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Anyone know about an "iserror.txt" file that randomly pops up in different spots? I would give additional info on what's in the files, but I deleted all of them before posting. For the record, I have recently ran Spybot S&D. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Nate

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Following 's report and 's observation that the files looked like plain-text error dumps, this same "iserror.log"/"iserror.txt" pattern has been reported many times on community sites. Posts show the files contain human-readable diagnostic output (coordinates, path lists) that looks like a program's internal print/fill tracing — not a typical virus payload — so treat them as suspicious but probably benign application logs until proven otherwise. (windowsbbs.com)

Quick, practical checks (safe, non-destructive):

  • Note the file path and timestamps (Creation/Modified). If the file appears in a user folder right after running a graphics/printing app, that app is the likely source. Adobe and other image/print tools are known to write program error or diagnostic logs. ()
  • Scan the file and the machine with an up-to-date antivirus/Windows Defender (full scan if unsure). Microsoft documents how to run on‑demand and full scans. (support.microsoft.com)

Run these commands in an elevated PowerShell to locate and safely read a sample:

# find any iserror files under C:
Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Include 'iserror*.txt','iserror*.log' -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Select-Object FullName,Length,LastWriteTime

# view the first 200 lines of one file (read-only)
Get-Content -Path 'C:\path\to\iserror.txt' -TotalCount 200

If the file keeps reappearing and the creator is unknown, use Sysinternals Process Monitor to capture the write event (run Procmon elevated, add a filter like "Path contains iserror" → Include, then reproduce). Procmon will show which process opened/created the file and its command line; Autoruns can then check for persistence if a process looks suspicious. If the originating program is a known image/print tool, check its preferences or update/repair it; if the producer is unknown or malicious, keep the trace for AV/forensic analysis and run an offline scan. (learn.microsoft.com)

Most forum cases turn out to be harmless diagnostic logs, but confirm the creating process before deleting so useful debug information is not lost. (windowsbbs.com)

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Member Avatar for DMR

Although I have no idea what they are, it doesn't appear that they're malicious at all. They seem to be an error log created by legit programs; I've seen references to the fact that Photoshop is one of those programs.

If they come back, look at the contents of one of the files. I'm sure one of members who's into programming could say for sure, but if it looks like the following I pretty sure you don't have anything to worry about virus-wise:

Initializing ....  
 
Total memory allocated = 5452148 
		Begin Printing Seed information 
 
Seed point: 87 123 	Path 0 0 	User path -1 -1 -1 
 
--------------------- 
 
Print path:  
 
 
 
[87 123]  
 
		Begin Printing Seed information 
 
Seed point: 87 123 	Path 0 20 	User path 0 9 0 
 
Seed point: 101 106 	Path 21 21 	User path 29 29 29 
 
--------------------- 
 
Print path:  
 
 
 
[87 123] [88 122] [88 121] [89 120] [89 119] [90 118] [91 117]  
[92 116] [92 115] [93 114] [94 113] [94 112] [94 111] [95 110]  
[96 109] [97 108] [98 107] [99 107] [100 107] [100 106] [101 106]  
[101 106]  
 
		Begin Printing Seed information 
 
Seed point: 87 123 	Path 0 20 	User path 0 9 0 
 
Seed point: 101 106 	Path 21 45 	User path 9 29 9 
 
Seed point: 114 95 	Path 46 46 	User path 51 51 51
Member Avatar for Coach_Nate

Thanks, thats exactly what it looks like. Hope you're right!

Member Avatar for DMR

I did a bit more searching, and although I still haven't found out exactly what those files are, what I did find makes me 99.999% sure that they're "safe".

If you want to Google around for yourself, search for the filename "iserror.log" as well as "iserror.txt"; you'll find tons of iserror.log files in online archives, and they appear to be chronological listings of exactly what you're finding in your iserror.txt files.

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