Windows Update: Microsoft Digital Media Server Module

esuhl

For no apparent reason, Windows Update (in Win7) has suddenly offered an optional update that was released in July 2010, and published in December 2012:

Microsoft - Other hardware - Microsoft Digital Media Server Module

The links to "More information" and "Support information" don't work, and I can't find anything online about what this update is supposed to do.

More information: http://sysdev.microsoft.com/support/default.aspx
Support information: https://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub

Does anyone know what this component does?

Neil_Jones

https://superuser.com/questions/356742/what-is-microsoft-digital-media-server-module

esuhl

Thanks. From that link:

It's a virtual device used for streaming digital media out to devices on the network. It gets installed and setup when you enable media streaming via Windows Media Player 12.

If you want to get rid of it, disable media streaming and then in Device Manager -> Digital Media Devices, Uninstall Microsoft Digital Media Server Module.

But... I've never used Windows Media Player. I ran it, and went through the "final installation settings", accepted the privacy statements, etc... And saw that media streaming was disabled by default.

In Device Manager -> Digital Media Devices, the only entry is "Digital Media Device". Going into Properties, Details tab, and selecting "Vendor website" shows http://vodafone.com...

:huh:

I've never used Vodafone as an ISP, but I have recently one of their routers to my network, which I'm using as a network switch and wifi access point. I'm with Sky and using a DrayTek router.

So... I can't see how any Vodafone device drivers could have been installed... The only connection it's ever had to my PC is via Ethernet.

Very strange...

I wonder if something in the web interface has triggered some kind of drive-by installation...?

Neil_Jones

Easy solution: Don't worry about it.
There are all kinds of modern "virtual" devices on Windows that are unique to specific computers and hardware and some that appear on all of them.

esuhl

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Easy solution: Don't worry about it.
There are all kinds of modern "virtual" devices on Windows that are unique to specific computers and hardware and some that appear on all of them.

Ha! I'm just the kind of person who does worry about these things! I like to know what my PC is doing.

I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be there, so I've uninstalled the driver.

I went to scan the registry for anything related to Vodafone or Huawei (the router manufacturer)... and came across nine new registry keys at the top of HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

They're all an @ symbol followed by a Chinese character, each containing a single value named "cl" and two subkeys named "cache2" and "ext"...

Screenshot: https://i.postimg.cc/xTnppQqY/chinese-registry.jpg

I'll run a few anti-malware scans...