Many owners of computer technology based on Intel chipsets quite often at startup see some strange process - hkcmd.exe. What is it, few people clearly imagine. And some even consider it a virus. Is it really?
Hkcmd.exe: what is the process at startup?
Of course, today there are many viruses on the Internet that can disguise themselves as background processes of Windows systems. However, if you look at the file and the hkcmd.exe process launched by it , what it is, it will become clear when you refer to the official description.
In fact (if, of course, this is not a virus), the hkcmd.exe process running in the background and loaded at system startup is the official Intel service responsible for the combination of hot keys for setting graphics chipset parameters and for advanced features when changing them. To determine that we have a virus is quite simple.
To do this, look at the location of the file. By default, this is Windows / System32 / hkcmd.exe. If, when invoking the properties of a process in a graph, the location of this object differs from that just indicated, there is no doubt that this is a threat. The same applies to situations when for some reason there are several such processes displayed in the Task Manager.
Varieties of components
The described object is not the only possible component of a loadable service. In fact, a process may have a designation like hkcmd module, igfxtray, or hotkeyscmds.
However, all of them are executable components of the Intel Hotkey Command Module utility, and sometimes they can also be called the shareware True Key security system, which is positioned as a means of protecting passwords and any other confidential data with the ability to set biometric control or determine access permission by facial features . In any case, the desired file for launching the accompanying process should be searched for on the System32 / hkcmd.exe (or its version) path. But how justified is the use of this service?
Should I disable or remove hkcmd.exe (hkcmd module)?
By and large, deactivating or removing this component is not recommended. This can be done only in cases when, when working in the background, the process consumes system resources too much, or additional graphics settings are simply not used on the local computer.
The same goes for weak processors and the relatively small size of RAM. However, in the absence of a powerful antivirus installed in the system, it is undesirable to disable or delete the service. In particular, this applies to the True Key utility.
Disabling and Removing Methods
As for disabling this component, everything is simple. In the simplest case, you can either use the msconfig command, which is written in the "Run" console (Win + R), where the autoload tab is selected, or go directly to the corresponding tab in the "Task Manager" (in Windows 10 , the system configuration will redirect the user to dispatcher).
Here, to deactivate a service, you just need to uncheck the line with its name, after which you will need to completely reboot the system.
If we talk about the complete removal, you can perform such an operation from the standard section of programs and components in the "Control Panel" or use special utilities or optimizer programs for this.
In the simplest version, CCleaner is perfect, and to disable the auto-start element, and delete the service. But to uninstall, you can use the equally powerful program called iObit Uninstaller. In any case, such applications allow not only to uninstall unnecessary programs, but also to clean the disk of debris remaining after their removal in the form of files, folders, or even entries in the system registry.
Just in case, if the user is still not sure that all the components of these Intel services are completely removed, you can simply open the System32 directory and check if the above files are present there. Naturally, by the name of the component, you can also search the system registry, which is accessed by the regedit command in the "Run" menu, and the search is called either by Ctrl + F or the corresponding line from the file menu.
Conclusion
That's it for the hkcmd.exe process. What is it, I think, is already clear. As for the issue of disabling or removing this component, provided that the user does not plan to use the advanced settings and capabilities of integrated Intel graphics chips, this can be done completely painlessly for the system. And in the case of low-power processors or lack of RAM, this way you can even slightly increase the performance of your computer or laptop.
Finally, if the user has doubts about the fact that this process is a virus (this should be confirmed by the different location of the file to be searched), it is immediately recommended to perform a full scan of the system with antivirus, but use portable scanners or disk programs designed to be downloaded before start system.