taskeng.exe Keeps Popping Up

Question

I know there has already been a post about taskeng.exe being a virus and needing to use software to remove it. I've tried using Malwarebytes Antimalware and Windows Defender and did full scans with both and neither found a problem with my computer.

One thing that is different from all other taskeng.exe posts that I have read is that mine isn't having an error at all. It will pop up for what seems like less than a second then quickly goes away.

Is this normal? Is this actually a Microsoft program? When I saw it once in the task manager the description read "Task Scheduler Engine" and it took up 2,040K of memory.

(Also, I'm not sure if I posted this in the correct section or not. If not, please let me know and I'd be happy to move it to the correct thread!)

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

Answer 1

I have the exact same problem as the OP.  Mine seems to just pop up at random times and is gone in under a second, more of a nuisance than anything but I would like to fix it.

It looks like a command prompt with taskeng.exe on the bottom.  I have tested my system with Eset and MalwareBytes Premium.  I also made sure that I have the right programs as mentioned above and they are the right version and come back clean from virustotal.com.

I have checked the task scheduler and it seems that some adobe updates are causing the problem but I am not sure what my next step is and also don't want to hijack this thread.  I would like everyone that has this problem to be able to fix it.

Please let me know if I should make my own thread and where I should do it.  Also, if anyone has any tips that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I just had the same problem and went to check task scheduler and it was GoogleUpdateTaskmachineUA.  I have 3 of these and disabled them all.  Not sure what they do but hopefully they are the culprit and hopefully it helps someone else.

Answer 2

Under what circumstances does it "pop up"?  And what exactly do you see when it does?

Taskeng.exe is a legitimate Windows program.  It is, as you saw, the "Task Scheduler Engine."

Of course, malware can have any name and malware authors often use the name of legitimate files in order to fool people who look using tools like the Task Manager.

If MalwareBytes AntiMalware says your system is clean, you're probably OK.  If you want another opinion, run the free ESET online virus scanner:  https://www.eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/

You can also search for taskeng.exe.  You should find at least one instance of taskeng.exe in C:\Windows\System32

If you have a 64-bit system, this file should be about 453 KB in size and if your system is up to date, it should be version 6.1.7601.17514 (right-click on the file, select "Properties" and look at the "Details" tab).

If you have a 32-bit version, the size will be about 187 KB with the same version.

A 64-bit system will have two copies of the 64-bit version of taskeng.exe and two copies of the 32-bit version:

If you find a file named taskeng.exe that is in a different location or is a different size, upload it to VirusTotal for a free check:  https://virustotal.com/