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M9340

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WINOSCFG.EXE Loading

In my system configuration utility under win.ini
it shows this loading when I click on the windows folder -   Load=C:\WINDOWS\WINOSCFG.exe
What is it and how do i remove it totally?
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cookre
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I found this page that might be helpful:

http://www.computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/100385.html

Have not found anything else that might explain what it is, but as the computing net reply on the above page said, it could be a virus.
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stevenlewis

find the file in windows explorer, right click choose proerties, then check the version, see who makes it
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Cookre, you said, If everything runs OK for several days, go back and delete the renamed file.
do I just delete the renamed file and leave Load=C:\WINDOWS
please explain. thank you.
So far everything seems fine since i did what you said.
If the line in the ini file is just LOAD=C:\WINDOWS, you can delete that now - it's not doing anything now anyway.

The reason I had you rename the file itself was just in case it turned out to be something you might need.  As you can see, none of us are really sure what the file is (although it is certainly NOT a Microsoft file that's part of the OS), since there are only three hits to it by the various search engines.

Hence, if everything seems to run OK with the file itself named something else (i.e., no program that may be looking for the file under its' original name complains or craps out[fine technical term that], then you can either just leave it or, assuming it is a worm that, oddly enough, none of the main scanner vendors seems to know anything about, you're probably best off simply deleting it.
Do you have any antivirus software loaded?  You may want to invest in some.  That may help you find out if it is a virus or not.

Maybe try one of these if you dont want to buy any:
http://housecall.antivirus.com/
http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm
http://www.free-av.com/

Here is a list of some of the free AV progs out there:
http://www.thefreesite.com/Free_Software/Anti_virus_freeware/
Have it scan WINOSCFG.exe file as well as your system.
It may remove it if it is a virus.  
I checked several virus companies virus databases and they did not list the file as a virus.  That does not mean that it is not one though.
lpenrod, did you have the virus databases scan it?!  not just to see if the file is listed as a virus.  Did you scan it that is the main thing.  And I agree it may not mean that it is not a virus.  But at least check to see if it is scanned as a virus.
No.  I don't have that file installed.  I was just checking to see if a file what that name was listed.
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Yes I have a anti virus that is installed and up to date and it does not find that file as being a virus.
A few weeks ago I did find that I had some kind of spyware on my system that i removed it was MSBB.EXE
Maybe this WINOSCFG.exe is some how connected to that.
It only shows up in the win.ini as Load=C:\WINDOWS\WINOSCFG.exe    I can not find any other reference to it anywhere in windows.
Ok, another thing to try if it may be leftovers of Addware such as Gator or spyware or commet cursor or anything like this.  Try:

http://63.217.29.135/downloads.html

It will take to you ad-ware download site where you can download an ad-ware remover.  It is excellent and it provides a free version.  This program found like over 30 instances of AD-ware on my machine that I didn't know was running on my machine.  And got rid of lots of unwanted files related to ad-ware on my machine.  Try it and see if that gets rid of the file in question.

If you take a look at this Annoyances.org forum thread, you will find that MSBB.EXE is installed as a program that monitors your web surfing, and one of the programs that puts it there is Bearshare.  Do you use Bearshare?  
Whoops, forgot to include the url for the forum:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win95/n1011997046
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I have a addware remover. I don't use bearshare.

cookre, I deleted the the line LOAD=C:\WINDOWS  like you said.
Everything is fine. Why is there something that looks like a pencil still there in the line?
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I have a addware remover. I don't use bearshare.

cookre, I deleted the the line LOAD=C:\WINDOWS  like you said.
Everything is fine. Why is there something that looks like a pencil still there in the line?
Stray character? Semi-colon? Exclamation mark?  Vertical bar?

If that's all that's there, just get rid of the whole line.
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You really helped. Thanks to everyone for all your input