mdm.exe - Machine Debug Manager
Application and script debugging resources are provided to the Windows OS by the mdm.exe process. MDM is an abbreviation for Machine Debug Manager. This is a legitimate, but optional component of Windows. If you're not using your machine for development purposes, you can safely deactivate the mdm.exe process. However, doing so may cause an OS "hang" if you have MS Visual Studio installed. This is because the mdm.exe process appears to take over error handling that's required by Visual Studio.Disabling this process is relatively simple: you simply open Control Panel -> Internet Options, select the Advanced tab, and select the Disable Script Debugging option. You must then restart Internet Explorer in order to complete the process. Users of Windows 98 and Me must also follow additional Registry-related steps, which are documented on the Microsoft Web site.
According to Microsoft, this file originally was delivered with the Microsoft Script Editor and was included in Office 2000. It's also a component, as noted above, in Visual Studio and can be downloaded from Microsoft's site.
Some reports of viruses and other malware impersonating mdm.exe have been noted on other sites. Depending on the version involved, the legitimate mdm.exe will either be found in c:\windows\system32 (older copies only) or in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7Debug. Copies found in other locations should be considered suspect.
If disabling Script Debugging and restarting Internet Explorer does not terminate a running mdm.exe process, check the Services control panel to see if this process is still in a Started state. If so, stop it manually. If a copy of mdm.exe is still seen in the Windows Task Manager after it's been stopped manually, you should immediately run a full virus/malware scan.
As always, if you suspect a malware infestation you should download and run a current copy of an antivirus/malware scanner in order to isolate and remove the offending application. Be sure to obtain the most recent definition files, since these are critical to the removal of current malware variants.
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