Browsing through your Windows PC you might have noticed an icon appearing or blinking continuously in the taskbar. Many of the users would have no idea when this icon start to appear or why is it even blinking. In case the icon comes to your notice, then if you click on the icon to close it or see the options, it will give you a glimpse of an error that is not responding. Now if you will open the task manager, you can see the process ETD Control center running the process list. Even if you try closing the ETD control center from the task manager, the icon will come back after some while rebooting. In this case you wonder what is ETD control center or ETDCtrl.exe?
ETD Control center is not an official process by Windows and hence can be easily disabled if it is found to create any issues.
So here is a detailed guide on what is ETD control center? How to download? Is it a safe/virus? What are errors related to it? Should you uninstall and if yes then how to uninstall it?
What is ETD Control Center or ETDCtrl.exe?
ETDCtrl.exe or ETD control center file is a general software component from ELAN Smart-Pad. It is developed by ELAN Microelectronics. ELAN Microelectronics corporation roots from a Taiwanese company that designs integrated circuitry and microchips. ELAN Smart-Pad is a kind of touchpad that is normally found in laptops. The Control center is run by ETDCtrl.exe that is a configuration screen providing different types of options. This is to modify the settings of the ELAN Smart Pad.
ETDCtrl stands for Elan Trackpad Device Control Center. The .exe extension that you see on a filename represents an executable file. In a few cases, executable files harm your computer in several ways. This ELAN service or ETD control center is mainly designed for managing of a variety of features linked to the smart pads. For instance, you can use gestures or multi-fingers on smart pads. You can see this file sometimes named as etdctrl.exe and ETD control center helper in task manager. So when you will open your touchpad, you can notice there is an icon of ETD control center in the taskbar.
File Information for ETDCtrl.exe
This process is known as the ETD Ware TSR Enhancements or ETD Control Center which belongs to the software ETD Ware PS/2-x86 or ELAN Smart-Pad (of version 5.0.0.5 WHQL, 7.0.1.4 WHQL, 7.0.3.8 WHQL, 7.0.3.7 WHQL, 7.0.4.3 WHQL, 7.0.3.12 For, 7.0.3.12. In addition, the file also contains a unique digital signature. It is a VeriSign signed file that can record the inputs from the mouse and the keyboard and monitor different applications
Should you Uninstall ETDCtrl.exe or is it safe?
Well, you can say that ETD control center is not actually a virus but is an essential part of your smart-pad including laptop brands like ASUS. One must make sure before uninstalling it that whether it is a Trojan or not. This is because the file may sometime belong to the Windows operating system or is a part of the trusted application.
While for some users, the reason to disable this etdctrl.exe ETD control center lies in something else. Since this service causes high CPU usage many do not want to keep it. Also, the errors linked to ETD control center saying that “ETD control center is not working on Windows 10 or ETDCtrl.exe has stopped working issues are also very common.
So in case you want to uninstall this ETDCtrl.exe service then here further in the post you will get the ways to do it.
Causes of Etdctrl.exe Error
- Missing, corrupt or incompatible etdctrl.exe
- Compromised Etdctrl.exe by spyware or browser hijacker
- Unexpected attacks from cyber culprits
- Inaccurate modification on ETD Control Center
- Undesirable corruption of ETD Control Center
- Incorrect modification of system and network settings
- Registry components totally disrupting the system
- Inaccurate modification on Windows registry
- ETD Control Center associated driver files corruption
Problems due to Etdctrl.exe Error
- Unable to load system files and application
- Cannot remove undesirable system files in C:/
- Blue Screen of Death error
- Unexpected reduction of system performance
- Cannot load ETD Control Center
- Instability of software
- Increasing times of program freezes
- Unable to load the latest system updated files
- Cannot keep ETD Control Center up- to- date
How to fix ETD Control Center Issues on Windows 10?
In case of ELAN service error, one can always uninstall the ETD control center or update the smart-pad driver for Windows 10. And to do so you can follow the given methods-
Method 1- Disable ETD Control Center in Task Manager
First and foremost, as for the etdctrl.exe Windows process out of work, it is feasible that you get down to disabling ETD control center at startup.
In this way, this touch-pad service will not use high CPU or not responding on Windows 10.
Step 1- Right-click on Start. Then select Task Manager from the list.
Step 2- In Task Manager go to the Startup tab, locate the ETD Control Center. Now right click on it to disable it.
Step 3- Reboot your PC for changes to take effect.
Follow these steps to uninstall the service and check if the blinking icon of etdctrl.exe still exists in the taskbar on Windows 10 or not.
Method 2- Update the Touchpad Driver
Turning off the driver of the smart-pad once uninstalling ETD control center failed to resolve your etdctrl.exe error is also a method to fix it. Using this method you need to update the driver in Device Manager-the built-in Windows 10 program.
Step 1- Open Device Manager.
Step 2- Expand Mice and other pointing devices. Then right-click on the ELAN touchpad driver to update driver.
Step 3- Then click on Search automatically for updated driver software.
With this method, it is likely that there will be no more ETD control center high CPU usage.
Method 3- Uninstall Smart Gesture Application
It is said that ETD control center is not responding error mostly happens to ASUS users, for smart-pads are the device often used along with ASUS.
Therefore, if you are ASUS users or even users of other brands then it is suggested that you should uninstall the ASUS smart gesture in Control Panel.
Step 1- Go to Control Panel. In Control Panel, decide to View by Category.
Step 2- Then choose to Uninstall a program under Programs.
Step 3-Then in Programs and Features, find out the ASUS Smart Gesture. Right click on it to uninstall it.
Step 4-Reboot your computer to take effect.
In this way, you have successfully eliminated touchpad on your PC. The high CPU caused by ETD control center error is now fixed.
Wrapping Up!
ETD control center is the ELAN service in task manager that is used to enable features for your smart-pads. So here you can get all the details about Etdctrl.exe Error, how to uninstall it and is it safe to use. For any further query feel free to ask and comment.