File description |
Ctdetect.exe with description Creative MediaSource Detector is a process file from company Creative Technology Ltd belonging to product Creative MediaSource Detector.
The file is
not digitally signed.
What is ctdetect.exe?
This is the Creative Labs Soundblaster CD/DVD Alerter. Its purpose is to automatically play a CD or DVD when one is inserted. It is installed along with the drivers for many Creative Labs devices, including SoundBlaster audio cards and Creative Zen media players.
This process is not critical to the operation of the system and is safe to kill or disable. Note, however, that killing this process will disable the CD/DVD autodetection it provides. This is normally acceptable, though, as Windows is also capable of automatically detecting a CD or DVD. To disable this properly, go into the MediaSource software, go to Tools, and then deselect Auto Start.
Dangers of ctdetect
As this is a common program that is installed on most systems with a Creative SoundBlaster sound card, it is common for virus writers and spyware vendors to disguise their malware as the genuine one.
Some malicious files may have the same name as this process but be stored somewhere other than in %ProgramFiles%\Creative\MediaSource\Detector. Other malware may use a name that appears similar but has slight differences in spelling or with appended digits. While there are currently no known viruses, Trojans, or adware applications that disguise themselves as this process, you should look out for the presence of this file in an incorrect location or with a slightly different name.
There is typically no more than one instance of this process running at a given time. The presence of more than one instance of this process in the Task Manager may be an indicator of a malware infection. Furthermore, if you do not have a Creative sound card or Zen media player, you should never see this process anywhere on your system.
Common problems
- This process uses 100% CPU time
- This is known to occur on occasion. Try updating Creative MediaSource. If the problem persists, you can safely disable the process, as it is for most users unnecessary.
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Automatic startup locations |
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001 Running Processes |
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003 Autorun registry entries Current User |
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005 Current user startup startmenu |
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Digital signatures found for this file |
| This file is not signed by it's author |
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MD5 security rating in our database |
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13 |
files (Not yet rated
and
not
signed) |
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Some versions of this filename have not yet been checked for safety.
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| Warning: Some malware might rename itself to ctdetect.exe. Always make sure that your file is from a verified publisher. |
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