[gold_y]

in msconfig ,under startup tab i see an item ctfmon running with command listed as "C:\windows\system32\ctfmon.exe " and location listed as "software\microsoft\windows\CurrentVersion\run" not in any HKeys.i know this file is related to microsoft office but i donot have office installed on my system and use open office and hence cannot delete the file.Kindly tell me why it is there and how it can be deleted.

[Gizzy]

This should help http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282599

It gives info about ctfmon.exe as well as how to stop it from starting with windows.
Follow the instructions for your version of windows.

[gold_y]

i have tried the options listed on the webpage and still see an icon listed in msconfig the article says it wont go away.what should i do?

[Gizzy]

You tried the 3 steps for uninstalling it on that page?

That usually works for me....

The article says it won't go away if you try and remove it from msonfig but it will if you follow the 3 steps they have on that page.

[gold_y]

yes i tried all 3 steps

[Gizzy]

Have you un-checked it in msconfig as well as the steps on that page and restarted your computer?

And under task manager (ctrl > alt > delete) is ctfmon.exe under running processes?

Or does it not start with your computer and it's just a leftover entry in msconfig?

[perfume]

Dear gold_y,
Since you are not using MS Office, you may uninstall ctfmon.exe using a removal tool which you can download from this site. Forgive his English,it's atrocious!http://www.techmixer.com/remove-ctfmonexe-in-windows-with-ctfmon-remover/

As said in any EULA,don't hold me responsible for any damage that may occur in this process!LOL.

[gold_y]

well i tried restarting the computer that i hadnt earlier and it was still there.also this time when i tried regsvr32.exe /u msimtf.dll.it says dllunregisterServer in msimtf.dll failed and gives a return code0x80004005

[Kathandbrian]

I can remember when I was using Windows XP that ctfmon.exe was always shown in the Start Up list in MSConfig and I always disabled it. A couple of years ago whilst using a programme called The Ultimate Troubleshooter it recommended that ctfmon.exe should be left on the StartUp list as it was used for Windows Automatic Updates. They did not know why. As I had been having problems with WAU I enabled ctfmon and WAU worked a treat!

Whether this is any help I cannot tell - thought it may have been of interest.

[gold_y]

well ii have disabled Ctfmon.exe and dont seem to have any problems with it.

[Cookiegal]

Did you ever have MS Office installed on this computer? Keep in mind this file can also be a virus in some cases.

[gold_y]

i tried to install it on my system once but decided to go with open office instead.i did a partial install and then uninstalled it.then there is this another problem even though i have disabled it in startup items i sometimes see another entry of same name in startup and usually have to delete the registry entry associated with the process to do away with it although the first 1 always stays.I cant give the exact location of this other entry right now as i didnt note it down but i dont know how it gets created on my system.i use avast home edition and there seems to be no problem and the scan comes clean.

[Cookiegal]

I don't know what version of Office it was but here's a more recent article about Office 2003. If it wasn't Office 2003 then don't proceed:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823586

If you're comfortable doing the suggested registry changes, I recommend that you create a back up of the registry first so you can restore it if something goes wrong.

Please go to Start - Run and copy and paste the following and then click OK:

regedit /e c:\registrybackup.reg

It won't appear to be doing anything and that's normal. Your mouse pointer may turn to an hour glass for a minute.

When it no longer has the hour glass, check in your C drive to be sure you have a file called registrybackup.reg before going ahead with the changes in the artile.

Let us know how it goes please.

[Jason08]

I think I read somewhere that it should have system32 in its directory. If not, then it may be a virus.

[Cookiegal]

It should be in the System32 directory but even the malware version can install itself there.