Vulkaninfo 32: what it is and how to remove it

It depends on where the file is and who signed it, not on the name. Open Task Manager, go to the Details tab, right-click Vulkaninfo32.exe and choose Open file location. A file inside Program Files or System32 with a valid digital signature from a known company is usually part of a legitimate program.

A file in AppData, Temp or ProgramData with no signature, especially one that restarts itself after you end it, is suspicious. If you cannot tie the process to anything you installed, uninstall recent unfamiliar programs and run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan.

Only after you know what it belongs to. If Vulkaninfo32.exe is part of a program, uninstall that program through Settings instead, so its services and tasks go too. If it belongs to nothing and is unsigned, end the process, disable whatever starts it and then delete its folder.

Do not delete files from the Windows folder or files signed by Microsoft: those are part of the system, and removing them can stop Windows from starting. When in doubt, run a Microsoft Defender scan first and let it decide.

Some unwanted programs leave no entry in Installed apps on purpose. Find the program's files instead:

• open Task Manager while an unfamiliar process called Vulkaninfo32.exe in Task Manager is visible
• right-click the process
• choose Open file location

End the process, then look in that folder for an uninstall file. If there is none, delete the folder after checking that it holds nothing you need.

Before deleting, remove the startup entry and any scheduled task that points to it, otherwise it may be recreated. A restart and a full scan in Windows Security finish the job and catch files stored elsewhere.

It depends on the program, and no measurements have been published for Vulkaninfo 32. The sign reported is an unfamiliar process called Vulkaninfo32.exe in Task Manager. Check for yourself: open Task Manager, find its process and watch the CPU, memory and network columns for a minute while the PC is otherwise idle.

Steady use with nothing open is a strong reason to remove it. Even if it seems light, it may run more processes under other names, so sort Installed apps by date and remove anything else from the same day. Then restart and compare.

Ask three questions. Did you install it on purpose? Have you ever opened it?

Does anything you use depend on it? If the answers are no, you do not need it. The sign that brought you here, an unfamiliar process called Vulkaninfo32.exe in Task Manager, suggests it arrived without a clear choice.

Programs bundled with free software rarely do anything their host program needs. Uninstall it, restart, and see whether anything you rely on stops working. If nothing does, which is the usual outcome, you can forget about it.

Not in the strict sense. Nothing reported so far shows Vulkaninfo 32 copying itself, encrypting files or stealing passwords, which is what security companies mean by a virus.

What people see is an unfamiliar process called Vulkaninfo32.exe in Task Manager, which fits an unwanted program: software that arrives bundled with something else and keeps running without being asked for. Many antivirus programs label such software PUP or PUA rather than malware.

That label does not make it harmless. It still uses your PC and connection, may collect data and is often bundled with other programs, so removing it is the right call. Uninstall it from Installed apps, then check startup items and browser settings for its companions.

Often yes, if Potentially unwanted app blocking is on. Microsoft Defender detects many bundled and unwanted programs as PUA, but by default it only blocks them during download in some cases. For a program already installed, uninstall it yourself from Installed apps first, then run a full scan in Windows Security to catch leftovers.

If an unfamiliar process called Vulkaninfo32.exe in Task Manager returns after that, run the Microsoft Defender offline scan, which works before Windows starts. Switching on the PUA setting afterwards helps keep similar programs out.

There is no report of that. Unwanted programs make money from ads, offers, data about your browsing or the use of your connection, not from stealing passwords, and the sign reported here is an unfamiliar process called Vulkaninfo32.exe in Task Manager.

That said, a bundle can contain more than one program, and you cannot be sure what else ran on the day it arrived. After removing Vulkaninfo 32, run a full scan in Windows Security.

If it finds a password stealer or a trojan, change your passwords from another device. If the scan is clean and you see no unknown sign-ins, there is no need to change them.

Turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking in Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings, with both Block apps and Block downloads checked. Download programs from the developer's own site or the Microsoft Store, choose Custom in installers and untick extra offers, and treat large download buttons on file sites as ads.

Apps from the Microsoft Store are checked by Microsoft and uninstall cleanly. Keep real-time protection on, so that bundled offers flagged as unwanted are stopped before they install.

Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.

For Vulkaninfo 32, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.

Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.