NIP.EXE should always be visible from the tab Processes in the Windows Task Manager (ctrl+alt+delete).

If NIP, for some reason, crashes or stops unexpectedly, a red indicator with a white X will appear on the tray icon. Place the mouse pointer on the tray icon when this indicator is displayed, and you will see the message: “Internet Protection is not running".

The best way to check if NIP is running and doing its job is actually to do a test and see if the eicar antivirus test file (not a real virus) is detected.