Is this a hack?

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hoi.polloi
Member
Posts: 5060
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 7:24 pm

Is this a hack?

Unread post by hoi.polloi »

I got a weird thing on my computer called QTSTimer but nobody on the interwebs seems to know what it is and all the forums I found on the subject are locked.

I resent having to use a Windows computer for work, but here I am with it and complaining even though I know it's just an endless headache with Windows machines. Besides the solution of not installing Micro$oft on my computer, what can I do to shut down this QTSTimer thing for good?

Is it Quicktime related, possibly?
warriorhun
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Posts: 514
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:26 pm

Re: Is this a hack?

Unread post by warriorhun »

Dear hoi.polloi,

I am no way computer expert. I just googled ask.com, and typing it in, this one came up:
http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/processes.html
It says:
Name: QTSTIMER Purpose: unknown spyware, possibly related to InterActual video player
regex
Banned
Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:30 pm

Re: Is this a hack?

Unread post by regex »

I don't know if you use Quicktime or iTunes. So my suggestion is to close QT/iTunes and don't let it start when you boot your computer.

Start -> Run -> Then type "msconfig"
Then you will find a Tag called "Systemstart" and you can unmark Quicktime and/or iTunes.

If this file is connected with QT/iTunes, it wouldn't be a running process after a reboot.

What I found on the interwebs (there is suprisingly not much information about it) was, that some people thought that this file would harm their computers, so I'm not sure what this file actually is up to.

Best would be to run a full scan (registry too).

I'm just curious, but how did you detect that file? Is it a running process?
hoi.polloi
Member
Posts: 5060
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 7:24 pm

Re: Is this a hack?

Unread post by hoi.polloi »

I found that too, but if it was caused by playing a MOV file, I didn't use InterActual. Oh, well. It seems to have fixed itself but it caused everything to go buggy for a while.

What happened was I restarted my computer and Windows alerted me that QTSTimer was refusing to quit - and it didn't show up in the process list so it was mildly disconcerting.

I hate iTunes and I don't use it, but I did play a MOV file earlier which may have triggered it? Anyway, the restart seems to have shut down the process. Apple is warring with M$ on my machine. They don't play well together. ;)
regex
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Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:30 pm

Re: Is this a hack?

Unread post by regex »

hoi.polloi wrote:I
I hate iTunes and I don't use it..
Who doesn't? :P
...but I did play a MOV file earlier which may have triggered it?
I'm pretty sure this has triggered it. Did you watch it in your browser? If so, some plugin could have caused this issue. I just read somewhere, that the quicktime plugins for firefox and safari have something to do with it.

Whatever, good to hear that this problem has solved itself.
hoi.polloi
Member
Posts: 5060
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 7:24 pm

Re: Is this a hack?

Unread post by hoi.polloi »

Thanks, I will leave this thread in case anyone encounters some suspicious activity on their computer that they'd like to report for whatever reason, but for now I'm going to lock this thread and let it get buried. It's really not as important as the Japan and Libya and Egypt subjects.
Locked