Vista - Strange File Names are appearing

I was persuing my hard drvie a while ago, and I noticed a strange directory
hanging out in the C: root. It's 28 characters of mixed numbers and
lower-case letters. I figured this was some sort of malware, but Norton is
giving me a clean bill of health. Inside is a .log file with another strange
name beginning with "msxml4". Is this some sort of system file that I'm
unaware of, a directory that some program or HP put in here, or something far
more sinister?

Ok, I just googled the file name and found my own solution (probably what I
should have done in the beginning). Turns out that the folder and file were
put in place by a Microsoft XML Core security update. While I didn't read to
far into it, apparently this is caused by the improper install of this
update. Should anyone else come across this problem, you can follow
directions posted on the web on how to properly install the update, thus
deleting the folder. I don't have any links for these instructions, but
apparently they exist on the MS support page somewhere. I haven't attempted
to fix this update yet, but when I do I'll post furhter information for
anyone who wants to know.

"Taoist_Jeff" wrote:

> I was persuing my hard drvie a while ago, and I noticed a strange directory
> hanging out in the C: root. It's 28 characters of mixed numbers and
> lower-case letters. I figured this was some sort of malware, but Norton is
> giving me a clean bill of health. Inside is a .log file with another strange
> name beginning with "msxml4". Is this some sort of system file that I'm
> unaware of, a directory that some program or HP put in here, or something far
> more sinister?