Is ntvdm.exe safe or is this task spyware?



Purpose of ntvdm.exe:









File purpose and description:

This is part of the Windows virtual machine for 16 bit processing (for example, Windows 3.1 was a 16-bit system so it ran 16-bit programs). Programs are broken down in to 16 and 32 bit (and 64 bit) programs, this allows programs to run as 32-bit programs on the newer Windows operating systems. This is not considered adware or spyware, and is considered safe. (See the details below for the actual location of this file.)

Actual file or task name:
ntvdm.exe

File type:
This is an executable file.

File or folder location:
This process will be located at c:\windows\system32\


General information:
Be aware that many tasks will be similiar names to existing tasks or processes. You can always view the running tasks on your computer by pressing ctrl-alt-del to view the windows "task manager", and then view the "processes" tab. This will show you all tasks running or currently active on your PC. Although this shows you all running tasks, it does not show dll file thats are loaded, as they get loaded as part of other processes. Many spyware writers attempt to hide their files on your computer, for example, ntvdm.exe may be intentionally misspelled to look like a similiar task, or spyware may be named very similiar to a Windows system task. The reason they do this is so you cannot easily recognize the name in your tasklist as I have mentioned above. Make sure always check the location of the file if you are concerned. You can always find the location of ntvdm.exe on your computer by using your Windows search options, but I will also try to list the file location of every file described on this website, so you can verify the correct location. You can view the entire tasklist directory with the link below.

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