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What is Msnmsgr.exe

Windows Live Messenger - Windows Live Messenger - Microsoft Corporation

Run a Free Scan for MSNMSGR.EXE related errors

File description

Msnmsgr.exe with description Windows Live Messenger is a process file from company Microsoft Corporation belonging to product Windows Live Messenger.
The file is digitally signed from Microsoft Corporation - Microsoft Time-Stamp Service
We do not recommend removing digitally signed files from Microsoft Corporation

What is msnmsgr.exe?
This is the main process for the MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger software. The following is a screenshot of Windows Live Messenger running under Windows XP:

This process is not essential to the operation of the system. Killing it will result in MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger closing. There is no harm in preventing it from running at startup; however, if you wish to remove the software entirely, you should follow the normal uninstallation procedures for MSN/Windows Live Messenger. The following screenshot illustrates how this process should appear in the Task Manager:

Notice that msnmsgr.exe always runs as the current user (in this case, Mike). A process with this name running as a user other than the current user may indicate a malware infection.

Dangers of msnmsgr
As this is a program that runs on many Windows systems, 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 but be stored somewhere other than in %ProgramFiles%\MSN Messenger or %ProgramFiles%\Windows Live\Messenger. Other malware may use a name that appears similar to that of the legitimate one but with slight differences in spelling or with appended digits. The following malware is known to disguise itself as msnmsgr.exe:

W32/Rbot-AVP (%SystemRoot%)

This is a worm that spreads via several known network vulnerabilities, including the RPC DCOM exploit.

W32/Mytob-A (%SystemRoot%\System32)

This is a mass mailing worm and a backdoor Trojan that accepts remote commands via an IRC channel.

W32/Annew-A (%SystemRoot%\System32)

This is a worm that actively attempts to prevent its removal and includes functionality to infect removable storage devices.

There will typically be only one instance of this process running at a given time on a system, as it is uncommon to run more than one copy of MSN/Windows Live Messenger at once. The presence of multiple instances may be an indicator of a malware infection. If you are not running MSN/Windows Live Messenger, the presence of this process is a strong indicator of a malware infection.

Common problems

This process uses 100% CPU time

This known to occur in isolated instances. First, try reinstalling Windows Live Messenger. If you were using MSN Messenger, uninstall it and get Windows Live Messenger, as it supersedes the former.
If you are using an nVidia graphics card, try updating or reinstalling your graphics card drivers.
If you are using Microsoft Office, ensure it is up-to-date.

Automatic startup locations

	001 Running Processes
	002 Autorun registry entries local machine
	003 Autorun registry entries Current User
	004 All users startup startmenu
	005 Current user startup startmenu
	006 Start Menu\Programs\Startup
	007 Roaming Start Menu\Programs\Startup
	008 Autorun registry entries Default user
	009 Autorun registry entries SYSTEM user
	010 Installed services
	012 Autorun registry entries S-1-5-XX users
	033 Winlogon Userinit
	035 Active Setup Installed Components
	042 HKLM Internet Explorer Extensions
	073 %windir%\Tasks
	135 Current User Runonce (+ subkeys)
	136 Local Machine Runonce (+subkeys)
	166 HKCU Policies\Explorer\Run
	167 HKLM Policies\Explorer\Run
	191 Terminal Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Digital signatures found for this file

	Signer of certificate	Issuer of certificate
	Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft Time-Stamp Service
	Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft Timestamping Service
	Microsoft Corporation	VeriSign Time Stamping Services Signer
	Microsoft Corporation MSN	VeriSign Time Stamping Service

MD5 security rating in our database

		571	files (Not yet rated and not signed)
		18	files (Not yet rated and digitally signed)
		1	files (Safe and not signed)
		1212	files (Safe and digitally signed)

Some versions of this filename have not yet been checked for safety.

Warning: Some malware might rename itself to msnmsgr.exe. Always make sure that your file is from a verified publisher.

Application errors

Fix msnmsgr.exe application error: Run a FREE registry scan

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msnmsgr9.exe	msnmsgrs.exe	msnmsgrss.exe
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msnmssngrs.exe	msnmusax.ocx	msnnctv32.dll

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