Question

What is the .rnd file for on my C:\ drive?

Asked by: RWJDCom

On all of my Windows Vista computers I have a file called .rnd that is located on the root of the C:\.  I know that the file is probally some sort of random seed or hash file generated for some application on the pc but i'd like to know which one.

I have read a few places online that it says that it's for NTP or something, but i am not sure of that answer.  Can anyone tell me exactly what this file is used for?

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Asked On
2009-11-03 at 07:08:38ID24867284
Tags

.rnd file random seed hash

Topics

Windows Vista

,

Encryption for Network Security

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
2

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Answers

 

by: TolomirPosted on 2009-11-03 at 07:40:49ID: 25729993

This either from network time or putty.

See http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/what-the-heck-is-an-rnd-file

Tolomir

 

by: pjvogPosted on 2009-11-04 at 21:27:44ID: 25746986

I have it on a few machines, all of the file dates are close to the initial installation.  Otherwise, from googling, NTP yes, putty, and autocad are supposedly sources of the file, oh, and some installations of vmware.

I've honestly never noticed it before.  You could try using the process manager in hijackthis, or process explorer and open random programs to see which one references the file.  Out of the programs listed as possibilities for creating it, I only have vmware installed, and it doesn't reference the file when starting up or running.

It was also mentioned that .rnd files are commonly seen in conjunction with OpenSSL, but I have no info on that.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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