msmpeng.exe task purpose and description:

MSMPeng.exe is a program file which may have arrived on your pc when your bought it, or if you installed Microsoft Vista operating system or the Windows defender security program. It may also appear in your computer startup. The actual proper disk location is also shown below, so always verify the location to make sure your file is not spyware or adware related. MSMPeng.exe belongs to Microsoft, and it is part of the "Windows Defender" program and is part of their security suite of software. This file is not considered spyware or adware and it is considered safe. (See the details below for the actual location of this file.)

Actual process or task name: (You can view alphabetical task list here)
msmpeng.exe

File type:
This is an executable program.

Where is this file and folder located on my computer?
This file will be found on your disk drive at C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\msmpeng.exe

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, msmpeng.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 msmpeng.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.

View entire task list here!