on this page, are explained in full in The Ultimate Troubleshooter.

The Ultimate Troubleshooter (TUT), has the full database in a remarkably easy and pleasing interface which makes the process of fine tuning your PC, or troubleshooting your computer's problems, a snip. Get it here.

NABAgent.exe, NABMonitor.exe, NamedPipe.exe, Napatch.exe, naPrdMgr.exe, Napster.exe, Narrator.exe, Natal.scr, NatSpeak.exe, Navapsrc.exe, NAVW32.exe, NavWnt.exe, NBHRegInCDSrv.exe, NBJ.exe, NbkCtrl.exe, NBService.exe, Nbthlp.exe, NCLaunch.exe, NClienti386.exe, NCLMSBTSRV.EXE, NclMSBTSrvEx.exe, NCLRSSRV.EXE, NDSTray.exe, ndxCards.exe, Nero.exe, NeroSVC.exe, NetCfgSv.exe, Netda.exe, NetgearAG.exe, Netlink32.exe, Netscape.exe, Netscp6.exe, NetSvc.exe, Netsvcs.exe, Network.exe, NetworkLicenseServer.exe, Neuratron PhotoScore.exe, NewDot~1.dll, NewDot~2.dll, NewDot~3.dll, NewDotNet2_29.dll, NewDotNet3_15.dll, NewDotNet3_22.dll, NewDotNet3_23.dll, NewDotNet4_34.dll, NewDotNet4_50.dll, NewDotNet5_20.dll, NewDotNet5_40.dll, NewDotNet6_34.dll, NewDotNet6_38.dll, NewDotNet6_90.dll, News.exe, Nibie.exe, NICCONFIGSVC.exe, NICServ.exe, Ninfoie.exe, Nip.exe, NipSvc.exe, NisSrv.exe, Niteaim.exe, Nitro_PDF_Pro_5.2.1.0.exe, NitroPDFDriverService.exe, NitroPDFDriverServicex64.exe, NitroPDFPrinterMonitor.exe, NitroPDFReaderDriverService2.exe, NJeeves.exe, Nkboard.exe, NkbMonitor.exe, NkbPProj.exe, NkMC.exe, NkMonitor.exe, NkvMon.exe, NLA Service, NLNotes.exe, NLSSRV32.exe, Nm32.exe, Nmapp.exe, NMain.exe, NMBgMonitor.exe, Nmctxth.exe, NMIndexingService.exe, NMSAccess.exe, NmraApache.exe, NMSAccessU.exe, Nmsrvc.exe, NoAds.exe, NobuActivation.exe, NOBUClient.exe, NokiaOviSuite.exe, NonYou.exe, NorBtok.exe, Norton.exe, NortonAntiBot.exe, Norton Internet Security.exe, Norton Update.exe, Norton_Antivirus.exe, NoSPAMToday.exe, noSPAMtodayAdmin.exe, Notepad.exe, Notepad++.exe, NotePro.exe, Notes2.exe, NoteTab.exe, NoteWhen.exe, NoteZilla.exe, NovaBackX.exe, NPFMSG2.exe, NPFSVICE.exe, Npscheck.exe, NPSSvc.exe, NPSWF32_FlashUtil.exe, Nscm.exe, NSCSRVCE.exe, NsCtrl.exe, NSENGINE.exe, NSESVC.exe, Nsl.exe, Nslsvice.exe, Nspm.exe, Nspmon.exe, NsService.exe, Nstdnrdll32.vbs, Nsum.exe, nSvcAppFlt.exe, nSvcIp.exe, nSvcLog.exe, Nsvr.exe, NTaskLdr.exe, NtBackup.exe, Ntfrs.exe, Ntlogin32.exe, Ntmulti.exe, Ntnut32.exe, NTRTScan.exe, nTrayFw.exe, Ntspcv.exe, nTune.exe, nTuneService.exe, Ntxdll.exe, Nu.exe, nusb3mon.exe, NVCOAS.exe, Nvcod.exe, NVCSCHED.EXE, Nvctrl.exe, Nvirundll.exe, NvMixerTray.exe, NVOY.exe, NvQTwk.dll, NVRaidService.exe, NvSCPAPISvr.exe, Nwrecmsg.exe, Nvsc32.exe, NvSvc.dll, NWTray.exe, NZFProp.exe

If you know of a background program that is missing from our database, but which you feel others should know about because of its potential side-effects, then let us know via the Feedback button.