Ekrn.exe - what is this? What if ekrn.exe loads the system? How to remove ekrn.exe?

Operating systems Windows only in recent years gradually cease to be perceived as extremely "buggy" and constantly requiring reinstallation. This is largely due to the tireless work of Microsoft's programmers who are working to improve the reliability and stability of the system.

Whatever it was, but the situation when the OS needs to be reinstalled, today definitely has become much smaller. However, problems exist and now. Even with experienced users, it sometimes happens that the system begins to brazenly "brake", although it is installed on the most modern and powerful hardware.

Often this happens through the fault of anti-virus programs, which, because of the huge size of the databases, simply can not help influencing the system. Even NOD, which has always been positioned as the most simple and lightweight antivirus, sometimes "pleases" its users with the ekrn.exe process. What does it mean? Simply this module for some users tightly "hangs" the system, not allowing to work properly at the computer.

What it is?

First, let's talk about what exactly this executable is responsible for. The ekrn.exe process is an essential part of any antivirus product from ESET. It runs as a service at the time of system startup, is a resident module, and therefore is permanently in the operating system's memory. It is he who is responsible for checking and scanning files in real time.

Important!

In some cases (scanning archives, large files), the process ekrn.exe (what it is, we already know) can contribute to a sharp drop in computer performance. Meanwhile, it is strongly discouraged to disable it, because as a result of this action, security can be under great threat.

Tips from the manufacturer

The company ESET itself expresses this unequivocally. The technical support service says that this happens when there are too many files or removable disks checked in real time. To fix the situation, you need to go to the "Settings" item, click the "Advanced" option with the left mouse button, then pay attention to the "Methods of protection" tab. It is recommended to leave the flags only in front of signature and heuristic detection, adware / spyware. In the "Protocol Filtering", only the leftmost mode should be left active.

Such advice is associated with the fact that novice users themselves overload ekrn.exe. What does it mean? The fact is that they expose advanced protection options, put flags against all types of files, including archives, and as a result their computer simply ceases to cope with the load that the resident module of the anti-virus program starts to issue.

Other reasons

However, not always everything is so simple and obvious. Sometimes the settings are reasonable, and the computer is very powerful, but the system still "crushes" ekrn.exe. What is it then? Here it is necessary to understand more in detail.

Experienced users say that this behavior of the resident module should immediately alert you. As experts in the field of computer security note, this inadequate work of the defensive process may well say that there is some malicious program in the system that does not exist in local and cloud databases, but whose behavior is clearly suspicious from the point of view of the heuristic detection method .

What to do and how to be? First, it is necessary to exclude all objects from startup. This is done simply. You must press the Win + R key combination, and in the appeared field enter the command MSConfig. Then you need to go to the "Download" tab, put the "Safe" checkbox there, and then put the checkbox on the "Minimal" sub-item. Then, send the machine to reboot.

As a result, the system will be loaded without most of the "tinsel". Check the behavior of ekrn.exe. What is the process now loading the system? If everything is in order, then the reason, most likely, is that the resident module conflicts with a completely respectable program for some reason. If the process continues to load the system further, then the risk of infection by some unidentified virus is great.

What to do in this case?

There is nothing else than using Live CDs from competitors. We recommend using Dr.Web products and Kaspersky Lab products, since their anti-virus modules deserve excellent reviews from almost all users, even on a global scale.

First you need to go to their official sites, download the required versions of the distributions and write them to an optical disk or USB flash drive. As for the latter, you do not even have to think about how to use a utility to deploy a CD image to a removable disk - the program for this is included in the package.

It is necessary to boot from the media, and then scan the system in the most "hard" mode, even catching potentially dangerous files. It is superfluous to send those for analysis using the relevant items in the menu. Next, you need to reboot the OS and evaluate the result. If all is well, then it really was in the virus.

Important note

It is worth making one small digression. The fact is that some viruses learned to bypass the resident module "Noda" at the start of the system, simply substituting its process for a malicious program with the same name. How to remove ekrn.exe of doubtful origin? This action is no different from the use of the Live CD of other antivirus companies described above. Just boot from them, and then remove the "infection".

Another nuance

In addition, in some cases, ekrn.exe loads the processor due to the fact that several dozens of malicious applications are in the quarantine of the antivirus. You can get out of this situation simply by clearing the quarantine directory from the main anti-virus window of the NOD. Often this simple action can completely solve the problem.

And if it's not the virus?

Could it be that everything that is happening is not the result of malware? Yes, this is also likely. Do you remember how at the very beginning of the article we talked about a possible conflict between the anti-virus resident module and third-party utilities?

ESET specialists themselves admit that such cases with old versions of Java are not uncommon. If this software is installed on your computer, we strongly recommend that you update it to the latest version.

Finally, you can simply turn off the process, exit the "NODA" itself, and then scan the system, for example, Dr.Web CureIT. Still, you never need to completely discount the possibility of infection! Before stopping ekrn.exe, press Ctrl + Alt + Del, go to Process Manager, find the object you need, and then right-click it. In the context menu that opens, select the "Stop" item.

We are updating the version of the antivirus

In the end, often all this happens because of an antiquated version of the antivirus, which something you do not like about your system. Perhaps, in this case, the resident module may conflict with OS services. We strongly recommend that you update the protection program to the latest version, as this will not only protect you from such cases, but will also positively affect the security of the system as a whole.

So we found out why ekrn.exe loads the system. Of course, the reasons can be covered in some technical flaws of the antivirus and even deeper, but in this case we would recommend contacting technical support.