Have you done a spyware scan to see if it shows up on that?  Use AdAware (what I use) or SpyBot.

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@fireberd wrote:
Have you done a spyware scan to see if it shows up on that?  Use AdAware (what I use) or SpyBot.

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Yes, I ran Spybot first thing this morning and it didn't catch it even though my definitions are up to date.  Strangest thing, I can't find anything about this file, anywhere.

Do a search for the file on your hard drive (be sure to allowing searching in hidden files and system files).  When you find the file, right click on it and select properties.  Then see if there is any information in the Properties section that tells you who produced the file or what it might be.

Steve

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@volcano11 wrote:

Do a search for the file on your hard drive (be sure to allowing searching in hidden files and system files).  When you find the file, right click on it and select properties.  Then see if there is any information in the Properties section that tells you who produced the file or what it might be.

Steve

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The properties tell me that it was created and modified on my system yesterday; that the file is an application and that it is found in the c:\Windows\application data\Identities folder.  When I go to that folder to find it, it is not there.

You can't find it probably because your folder options are not set to view hidden files and system files.  Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools > Folder options, click on the View tab, then, under hidden files, make sure "Show hidden files and folders" is selected, remove the check mark next to "Hide extensions for known file types", remove the checkmark in front of "Hide protected operating system files".  You should then be able to see this file in Windows Explorer.  Once you right-click on the file and select Properties, there are lots of other things you can look at.  On the version tab, for example, there is a list under "Information".  If you click on each entry in that list, it gives information in a pane on the right.  See if that information helps you figure out where the file came from.

Steve

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@volcano11 wrote:

You can't find it probably because your folder options are not set to view hidden files and system files.  Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools > Folder options, click on the View tab, then, under hidden files, make sure "Show hidden files and folders" is selected, remove the check mark next to "Hide extensions for known file types", remove the checkmark in front of "Hide protected operating system files".  You should then be able to see this file in Windows Explorer.  Once you right-click on the file and select Properties, there are lots of other things you can look at.  On the version tab, for example, there is a list under "Information".  If you click on each entry in that list, it gives information in a pane on the right.  See if that information helps you figure out where the file came from.

Steve

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OK, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here we go. 

 As you can see, there is little available to look at.  Just one general tab, no version tab.

 

You mention the folder \Windows\Application data; that does not normally occur in XP, but is in earlier versions of Windows. What version of Windows do you have?

Well, there are certainly no hints there.  I would be suspicious.  I have searched all of the usual sources and found absolutely nothing.  That is pretty unusual.  Have you run a virus scan with up to date defintions?  Did you install anything yesterday or download anything from the internet yesterday?  Have you tried renaming the file to something like nrst.old and seeing if it has any effect on anything you normally do on your computer?

Steve

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@JRosenfeld wrote:
You mention the folder \Windows\Application data; that does not normally occur in XP, but is in earlier versions of Windows. What version of Windows do you have?

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Sorry, didn't see your message.  I am running 98SE. 

OK, I went to rename the file and was told that it was being used by Windows, so I did the old ctrl+alt+del thing to see if it was actually running and it was.  I shut it down and renamed it, rebooted and this time, it didn't request to cross my firewall.  Maybe I killed it....lol.  How about deleting the entry from my system registry?  Should I give it a whirl?