What Is ELAN.exe? A Virus Or Malware And Uninstall

While you’re surfing the Internet, you may see the ELAN.exe file running in Task Manager on your computer or someone else’s computer that you’re visiting; either way, it will cause you some level of concern. 

The purpose of this article is to explain what ELAN.exe is, whether it’s safe or unsafe to have it running in Task Manager, and how to remove ELAN.exe from your computer if you choose to do so.

Is it a virus, malware, or anything else?

ELAN.exe can be either a virus or malware, but In this case, it was neither of those things. 

It is just a simple executable file that Windows uses to monitor touchpad activity on your computer, so it’s not something you need to worry about too much unless your computer has been infected with some other kind of malware. 

If you want to make sure it is not an infection, open up Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del and click the Processes tab. 

If you see any entries for ELAN, then remove them by highlighting the process and pressing the End Process button. If there are none, then go ahead and delete the ELAN.exe file from your C: drive. 

If you’re still unsure whether or not the ELAN.exe is a problem after reading this post, feel free to ask us in the comments below!

What Is ELAN.exe?

This file is part of the ELAN software package by Alcatel Microelectronics.

The ELAN.exe file is part of ELAN, a product made by Alcatel Microelectronics. It is not an essential Windows process, and it can be disabled.

This semiconductor manufacturer is located in Oudenaarde, Belgium, and was acquired by STMicroelectronics in 2001.

How does it get on your computer

ELAN.exe is a file that gets on your computer through the use of malware, adware, spyware, or viruses that are downloaded to your computer without you knowing it. 

This often happens when you click on an email attachment from someone you don’t know, download a file from a website that has been hacked, or click on a link in an email from someone you do know but the link takes you to an unsafe site where malware can be downloaded to your computer. 

This is not always the case, though; sometimes ELAN.exe is installed by other programs you have installed on your computer. 

Programs like Junkware Removal Tool will scan for and remove these types of programs for free if they’re detected. 

The best way to prevent this type of infection is to only install programs from reputable sources such as the software company’s website.

Why does it slow down your computer

ELAN.exe is a process that runs in the background when you’re using your computer, it’s not a virus or malware, but it can slow down your computer if you have too many processes running at once. 

When too many programs are opened at the same time, this can cause the computer to slow down as well as use more battery power. 

If you want to speed up your computer without shutting everything down, close some of the open programs! 

Close any apps you don’t need and turn off any features that you don’t need. When turning off these features, be sure to do so from the settings menu instead of just clicking turn off from what you see on your screen.

How To Remove ELAN.EXE From Your Computer

Run your antivirus scan to make sure you don’t have any malware/viruses on your computer. 

Run the Windows Task Manager to check if any processes are running that might be related to the program you want to delete. 

Go through the start menu, find all programs that contain ELAN in them, and delete them completely by right-clicking on the program name and selecting delete from the drop-down menu. Click yes to delete the program. 

After doing this, go into your search bar at the top of your screen and type Windows Explorer. Find C:\Program Files\ELAN Corporation and then select it with a left click of a mouse button. 

Then hit the shift+delete key together which will prompt a confirmation window asking for an ‘are you sure’ response before deleting this folder entirely. Select ok to do so. 

Now reboot your computer and after everything loads back up, go back into your desktop to see if ELAN.exe has been deleted from it. If it has not, repeat these steps until ELAN.exe disappears. 

If you have any questions or concerns please leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! 

Thank you so much for reading and we hope you’ve learned a thing or two about what ELAN.EXE is and how to remove it from your computer.

List of similar files on users’ computers

Sometimes when you download a program, it will install another program as well that may be malicious, for example, an adware program. 

In the case of ELAN, it installed an adware program called Conduit Search Protect and also caused some browsers to crash. 

The virus scans your computer for personal information and sends it back to advertisers who then use this data to serve up targeted advertisements. 

Your computer may show signs of running slower after installing this program because the process is running in the background even if you are not actively using your PC. 

ELAN has been reported by many users as malware or virus, so we recommend uninstalling it from your computer immediately. Some ways you can remove this program include: 

• Using Windows Control Panel: You can go to Programs and Features, click on Uninstall (and click Yes), or go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Find ELAN > Click on Uninstalled. 

• Running a free antivirus scan: We highly recommend downloading anti-malware software like SpyHunter 4 – AntiVirus, which includes real-time scanning capability.

Conclusion

ELAN.exe is a part of an older version of the E-LOOP program, it’s not a virus or malware and can be uninstalled by following these instructions: 

Click on Start, then click on Control Panel (if you are using Windows XP), then double-click Add/Remove Programs, then scroll through the list to find E-LOOP, select it and click Remove. 

The other method for removing E-LOOP from your computer is to go into your C drive and locate the folder that starts with eLoop followed by three digits (ex.: eLoop2). 

When you do that, delete the whole folder. Restart your computer and then re-run the online scan. It should come up clean this time.