PC Pitstop is the undisputed leader in PC diagnostics. Our running process library is culled from our database of over 100 million PC diagnostics and scans.

Tip from the PitCrew

Each and every process running on your computer takes up CPU cycles and valuable memory. For optimal PC performance and resource utilization, you should be aware of every process on your computer. PC Pitstop designed this process library to help you know which processes are worthwhile and others that slow system performance.

Furthermore, perhaps the quickest and most straight forward method to detect malware is through a running process analysis.

Process Library

  
PC Pitstop Libraries > Process Library > mdm.exe

mdm.exe (Debugger)

PC Pitstop Analysis

MDM.EXE (Machine Debug Manager) is a component of several Microsoft products, including Office 2000, FrontPage, and Visual Studio. It is also used for the IE Script Debugger if you have selected that option. Under Windows 98/Me, MDM leaves unneeded files of the form FFF*.TMP in your Windows directory. You will want to clean these up every few weeks. To prevent MDM from running: In Internet Explorer, click Tools | Internet Options | Advanced. Under the Browsing section, check the box next to "Disable script debugging." If MDM persists, you may need to remove its auto-start entry using MSConfig.

Recommendation

PC Pitstop Optimize

mdm.exe is a user invoked program and a normal part of PC operations. No action required.

PC Pitstop recommends WinPatrol Plus for monitoring all of the background activity on your PC. WinPatrol Plus provides a easy to understand descriptions of over 15,000 processes and programs.

Identification

In addition to the file name, mdm.exe, the following version information is used to identify the file. If the file does not match this information, it may be a different file. To ensure the file is absolutely correct, run a free and comprehensive scan.

Vendor contains:Microsoft
Product contains:Microsoft

To view version information with Windows Explorer, right-click the file and click Properties, Version.

PC Pitstop Database Comparisons

Every week, we update our information about the running programs identified during the previous week's testing. mdm.exe (Debugger) has been seen on 21.92% of systems tested at PC Pitstop. As a point of comparison, it is rare for a particular malicious program (virus or spyware) to be seen on more than one or two percent of all systems tested.

PCs running this program did not have a high average CPU load during testing, which indicates it does not consume a great deal of CPU time on most systems.

Important note: A file name alone may not be enough for positive identification. PC Pitstop's full tests and spyware scan use information such as the company name, product name, or install directory. If you are unable to identify a file, ask about it in our forums after running our full tests.