Desktop Doctor
What is Desktop Doctor?
This is primarily a white labeled SupportSoft application that has been seen bundled various unwanted applications such as the Comcast Toolbar.
Overview
Desktop Doctor is a software program developed by Comcast. The most common release is 2.5.5, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The software is designed to connect to the Internet and adds a Windows Firewall exception in order to do so without being interfered with. The setup package generally installs about 112 files and is usually about 7.02 MB (7,357,440 bytes). The installed file sprtupdate.dll is the auto-update component of the program which is designed to check for software updates and notify and apply them when new versions are discovered. Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 7 (SP1) and Windows Vista (SP2). While about 98% of users of Desktop Doctor come from the United States, it is also popular in United Kingdom and France.
Program details
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\DesktopDoctor
Uninstaller: MsiExec.exe /I{D87149B3-7A1D-4548-9CBF-032B791E5908}
(The Windows Installer is used for the installation, maintenance, and removal.)
Estimated size: 7.02 MB
Language: English (United States)
Files installed by Desktop Doctor
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sprtsvc.exe (by SupportSoft) - SupportSoft sprtsvc (SupportSoft Agent Service)
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bcont.exe (by SupportSoft) - SupportSoft Container
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bcont_nm.exe
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libeay32.dll (by The OpenSSL Project, http://www.openssl.org/) - The OpenSSL Toolkit (OpenSSL Shared Library)
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sprtcmd.exe - SupportSoft sprtcmd
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sprtfod.dll - SupportSoft sprtfod (sprtfod)
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sprtsched.dll - SupportSoft sprtsched (sprtsched)
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sprtsync.dll - SupportSoft SyncManager Sprocket (sprtsync)
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sprtupdate.dll - SupportSoft sprtupdate (sprtupdate)
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tgshell.exe - SupportSoft Software Protection Shell
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wificfg.exe - SupportSoft, Inc. wificfg (wificfg)
Behaviors exhibited
Scheduled Task
- bcont.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{E14F7417-56F7-4F96-8733-A3FC2AD5EE78}' (runs on registration).
Scheduled Task (Boot/Login)
- sprtcmd.exe is automatically launched at startup through a scheduled task named 2.
Service
- sprtsvc.exe runs as a service named 'SupportSoft Sprocket Service (ddoctorv2)' (sprtsvc_ddoctorv2) "SupportSoft Sprocket Service".
Startup File (All Users Run)
- sprtcmd.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'ddoctorv2' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Comcast\Desktop Doctor\bin\sprtcmd.exe" /P ddoctorv2.
3 Windows Firewall Allowed Programs
- sprtsvc.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Postoffice\bin\sprtsvc.exe'.
- bcont_nm.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Postoffice\agent\bin\bcont_nm.exe'.
- sprtcmd.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Comcast\Desktop Doctor\bin\sprtcmd.exe'.
How do I remove Desktop Doctor?
You can uninstall Desktop Doctor from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program Desktop Doctor, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Desktop Doctor.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 45%
Win Vista 0%
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HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
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USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 43%
Keep it 57%
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Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
46.38% |
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| Windows Vista |
41.82% |
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| Windows XP |
7.87% |
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| Windows 10 |
3.93% |
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Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
39.96% |
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| Windows Vista Home Premiu... |
34.73% |
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| Microsoft Windows XP |
7.74% |
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| Windows Vista Home Basic |
4.60% |
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| Windows 7 Professional |
3.56% |
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| Windows 7 Ultimate |
2.30% |
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Geography
98.21% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
98.21% |
| United Kingdom |
0.36% |
| France |
0.24% |
| India |
0.24% |
| Mexico |
0.24% |
| Singapore |
0.12% |
| South Africa |
0.12% |
| Netherlands |
0.12% |
| Germany |
0.12% |
| Canada |
0.12% |
| BG |
0.12% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Dell |
37.57% |
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| Hewlett-Packard |
36.72% |
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| Toshiba |
11.58% |
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| Acer |
7.34% |
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| Gateway |
2.54% |
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| GIGABYTE |
1.69% |
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| American Megatrends |
1.13% |
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| ASUS |
0.85% |
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| Lenovo |
0.56% |
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Common models |
| Dell Inspiron 530s |
5.20% |
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| Dell Inspiron 530 |
4.40% |
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| HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... |
4.00% |
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| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
3.60% |
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| TOSHIBA Satellite A505 |
3.20% |
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| HP G60 Notebook PC |
2.80% |
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About Comcast
Comcast is the largest cable operator and media conglomerates, home Net service provider in the United States, providing cable tv, broadband Net, phone service and in some areas home security to both residential and commercial customers.
Publisher URL: www.comcast.com