ssdpsrv.exe

[Jomama]

I found this in my start up file today. I am running 98SE. Doing a search i could only find that it is an ME file and "connecting to a computer running this file will crash the server"
Could this have been added by M$ during an update or some other program? The only thing I added was a weather program called Weather bug. I disabled it in MSCONFIG and so far havent seen any diff. This comp is on a p to p nw all of which run only 98SE.
Can anybody explain in laymans terms what this file is about?

[Redo40]

I copied this off of Pacs-portal startup list:
Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) and General Event Notification Architecture (GENA) services for network plug and play functionality. Starts up a web server on port 5000. Used by Universal Plug and Play (for network device discovery). To remove this program, open Add/Remove Programs, select either Communications (Me) or Networking Services (XP), and remove the checkmark next to Universal Plug and Play.

I would just leave it unchecked in msconfig (what I have actually done).

[GaryRouth]

I believe Weather Bug has been associated with SpyWare, a la the GATOR group of callhome tracking. It's opening that port so it can send its reports on where you've been on the Internet.

LavaSoft's AdAware and SpyBot's Search & Destroy can probably remove it, as well as any other spies & worms crawling about.
AdAware - - http://www.lavasoft.de
Search & Destroy - - http://security.kolla.de/index.php?l...&page=download
And even more anti-spyware tools - - http://www.spywareinfo.com/downloads.php

. . . Gary

[. . . and for a more in-depth discussion of what Gator is and does, see the newsletter article: http://www.spywareinfo.com/newslette...es/1003/28.php ]