"sqlserver.exe" (i am 99% certain) just started running in my Windows Task Manager after i installed "ms office professional edition 2003 with Business Contact Manager". I just did a search on the process called "sqlserver.exe" and came upon an old post in this forum where someone thought it should and could NOT be there because it should not be running on a workstation with only XP on it. Other forums thought it was a virus or something. Hope that helps someone out there.

masterson, If you do a goolgle search for sqlserver.exe it appears to be related to the W32.SQLExp.Worm. The link below has a Removal Tool with instructions. W32.SQLExp.Worm Removal Instructions Tufenuf

Ok, i agree with what you have said, but: I have been doing XP installs for 2 weeks trying to identify some problems with this system in other areas. In my trouble shooting, i have copyied down each new process that has started in the task manager after each new application i intalled. The "sqlserver.exe" only started in the few minutes immedidately after the MS office installation mentioned above. Although my NIC card is active, I did not go to any web sites after that, so it would be practically impossible for me to have gotten a worm by someone scanning my ports that quickly. I just did the newest re-install of XP this morning. The very first and only thing i put on there was AVG 7.1 Pro Edition and updated thru the Grisoft site. So, if i hear you correctly, you are saying that because my XP is now running "sqlserver.exe" it could be vunerable to the "W32.SQLExp.Worm" at sometime in the future?

I would suggest that you try the removal instructions suggested in Response #1. Do yourself a favor BACKUP!!!

ok, i don't disagree with you. but, why do i need to removal that process? I am quite certain it has to do with a SQL database that need to be operable to work with the "business contact manager" that i just installed and hope to start using with this version of "outlook 2003". It would seem that if i "remove it" then this will cause something not to work for what it was intended to do. I have read the above removal instructions and the security patch & knowledge base links from microsoft. Won't a current anti-virus program like AVG 7.1 protect from this worm? I just emailed their tech support, so i will post any reply that i get from them, here. Thanks for your concerns.

If the process is not a virus (which google says it is), I would not worry about it. As long as you don't see it causing problems, I would just forget about it. Fed up with Windows? Try Ubuntu Linux

tonysathre: thank you for your comment. i don't like to just follow the crowd because that's what everyone else is doing. i did get a reply back from AVG (within 30 minutes of my inquiry) and they said the same thing as you.