Does anyone know what this file is or whether or not I can delete it? PHQGHUM.EXE-33CBB64F.pf It showed up a few days ago in my Windows/Prefetch folder, and I started having trouble logging on to the internet and on to Outlook Express. When I ended each of my processes in Task manager to check to see which one was causing the problem, it seemed to be this one. When I boot up, this process starts running & I have problems, but once I end the process, everything starts working. I started to just delete it but was afraid to since it was in the Windows folder. Can anyone help me?

Every file within the prefetch folder is fair game. As a matter of fact I empty the prefetch folder on my PC very often. -- Always do what you are afraid to do --

What is the purpose of the prefetch folder anyway?

The prefetch files contain information that helps windows load programs faster. As for the PHQGHUM.exe file itself, it's likely a nasty since ending process fixes your 'net problems, and a Google search gives nothing (which is often the case for bad files that use random file names). If you want to be absolutely sure about deleting it, rename the file after you end process on it, then if everything's OK for a while, just delete it. You can also use MSCONFIG to remove the startup reference to it.

On my XP I had identical problems to those described by twood. I've now installed Norton Internet Security 2005 which has confirmed that phqghum.exe is attempting to make connections through open ports (I've blocked these attempts). Norton Internet Security 2005 has cleaned up a Sasser Worm problem, but it hasn't found anything else. I'm a novice at this stuff, so I'm probably on the wrong board... But does anybody have any idea whether I have an additional problem which has not been detected by Norton?