WinLogon Process – USERINIT.EXE

Userinit.exe is a process in Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and Windows 7. It will be found in your Windows\System or System32 folder. It specifies the programs that Winlogon runs when a user logs on. By default, Winlogon runs Userinit.exe, which runs logon scripts, reestablishes network connections, and then starts Explorer.exe, the Windows user interface. This file can be configured to add, remove, or substitute programs. We'd recommend against removal.

If you use Windows XP and you find that the My Documents folder opens on system startup, userinit.exe could be the cause. More info can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555294. If you start Windows Vista and see the Welcome screen momentarilly and are then logged off, you'll find a fix at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929825.

If you find a file called userinit.exe in your Windows folder rather than Windows\System or System32, you could have the W32/Tilebot-EV virus. This worm runs on system startup and could allow a malicious user to access your system. You'll find more information at http://www.sophos.com/security/analyses/viruses-and-spyware/w32tilebotev.html.

Safe

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