Hi all.
I wrote to Gigabyte tech support, but their reply (and also some replies from the past) never really seem to address what I'm asking. I don't know if it's because the person who reads my inquiry is not reading carefully, if there's a language barrier.......I just don't know. Sometimes the replies are not really coherent or, it's typed in fragments with poor grammar and spelling. And I don't say that as if I'm being "intellectually snobbish". I'd just want to hope that the person that I'm dealing with in tech support is a professional and can clearly communicate whatever it is they're trying to say. At times, I'm more confused by their response.
I'll show you (Copy/ Paste) what I wrote to them, and then I'll show you (again, Copy/ Paste) their reply to me. So any "awkward" grammar and misspellings will be left intact on Gigabyte's response. Here's everything:
Me: "To give a little background first: I've had this new-build of a system for roughly two months, but, about one month ago, I ran into a problem that I couldn't get my head around or fix with my 10+ years of experience. So, I took it in to be fixed (ever heard of Fry's Electronics?). It involved getting caught in a "loop" when trying to install the XP Pro operating system on the HDD while booting from the CD drive.
I had to give the techs my installation CD for your Gigabyte motherboard so they could install the chipset drivers, etc.
However........
In addition to my anti-virus & firewall, I use a little program you may have heard of to check on viruses and spyware called "HiJackThis". You can also use it to remove items from starting up at boot-time like you would typing "msconfig" in the Run box, and then clicking on the Startup tab.
Well, I noticed some items reported in the HiJackThis log that I don't think are essential to running my computer, and I think I know how they got there. The techs at Fry's Electronics? When I gave them my motherboard CD, I think they just installed everything that was on there, regardless of whether it was really going to be needed or not. Here are some of the items I discovered in HiJackThis that are running at boot-time:
C:\WINDOWS\RaidTool\xInsIDE.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\xRaidSetup.exe boot
C:\Program Files\Gigabyte\ET5Pro\ETcall.exe
I of course have heard of the word "Raid" before; a raid "array", a raid "setup", etc. However, I've never used a raid setup, nor do I really know in detail what they are. My hard drive is a Western Digital 320GB SATA drive.
Do SATA drives have anything to do with raids? I have only the one hard drive hooked into my motherboard (no other hard drives, just a DVD ROM drive). Or am I perhaps wrong and I do need these raid devices running at startup? Or if not, can I safely remove them from starting at boot-time? Or how about un-installing this RAID program entirely if I really don't need it?
The other item listed above (ET5Pro\ ETcall.exe) is a tuning device for your Gigabyte motherboards to help you tweak and overclock if you want. But do I really need it starting during boot?
And these items in the HiJackThis log:
RTHDCPL.EXE
SOUNDMAN.EXE
ALCWZRD.EXE
ALCMTR.EXE
I believe all of these items have to do with the motherboard's on-board sound card from RealTek. But do they all really have to be there during system boot-time?
With the ET5Pro\ ETcall.exe and four items from the RealTek soundcard (RTHDCPL.EXE, SOUNDMAN.EXE, ALCWZRD.EXE, and ALCMTR.EXE), I have gone into the user interface of each of these programs and looked at the Options/ Preferences to see if I could disable it that way, but no, that choice/ option is not there. Sometimes with some programs you can do this, or, other times, during the installation process, you're given the option of having the item/ service running during startup or running in the background. I usually de-select this. But I don't believe these choices were available for the items I've listed above.
So please, if you could, let me know about:
- The two "raid" items: if I can un-install it if I really don't need it (or at least how to disable it)
- The ET5Pro\ ETcall.exe: how to disable it from running in the background
- The four soundcard items: RTHDCPL.EXE, SOUNDMAN.EXE, ALCWZRD.EXE, and ALCMTR.EXE; is it possible to keep these from running in the background but still have the soundcard function properly?
Thanks for your time and I look forward to your reply."
Gigabyte Tech Support: "the sata controller is an raid controller which offers you the feature to setup raid if you have 2 or more drives.
What kind of issue exactly yo are having with the board?"
Me: "Hello; thanks for the response.
So you're saying that RAID offers the feature to set up 2 or more drives if you want, correct? I didn't install the RAID software; the tech support people at Fry's Electronics did this even though I didn't ask.
I have one SATA hard drive and am not going to hook up another drive. So can I get rid of this piece of software by un-installing it? Plus, also, it won't run in the background if I un-install it, correct?
And you're asking me what kind of issues I'm having with the board? I thought I explained that clearly in my original writing to you; it has to do with the software programs that came on the installation CD with the motherboard.
I'm asking you about programs that are running in the background and can I stop it from doing so and still have the computer run smoothly and without error. I'll list them again.
These are the programs that are running at boot time and also run in the background:
1.) C:\WINDOWS\RaidTool\xInsIDE.exe
2.) C:\WINDOWS\system32\xRaidSetup.exe boot
3.) C:\Program Files\Gigabyte\ET5Pro\ETcall.exe
And also:
4.) RTHDCPL.EXE
5.) SOUNDMAN.EXE
6.) ALCWZRD.EXE
7.) ALCMTR.EXE
So please, if you could, give me information on the seven items I've listed above. I would like to disable them from running in the background (and please remember what I asked about the RAID software).
Thanks."
Gigabyte Tech Support: "depending on which raid you wish to setup
raid 0 ( striping which merges two drives as one )
raid 1 ( mirroring which also does the same but you will only get the capacity of one hdd to mirror the other drive for data security )
Depending on which sata controller you are using under drivers will need to be loaded during installation of the OS. Yellow ports are the Intel controller
purple are the gsata, for applications running in teh background if you wish to end the task you may, those are just the raid utility and easy tune if you are not using raid you do not need to raid the utility"
Do you see in their last reply? They're giving me info about hooking up RAIDs, and I didn't even ask that. I freely admit to you (and as I did to Gigabyte tech) that I don't know much about RAIDs; I wanted to know how to get rid of it, uninstall it......the RAID stuff amongst the seven items I listed. And they never even addressed the soundcard items I listed.
Can anybody help me out here? Gigabyte's response was not really clear or concise on what they would have me do.
I'd appreciate any help or suggestions; I just want to get rid of any unnecessary items from starting at boot-time and from running in the background.
Thanks,
Pez
I wrote to Gigabyte tech support, but their reply (and also some replies from the past) never really seem to address what I'm asking. I don't know if it's because the person who reads my inquiry is not reading carefully, if there's a language barrier.......I just don't know. Sometimes the replies are not really coherent or, it's typed in fragments with poor grammar and spelling. And I don't say that as if I'm being "intellectually snobbish". I'd just want to hope that the person that I'm dealing with in tech support is a professional and can clearly communicate whatever it is they're trying to say. At times, I'm more confused by their response.
I'll show you (Copy/ Paste) what I wrote to them, and then I'll show you (again, Copy/ Paste) their reply to me. So any "awkward" grammar and misspellings will be left intact on Gigabyte's response. Here's everything:
Me: "To give a little background first: I've had this new-build of a system for roughly two months, but, about one month ago, I ran into a problem that I couldn't get my head around or fix with my 10+ years of experience. So, I took it in to be fixed (ever heard of Fry's Electronics?). It involved getting caught in a "loop" when trying to install the XP Pro operating system on the HDD while booting from the CD drive.
I had to give the techs my installation CD for your Gigabyte motherboard so they could install the chipset drivers, etc.
However........
In addition to my anti-virus & firewall, I use a little program you may have heard of to check on viruses and spyware called "HiJackThis". You can also use it to remove items from starting up at boot-time like you would typing "msconfig" in the Run box, and then clicking on the Startup tab.
Well, I noticed some items reported in the HiJackThis log that I don't think are essential to running my computer, and I think I know how they got there. The techs at Fry's Electronics? When I gave them my motherboard CD, I think they just installed everything that was on there, regardless of whether it was really going to be needed or not. Here are some of the items I discovered in HiJackThis that are running at boot-time:
C:\WINDOWS\RaidTool\xInsIDE.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\xRaidSetup.exe boot
C:\Program Files\Gigabyte\ET5Pro\ETcall.exe
I of course have heard of the word "Raid" before; a raid "array", a raid "setup", etc. However, I've never used a raid setup, nor do I really know in detail what they are. My hard drive is a Western Digital 320GB SATA drive.
Do SATA drives have anything to do with raids? I have only the one hard drive hooked into my motherboard (no other hard drives, just a DVD ROM drive). Or am I perhaps wrong and I do need these raid devices running at startup? Or if not, can I safely remove them from starting at boot-time? Or how about un-installing this RAID program entirely if I really don't need it?
The other item listed above (ET5Pro\ ETcall.exe) is a tuning device for your Gigabyte motherboards to help you tweak and overclock if you want. But do I really need it starting during boot?
And these items in the HiJackThis log:
RTHDCPL.EXE
SOUNDMAN.EXE
ALCWZRD.EXE
ALCMTR.EXE
I believe all of these items have to do with the motherboard's on-board sound card from RealTek. But do they all really have to be there during system boot-time?
With the ET5Pro\ ETcall.exe and four items from the RealTek soundcard (RTHDCPL.EXE, SOUNDMAN.EXE, ALCWZRD.EXE, and ALCMTR.EXE), I have gone into the user interface of each of these programs and looked at the Options/ Preferences to see if I could disable it that way, but no, that choice/ option is not there. Sometimes with some programs you can do this, or, other times, during the installation process, you're given the option of having the item/ service running during startup or running in the background. I usually de-select this. But I don't believe these choices were available for the items I've listed above.
So please, if you could, let me know about:
- The two "raid" items: if I can un-install it if I really don't need it (or at least how to disable it)
- The ET5Pro\ ETcall.exe: how to disable it from running in the background
- The four soundcard items: RTHDCPL.EXE, SOUNDMAN.EXE, ALCWZRD.EXE, and ALCMTR.EXE; is it possible to keep these from running in the background but still have the soundcard function properly?
Thanks for your time and I look forward to your reply."
Gigabyte Tech Support: "the sata controller is an raid controller which offers you the feature to setup raid if you have 2 or more drives.
What kind of issue exactly yo are having with the board?"
Me: "Hello; thanks for the response.
So you're saying that RAID offers the feature to set up 2 or more drives if you want, correct? I didn't install the RAID software; the tech support people at Fry's Electronics did this even though I didn't ask.
I have one SATA hard drive and am not going to hook up another drive. So can I get rid of this piece of software by un-installing it? Plus, also, it won't run in the background if I un-install it, correct?
And you're asking me what kind of issues I'm having with the board? I thought I explained that clearly in my original writing to you; it has to do with the software programs that came on the installation CD with the motherboard.
I'm asking you about programs that are running in the background and can I stop it from doing so and still have the computer run smoothly and without error. I'll list them again.
These are the programs that are running at boot time and also run in the background:
1.) C:\WINDOWS\RaidTool\xInsIDE.exe
2.) C:\WINDOWS\system32\xRaidSetup.exe boot
3.) C:\Program Files\Gigabyte\ET5Pro\ETcall.exe
And also:
4.) RTHDCPL.EXE
5.) SOUNDMAN.EXE
6.) ALCWZRD.EXE
7.) ALCMTR.EXE
So please, if you could, give me information on the seven items I've listed above. I would like to disable them from running in the background (and please remember what I asked about the RAID software).
Thanks."
Gigabyte Tech Support: "depending on which raid you wish to setup
raid 0 ( striping which merges two drives as one )
raid 1 ( mirroring which also does the same but you will only get the capacity of one hdd to mirror the other drive for data security )
Depending on which sata controller you are using under drivers will need to be loaded during installation of the OS. Yellow ports are the Intel controller
purple are the gsata, for applications running in teh background if you wish to end the task you may, those are just the raid utility and easy tune if you are not using raid you do not need to raid the utility"
Do you see in their last reply? They're giving me info about hooking up RAIDs, and I didn't even ask that. I freely admit to you (and as I did to Gigabyte tech) that I don't know much about RAIDs; I wanted to know how to get rid of it, uninstall it......the RAID stuff amongst the seven items I listed. And they never even addressed the soundcard items I listed.
Can anybody help me out here? Gigabyte's response was not really clear or concise on what they would have me do.
I'd appreciate any help or suggestions; I just want to get rid of any unnecessary items from starting at boot-time and from running in the background.
Thanks,
Pez
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram