Contribution from a reader on Microsoft Office XP component Ctfmon.exe
A reader, Steve Hobberstad, has sent me a contribution describing his problems with a Microsoft Office XP component Ctfmon.exe. According to Microsoft
Ctfmon.exe is the file that is responsible for controlling the Alternative User Input technologies. It starts the Language Bar component (in the Systray) and remains running in the background even after you quit an Office XP program. It also starts each time Windows is started and remains in the background, regardless of whether an Office XP program is started.
In other words, this component runs all the time and according to Steve
Be that as it may, “ctfmon” REALLY screwed up my system! After disabling it not only did the random lost-focus anomaly stop but my system now runs about 150% faster than it has since I rebuilt it last December. It was like getting a new system all over again!
You can read his complete description of his problem and its solution on this page. I have Office XP on my own system but when I installed it, I used a custom install as I always do, and I never installed this component. See the Microsoft FAQ on this component for more information. There are other complaints on the Web about this file so if you have Office XP, you should check into it.
Finally, it should be noted that there are reports on the Web that there is a Trojan that masquerades as this file. The legitimate file will be located in the Windows\System32 folder. If you find it somewhere else other than backup folders, it could be malware.
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