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Didn't install anything, but the number of processes running went up
Hi everyone!
I discovered in my Windows Task Manager about two weeks ago that the lowest number of processes running when idle went up by one. From 49 to 50. By the "lowest" number, I mean the number of processes running when idle. This number (49) had been the same for about a year since I bought my laptop.
The problem is that I didn't install anything two-three weeks ago. Not then, not since then. The number just went up from 49 to 50 for no apparent reason. So, I figured that it was some random application that hadn't been properly shut down and expected it would come back down to 49 when I reboot the laptop -- because I knew it had happened before.
Yesterday, I finally rebooted the machine fully expecting the number of processes running when idle to come back down to 49. NOPE. It's still at 50. What could've happened here?
One possibility is, of course, a virus. After all, about two weeks ago, shortly BEFORE I discovered the change in numbers (from 49 to 50), the MSE caught a virus in my digital camera that had just been connected to my laptop. But, being always careful with these things, I ran the MSE before I opened the digital camera's drive (G:\ or whatever) and the MSE caught the aforementioned virus. And I immediately quick-scanned the digital camera and the laptop with the MSE and the MBAM. No more viruses.
Just for the sake of peace of mind, in the last two weeks, I've run a full scan and multiple sessions of quick scans of both the MSE and the MBAM. Nothing. The laptop is clean.
Back to yesterday, I rebooted the laptop, discovered the lowest number of processes when idle was staying at 50. Upon closely looking at the Processes and Services tabs of the Task Manager, I didn't find any anomaly (or so I think). But it seems that the number when idle is 50 now.
What do you guys think has happened here? Not knowing exactly what's happened to my computer is driving me crazy. Please help.
Thank you,
giacomo
Last edited by giacomo; 28 Dec 2011 at 11:47. Reason: For clarity.