You all know that I build a new computer recently and set it up properly by installing most software on it that I used on my old windows machine.
A quick Task Manager check revealed that the process mDNSResponder.exe that was running on my computer which puzzled me at first because I could not identify an application that was using the file.
Digging a bit deeper revealed that mDNSResponder.exe was associated with the Bonjour Service which was located in E:Program FilesBonjour. I was not aware that I did install this program which either meant another program did install it or that it was maliciously installed on my system.
According to the search engines, mDNSResponder.exe, or the Bonjour Service, is installed with Apple’s iTunes software, Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Creative Suite 3 components. A Knowledge Base article for Adobe Creative Suite 3 explains what Bonjour is all about.
Bonjour is Apple’s open source implementation of zero-configuration networking software. It is used by Adobe Version Cue CS3 client applications to dynamically discover Version Cue Servers on the local network.
And Apple adds:
Bonjour, also known as zero-configuration networking, enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services on IP networks. Bonjour uses industry standard IP protocols to allow devices to automatically discover each other without the need to enter IP addresses or configure DNS servers.
Users have two choices. If they want to disable the service and ensure that mDNSResponder.exe is not running anymore when they work with Windows then they should simply disable the Bonjour Service in Windows.
This is done in the Services management interface of Windows. You reach it with a tap on Windows-R, typing services.msc and hitting enter. You may get a UAC confirmation prompt before the program loads.
Locate the Bonjour Service on the page, the entries are sorted alphabetically, right-click on Bonjour Service and select the disable option from the context menu.
If you want to get completely rid of mDNSResponder.exe and the Bonjour Services do the following:
Press Windows R, type cmd and hit enter. Now navigate to the Bonjour directory using the command cd c:program filesbonjour. Now type mDNSResponder.exe -remove and then in a second step rename mdsnNSP.dll mdsnNSP.bak. Restart the computer and delete the Bonjour directory afterwards.
If you find out that you do need Bonjour you can install it again by downloading Bonjour from the Apple website.