Why do I have two iexplore.exe and one explore.exe running in task manager?

Question

I did some research and found that the explorer.exe was corrected with SP1, but the download never successfully completes. I also read the iexplore.exe can be a trojan. How do I know for sure?

Answer 1

"explorer.exe" is the process for Windows desktop. It is a base process for all applications running within Windows and a process which Windows cannot run properly without.



"iexplore.exe" is the process for Internet Explorer, the default browser in which Windows surfs the internet. Below are only three possible answer's to why there could be two.



2: If you have upgraded Internet Explorer to version 8 (Any Beta or RC), then you should be aware that the new browser uses a seperate process of "iexplore.exe" for each tab currently open. If you start your browser, you will automatically have two processes, one for the main browser window and another for the first tab.



Microsoft has implemented this technique into Internet Explorer 8 to accomodate a more effective process priority to each tab. An example would be if you were listening to streaming radio in one tab and surfing in another. The tab which has your focus can and will take priority over the background tab and cause the radio to cutout or even stop. In the new Internet Explorer, each tab has its own process which allows equal priority over CPU time and will not let another tab steal the processing time from any other background tab.





3: If you do not have Internet Explorer version 8, then the most assured answer is that you have a form of adware/malware. You can test this if you go into your task manager and try to end all of the "iexplore.exe" processes and if they manage to return without you opening Internet Explorer or if two open simultaneously when you do (If there are no Pop-Ups).



This is potentially a very serious form of malware. It can steal personal banking and other information, cause numerous performance hinderance's as well as redirecting you to spam websites and causing numerous pop-ups.



Get an adware/malware scanner (I suggest Malwarebytes) and perform an updated scan of your entire computer to remove these threats.

Answer 2

Explorer.exe is the main process for the GUI, meaning that every window, taskbar and the desktop are running thanks to Explorer.exe



iexplore.exe is the executable for Internet Explorer. Having two iexplore.exe's means that you either have two windows open OR that one instance of Internet Explorer is stuck and you have to delete it from the list. you can easily make out which instance it is by observing the amount of memory they use. Most of the times, the one that does not alter its amount is the bad one.

Answer 3

csrss.exe is the main executable for the Microsoft Client/Server Runtime Server Subsystem. This process manages most graphical commands in Windows. This program is important for the stable and secure running of your computer and should not be terminated. Note: csrss.exe is a process which is registered as a trojan. This Trojan allows attackers to access your computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking and personal data. This process is a security risk and should be removed from your system. Determining whether csrss.exe is a virus or a legitimate Windows process depends on the directory location it executes or runs from. Check that csrss.exe is stable on your computer.

Answer 4

iexplore.exe is the executable for Internet Explorer, the web browser.



explorer.exe is the executable for Windows Explorer, the program used to navigate through folders on your PC, its also used to show the desktop including the start menu and desktop icons.

Answer 5

explorer.exe is important as it provides all your start menu and desktop icon and any explorer window.

iexplorer.exe is the Internet Explorer running. Close IE. If then also this process is running, then it is a virus.