My Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit RTM has started to create folders with random names, and containing 2 .VDM files with random filenames, in the root folder of one of my harddisks. I have 3 harddisks + one external disk on my system. The folders created looks like this: "87354cbb7447d1e4e6e99030a4e1eaae", and contains 2 .VDM files like this: "A30368C8-33E2-4E89-8CE5-9CA07F5DD706mpasdlta.vdm", and "B013DC5F-E3CE-4706-9FD1-00452FB1C4EEmpavdlta.vdm". I need administrator rights to access these folders. Just wondering why they are created, and if I can delete them safely. EDIT: I just checked the owner of the folders, and the owner is "SYSTEM". TIA

They are probably associated with the delta definitions of MS Forefront, though there are lots of letters/numbers before the mpasdlta.vdm & mpavdlta.vdm.e.g., http://www.gilham.org/Blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=aab85845-88d2-4091-8088-a6bbce0a4304&ID=457 4 .vdm files are all variations of definition sets. mpasbase.vdm = Last base signature set of AntiSpyware definitions mpasdlta.vdm = Last delta signature set of AntiSpyware defintions ie if you just installed the client you need to install both mpasbase.vdm and mpasdlta.vdm to be full up to date. mpavbase.vdm = Last base signature set of AntiVirus definitions mpavdlta.vdm = Last delta signature set of AntiVirus definitions again you need both mpavbase and mpavdlta for a new client to update it.

I have the same thing on my second hard drive. I am using Windows 7 Home Premium and don't think I have Forefront installed. Can I delete this folder? I really don't like having lots of folders which I don't know what they are for on the root of my hard drive because it just makes the computer look disorganised and messy, especially when they have garbage names!

I have Security Essentials and I just performed an update and the random directory was created with the vdm file in it. So I believe that they are virus definition files associated with Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft should patch this and make the files hidden to elevate any confusion.

Same problem here. I have Security Essentials, Windows 7 x64 Ultimate. It's interesting that the directories are not on the system partition.

Thanks everybody! I also have Security Essentials, and when I think about it, these files started to appear after I installed it. I just don't understand why they are created on my third harddrive, and not in a temp folder on my system drive. As "hinksy", I also hate when files and folders appear where I don't want them. Looks messy, and I don't like it.

Same here. Win7RC and security essentials. I have had SE for weeks, but only now noticed the folders. I have three folders all created at 12:31 PM for today and the two previous days (10/27, 28 &29). Will have to monitor to determine if these will continue to spawn.

I have same issue. The files only seem to appear on my eSATA drive.

i seemingly have the same issue as well, my files were created Oct 27th, 28th, 29th and the 30th, the folders oddly showed up on my WD500gb_mybook,they dont seem to be large files but, i have limited space on my HDD and eventually these files will begin to take up space, can they be deleted? or do i have to keep em? i am using the same as the others above, Windows7rtm and MSE which has been installed for weeks now which again seems odd as these files just started showing over the last few days..any further insight would be great more so then anyting i wanna know if they can be deleted? if not, what do i do when they reach the capacity of my HDD?i have screens and such posted here: http://www.joejoe.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=20210&st=0&p=246062&#entry246062thanx dj_cityboy

I started noticing these as well recently. I have the following MSE versions on my Windows 7 x32 RC install: Microsoft Security Essentials Version: 1.0.1611.0 Antimalware Client Version: 2.0.6212.0 Engine Version: 1.1.5202.0 Antivirus definitions: 1.69.312.0 Antispyware definitions: 1.69.312.0 Like many of you these are only showing up on my 3rd hard drive (the one with the highest letter name "N:")

I have the same and have deleted them with no ill effects BUT they just come back again after a day:-(

I am getting them too and it's really annoying. Seems like each day a new folder appears off the root of my drive, making everything cluttered.actiprosoftware.com - WPF syntaxeditor, ribbon, docking/mdi, propertygrid, editors, navbar, explorerbar, breadcrumb, gauge, bar code, wizard controls & much mored

I have the same and have deleted them with no ill effects BUT they just come back again after a day:-( did all the previous folders come back? or just a new one the day it was created?i now have another that was created today, its really starting to get annoying and itsmessing up my file structure...:(

to everyone who doesnt like these *.vdm containing folders making thier root directory's look messy, i offer a simple solution: right click on the folder/s and on the properties tab under attributes, change the box to HIDDEN then APPLY/OK, then just click through the next couple of message boxes if any - result: folders GONE! Hard drive root folder looks tidy and MS Security can continue keeping your pc healthy.

^^ great tip, but what do those people do who have limited space? if i have a 500gbHDD and i have little space on it, this doesnt really fix the issue, although it helps to not see em, but i would prefer them to go elsewhere like C:\now that the folder has beenset to hidden if they can be deleted how do i view those folders again?

'did all the previous folders come back? or just a new one the day it was created?' No it was new ones on the day they were created.

Using Vista x64, I get them on my G: drive (I also have H: and I: drives) where I store videos. I like this drive to remain powered down as much as possible, not to mention uncluttered. I would like to move these files to my C: drive also, which has to stay powered up all the time anyway.

I have an 500GB WD in my notebook, and experienced the same "problem". I hope they will fix it in a next version.

Hi All, It is also recommended that you post a new thread to our Microsoft Security Essentials Forum to confirm this and get more information: Microsoft Security Essentials Forums Thanks. Nicholas Li - MSFT

I have checked out a thread on the MSE Forum,Getting started & Upgrading,mpasdlta.vdm,and in the final post from Rob Koch an MVP Moderator, he finishes up by stating 'these are simply temporary files of a few MB in size and I will simply delete them from myPC as I feel the urge, since at this rate it would takeabout a year to use 1GB of space on my relatively small 60GB hard drive' Clearly the 'too difficult light' is flashing at Microsoft!!

I was beginning to wonder if I should just get rid of Security Essentials.

I was beginning to wonder if I should just get rid of Security Essentials. I have the same problem with these random VDM folders being created and not deleted by MSE(5 total so far). Lets see how long it takes before this is resolved.

Judging by the response from Rob Koch, see my post above, the resolution of this problem is a very low priority!

I was beginning to wonder if I should just get rid of Security Essentials. yea I was going to do the same thing - I have sent an email into Paul Thurrott who does Windows Weekly with Leo Laporte and hopefully he will get it fixed, or at least bring it to the attention of a lot more people and ____ off MS I dont really need an anti-virus program, I never get a virus, mostly I have had AVGfree installed but never scan unless I tell it to which I do from time to time and never find anything - really there have been about 5 times or so that I have said "well, I am pretty sure this will be a problem and i will probably get a virus but lets see what happenes" I would have an anti-virus program installed so I would check the file and it would say it has a virus or is suspected to have a virus in it but I do it anyways and I get a virus - so I reinstall Windows which I tend to do every 6-9 months or 1 year at most really (windows gets slow over time because of all those old things I did to it, installing and uninstalling programs and what not) so its not a big deal - now I use a virtual machine to prevent this if this keeps up I will uninstall MSE or restrict access to all drives other than C with some kinda method I havent figured out yet - maybe GPE will do this or maybe the UAC can be made to do this or maybe I have to change write permissions and only turn it on when I need to write to the drive

an even more interesting question is why has this all come about now? why didnt this start happening weeks ago when i first installed Win7 and MSE? what is it that happened on Oct 27th that started this?was there an update or sumthin, i as well have sent an email to Stephen Chapman of MicrosoftKitchen, hopefully someone creates an issue of this, as its a massive pain in the neck, i dont feel as though i should have to go into my drive and set these folders to "hidden" sure it works but its not really a fix.i as well totally feel like uninstalling MSE now as much as i love it, unless a fix comes about, i'll give it a month or so and see what happens...

Just updated MSE and NO VDM files. Has it been fixed?

No VDM files here....hopefully they fix it so fast! Thank you guys!

Much appreciated! Until I found your posts I had even considered a poetical HDD failure as the grounds for the self-spawned files. I too am using Windows 7 x64 w/ Security Essentials.

HDD failure? what would that have to do with these files also if you know whats what you should have a copy of SpinRite, it can detect most all types of failure and repair them (not physical damage, like a head crash or something) if it is ran on a normal basis as a preventive measure (like every 6 months at a min) you would see the ecc corrections climbing up and up and notice that the drive could be near end of life - you really have to work with HD's all the time before you begin to understand what a normal ecc correction rate is but I havent noticed them in a while so maybe it has been fixed - we will see

No VDM files here....hopefully they fix it so fast! Thank you guys! Yes. According to this thread, is should be fixed now. Thanks! http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/mseupdate/thread/cf585d5c-2e51-463f-9134-d9fde5947670?prof=required

HDD failure? what would that have to do with these files Why for a few moments I initially thought that the HDD could be going bad as well as simultaneously thinking it could be software is because I use a couple of external drives for redundant backups. I hadnt reviewed the file structure in a while due to the rotation I use for backups. When I initially looked at the file structure I saw these self-spawned, randomly named files within it. I thought that possibly the drive may be going bad because I hadnt seen these files before on any other drive, including my internal drive. Soon after I had begun looking for non-hardware related causes because the other backed up directories within the drive were still viable. I quickly found this topic and thus was able to delete the files with a full understanding of what was happing. With the MSE randomly named files now deleted I am waiting to see if they re-spawn. As cazber1969 just posted this issue is now possibly fixed.

yea that makes sense, I guess if you had some kinda backup program that was creating folders with strange names because it was corrupted or something - I have seen some image programs that created folders with strange names but you never know this has me thinking, is there a way to tell or maybe a program that will do this for you - to tell you what program created a file or folder

^^ to see hiden files again, inside your directory window click on tools, then folder options, then view, then click on show hidden files/folders.i think everyone would prefer these files to go elsewhere then right on the root directory of c:\ but until microsoft sort out security essentials then i guess its just tough for now.a also have a 500 GB hdd -if your tight for space (each *.vdm fle appears to be appx. 1-2MB) then maybe you could consider getting a 1 TB or 1.5 TB drive - i've seen these for around 65+at www.novatech.co.uk

I had 7 of these folders in the root of drive C and have just deleted them all. I removed Security Essentials a while ago after it stopped working on 4 out of 5 pcs where it would say there was an update and ask if I wanted to update and then proceed to uninstall the current version and then fail to install the new version leaving the pcs unprotected and no amount of messing around in the registry could persuade it to install again. RobinRobin Wilson