"Windows on Windows Executable environment process, or more specifically Win16 on 
Win32 – it runs on Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003. WOWEXEC is started by NTVDM.  As explained 
elsewhere on these pages, NTVDM is itself started every time you run a 16-bit program 
(this may be a DOS program, a Windows 3.1 program, or even a program designed for 
Windows 9x/NT4 but which has a mixture of 16-bit and 32-bit programming code)."

Recommendation : 
Leave alone – see NTVDM for more details:

http://www.answersthatwork.com/







On Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 10:53 am, BloodStorm wrote:

>I am writing on behalf of my roommate who runs a machine with Windows 2000 on it. 

>A few days ago he noticed a command prompt window flash when he started windows 
as 

>it was loading then he found in taskmanager's process window a wow.exe entry that 

>he had not noticed before. A further search revealed wow.exe was in his system32 

>folder and also in his dllcache subfolder under that. His computer has been sluggish 

>for a long time and he's never been able to find a cause, long time on boot up etc. 

>It is a secondhand machine that was used in a business before he got it so he is 

>not sure of all the previous software it may have had installed. Searches on google 

>are frustrating as some warn it may be part of a malicious spyware while other sources 

>say wow.exe is something inherent to windows for running 16 bit programs. Since 
he 

>does things like online banking and bill paying he is concerned about his security 

>and would like to know if this is something that is a threat. Any help would be 
appreciated.

>
 

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