flashplayer_update.exe

[OKstate11]

flashplayer_update.exe runs very heavy at startup causing my laptop fan to run loudly. After about 20 minutes it crashes with the error "flashplayer_update.exe has stopped working". How can I stop this from running at startup?

[pwillener]

What is your Windows version?  What is your Flash Player version?

Honestly I don't know what that file is; I don't have any such file on any of my systems where Flash Player is installed.

Can you check your startup list and find where that file is located on your system?

[OKstate11]

I am running Windows 7 Pro 64 bit.

The file is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe Flash Player.

Everytime I boot my laptop I have to go in Task Manager and end process or it has a cpu usage of over 50% til it errors out in about 20-25 minutes

[pwillener]

Frankly, this is a mystery to me.  I have the same system as you, with Flash Player 11.7.700.169 (ActiveX and plugin) installed, but I do not have such a file or folder on my system?

Does the file have a digital signature?  Could it be malware?

[OKstate11]

Norton does not recognize it as malware.

Don’t know if it has a digital signature.

I delete it and everytime I boot up it reappears back in the same folder running in the background again.

[pwillener]

Right-click on that file and select Properties, then click on the Digital Signature tab.  Is it signed by Adobe Systems Inc.?

[OKstate11]

There is no Digital Signature tab. This is what I have:

[pwillener]

Then it's not signed by Adobe, meaning it's not an Adobe file.

Delete the folder and remove the item from the startup list.

[OKstate11]

I’ve deleted the folder, removed all startup items, removed all registry entries, and uninstalled all Adobe programs and every time I reboot, that folder reappears, and the file is running in the background again.

[pwillener · Accepted solution]

Your system seems to be infected with some nasty; try http://www.malwarebytes.org/

[OKstate11]

Malwarebytes found the file as a trojan and permanently removed it. Norton did not find it. Thanks for your help, problem solved.....

[pwillener]

Great; I'm glad that this mystery is cleared up!