Asus Utility and Bloatware Guide

hello everybody, quick question how do you Reinstall ATK package? I have ASUS G73JW laptop. Thanks

 

@bamidele you can download it from here:

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download G73Jw

 

thank you sir

 

The first action you'll see that the default Windows settings may have been changed because Oberon's trash due to deletion of necessary registry entries. Try running each Asus utilities such as Wireless Console, AI Recovery, Asus Live Update..., if they don't open, probably you're one of the unlucky guys.

 

I screwed up also and uninstalled the Oberon stuff before reading the warnings later in this thread. You can salvage most of your work by loading a restore point in Windows 7. Obviously this will work better if you didn't choose to uninstall the Oberon software early. The only problem I had with this method is it left me with a corrupt installation of Vibe 2.0, easily fixed by re-installing vibe then uninstalling.

Does anyone know if/how the Acresso Software Manager can be uninstalled? The popups are useless and annoying. The only "solution" I have found is unchecking it in the startup portion of msconfig.

 

I also found out that Asus WebStorage and Acresso Software Manager is not listed in "programs and features", aka Add/remove programs.

WHY??? Do we have to delete their files and registry entries manually?

I used this to try uninstalling Acresso:
http://consumerdocs.installshield.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=Q111006&sliceId=1

However as mentioned it doesn't remove files in ProgramData folder, but registry entries. Bloatware makes computer trash!

 

Removing the Oberon stuff caught me also. UPS had just delivered my new J73SW-A1 this past Friday. I did the initial set up, got most of the updates for Windows and then started removing stuff on Saturday when this problem reared its ugly head. I tried a time consuming window point restore twice. (about 3 hours each time) which only brought on more issues.

All in all I spent a frustrating week-end dealing with this and there were a couple of times that my new laptop almost became a very expensive Frisbee---that is until I found this thread and understood the causes and fixes.

Anyway, I think a description of this issue needs to be added to the initial sticky to warn others before they are burned.

 

I just got my N53SV and had alllllll the problems with the Oberon uninstall that everyone else had but I had issues with uninstalling SmartLogon as well. In fact everything I uninstalled shagged up the entire computer so much so that I had to use the Recovery Partition (thank christ for that!)

I'm actually afraid to uninstall anything at the moment except for Trend and maybe Live Update.

And the Power2Go is nowwhere to be found online, once it's gone, it's gone.

 

I got permission from David to edit his post. I changed the recommendation for the flash games to not uninstall and added a note about chrome. If further improvements can be made feel free to suggest them.

 

This is why a clean reinstall is best. No problems whatsoever.

 

How long should it take to burn recovery disks?

I've been burning the first disc for an hour and a half now without it finishing...

nvm apparently thats how long it takes to create the iso

 

IMHO, it's not constant, for my G53JW, it took 6 DVDs whereas it said it only needs 5-6 DVDs, AI Recovery wasn't sure about that. You need to change the DVDs like a DJ (disc jockey) which takes more than 1,5 hours with built-in dvd-rw.

 

Another issue is the absence of bloatware uninstallers in "programs and features (aka Add/Remove Programs)". Some bloatware(s) such as Asus Live Update or Alchemy (Creative's), are missing in programs and features on Windows 7, is there anybody who can confirms this?

 

I just uninstalled a bunch of things (including game park) without making back up disks first... Hotkeys don't work now of course. Did I screw myself by not making the disks? will I have to send the pc to asus?
N53JF-XE1

 

I posted another solution 9 posts up. =\

 

You can try HDD recovery which lets you recover your C: from pre-installed recovery partition. Manually uninstalling Oberon's games is trivial, uninstalling from "programs and features" is a disaster as stated previously. Also, many bloatwares seem installed incorrect at factory because they aren't seen in "programs and features" (aka Add/Remove programs). In that cases you can examine total list of softwares using:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/myuninst.html

However, now %100 sure that manufacturers (Asus and not only Asus) are striving to make their good hardware trash by installing junk software (bloatware). They're not willing us to buy their hardware, maybe they have too much money they don't want to have our money to earn. Really, I don't know why.

 

Thanks for the guide! It's been so helpful!

 

ALU and Alchemy are detected by Nirsoft's My Uninstaller :
MyUninstaller: Alternative uninstaller to the standard Windows Add / Remove module
ALU is present in Program & Features as well, but not Alchemy

 

Yep ALU resides in programs and features unlike Alchemy. But the questions are: why isn't Windows able to find Alchemy in programs and features whereas Nirsoft's MyUninstaller is fine?

and: I cannot find Asus Live Update in startup using msconfig (or cannot find ALU.exe)? And i also cannot find it as a startup service? And it isn't available in Startup folder? How is it launched at startup?

There are more programs with same problem. Bad of Win7?

 

so it's better to use thse dvd's?

I order G73SW and I plan to install fresh W7.I go to asus driver dowload page ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download G73Sw

I don't see ATKOSD on list

what this is?

NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D Driver
ASUS ExpresssGate Utility
Gaming Mouse Driver
Creative THX_MUI driver
Sonic DVD Suite
Intel Management Engine Interface
Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver
The Turbo Boost Monitor application


I have question about ATKOSD.This is for 3 button on top left corner?
show what screen mode or computer mode?

Under wireless I see these.Do I need all of them?
Intel(R) WiFi Wireless LAN Driver
Azurewave Wireless Lan Driver and Application
WiMAX Wireless LAN Driver

 

Asus Live Update (ALU) can be found and deactivated in Scheduled Tasks, as well as Asus Control Deck (useless in my opinion); you will also find here ACMON Logon start (apparently part of Asus Splendid), and Asus P4G Logon start (?), but I would not disable them unless you know what you are doing.
Too bad Asus leaves us in the dark about these tasks.

 

I am too lazy to bother to see which program I should uninstall so I am just going to install a fresh copy of Win 7 on it and download all the drivers from Asus.

Wish Asus would do what dell did to alienware, only install drivers and what you need, no other crap.

 

Yesterday I deleted the game park console and it messed up my laptop, but I was able to do a system restore and have everything working again. I tried clicking on the trial games, but when they open up, it shows an error message saying "Windows cannot display the webpage". Is that a bad thing? I don't care about the games; I just don't want anything else on my pc to be affected by it. So far (I think) everything is running normally... Am I being paranoid or should I restore everything back to the original settings?

 

Good points, I would recommend removal of ASus live update, I have not seen 1 post that recommends using it. Just go to ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download

Good news, easy fix
go here ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download
start option 3
product notebook
Series N53
Mode - JF
Select your OS
Click confirm, and you will be on the support for ...
select ATK and use the latest version that ends in a 7 download install and game on!

 

Today I tried to disable Asus Control Deck in Scheduled Tasks, but this could not be done ; an error message popped up stating:
- "The specified account name is not valid".
I am logged in as the admin of this machine.
Any idea why this task cannot be deactivated?

 

Hello,

I'm not sure if this question has been answered, but is there a way to reinstall a clean version of Windows 7 Starter without all the bloatware using the recovery partition. I hear there is a way to do it with the recovery CD, but Asus no longer provides those. If this does not work, is there any way to get a Windows Starters CD or iso? I paid for this software and I should be able to reinstall it as I wish...

Thanks!

 

I was hoping someone here could help me. I had a problem and loaded windows 7 Ultimate on my UL50VT and now no matter what I do I can't get Turbo mode back or the Turbo33 gadget back. I know this probably isn't the right thread but I have asked in a couple of others and not gotten any answers.
Thanks for any help

 

Check processes, you should see controldeckstartup.exe*32- end the process then try to disable it in Scheduled tasks.
BUT
Foldertree do you have ASUS control deck installed? I do have it installed but do not see it in windows scheduled tasks. Since all the adjustments in the app can be done by other means, I would recommend uninstalling it, although it does look cool when it runs IMO
Happy 4th to all

 

Will simply uninstalling the various bloatware not get it off and out of the registry?

 

It is a multi step process.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...-ul50vt-vs-owners-lounge-111.html#post6006102
If you need help let me know!

 

Thanks. I have been busy and haven't checked back in a while. I will give it a try and if I need more I will let you know thanks again

 

David,
Great,great info.Many thanks.Finally beat those bloat s.(G73JW)

 

Hey guys, this is a great thread lot of useful information. So far i have been doing good and my laptop performance has increased slightly but enough that it is noticeable. Asus Live Update was a major player.

Anyway need some help. Can I disable these on start-up?
IconUnity - I can't find any good info about it
ATK Hotkey - I have never used the FN + hot keys, just use the buttons on the top for sound and change settings for brightness
FancyStart daemon - I see poeople have problems when uninstalling it, and they cant reboot there computers, am a little scared on that one
InstallShield - Not really sure what it is, but am guessing it deals with installing software? Why the windows already has one?

As well, in the Proccesses tab in Task Manager I see:
ATouch64.exe - Deals with Hot Keys
ATKOSD.exe - Deals with Hot Keys as well
BatterLife.exe - People say its good but i dont see the point
FBAgent.exe - Deals with fast boot, can i uninstall fast boot (People say it helps)
Sensorsrv.exe - Deals with SmartLogon, yet i dont use finder print/Face login, why do i have it!?!?
WDC.exe - Deals with Hot Keys
Asus Data Security Manager Tray - Deals with SmartLogon right?

I did some Google searches but can't find any useful information. Was hoping you guys could help.

Also am at 61 Process on Windows 7 64 Bit, is that normal? It was at 70 + before i did most of the tips on the first page.

 

Hey, I just bought an asus 1015pn and I unistalled the Boingo Wifi, but it looks like that completly deleted my wifi drivers because now the netbook can't locate my wireless signal at all. I have to use an ethernet line. How do I get the wifi working again?? Help

 

Does anyone know where I can download the e-driver?

Asus E-Driver - A utility that offers users to automatically install the stock drivers/utilities of your choice. If you already have all desired drivers/utilities installed then I'd recommend uninstalling this utility.

I'd like to install Win7 Professional Clean Install on a N61J Laptop, but EASILY download all the drivers needed and it seems like this e-driver is the way to do it.

 

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Please let us know if that fixes it.


FireDartx, please edit your original post and add your model, this will help me figure out what to get rid of. Asus seems to like to change names of utilities and I do not recognize all of them. Also please add amount of RAM, video card would help also.

 

So does anyone have information on my above post, or can at least help me on a few of them?

 

I actually joined this forum just to answer your question.

You actually don't need ANY programs in Start Up. As a rule, I always disable everything since you can simply click on any program you want to run AFTER your computer boots up. Checking programs to load on Start Up significantly reduces the boot time of your computer. I highly recommend unchecking them all.

 

Thank you for the response however only
IconUtility
ATK HotKey
FancyStart daemon
InstallShield


are in boot-up, i guess just make a restore point and start unchecking. If anyone has advice for any of the other programs that are under Windows Services and would be happy to hear some advice.


---===EDIT===---
Unchecked:
FancyStart
ATKHotkey
IconUntility
InstallShield

Everything is running fine, and boot time is slightly faster.

Only Start-up items I have now are:
Microsoft(R) Pinyin IME 2007
RocketDock (I use this a lot, so am cool with it)
Microsoft(R) Pinyin IME 2007 (Again, ?)
avast! Antivirus (Am ok with this also)

Any idea what's up with 2 Microsoft(R) Pinyin IME 2007?????

Also, any with problems with Fancy Start, if you can't restart your computer after you uninstall it. So you get a black screen (Happens on the second boot-up) you can try this to fix it:

Go to the BIOS, look for the second tab(May be different), and Disable FancyStart.

Saw that on another forum. Could help someone.

---===EDIT EDIT===---
Seems that the following service are removed when you stop the above item in the start-up:
ATouch64.exe
ATKOSD.exe
FBAgent.exe
WDC.exe
Asus Data Security Manager Tray

So any info on:
BatterLife.exe
Sensorsrv.exe

Would still be nice.

 

Can anyone help me out with the g74sx drivers? There are few changes from the first post. Specifically, my utilities disk is missing "Camera," the webcam driver (but it does have the app "Virtual Camera"), and I also have no idea what ASUSUSBChargerPlus or IRST are.

Here are the drivers on my drivers disk for complete's sake:
INF(R) Update Driver - App
IRST - Driver
Intel(R) Management Engine Components - Driver
VGA - Driver
Audio - Driver
Lan Driver
Multi-Card Reader - App
USB3.0 Driver
Bluetooth Utility - App
Wireless LAN Driver
Touchpad - Driver
Keyboard Filter - Driver
ATK Package - App
Rotation Desktop - App (Also new, it's allows you to cycle through several different desktops.)
Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Monitor - App
Power4Gear Hybrid - App
Virtual Camera - App
ASUS SmartLogon - App
ASUS Wireless Console3 - App
Splendid - App
Live Update - App
BIOS Flash Utility (Windows Version) - App
ASUSUSBChargerPlus - App
AI Recovery - App
eManual Utility - App
Screen Saver - App
Creative - App
Sonic DVD Suite - App
ASUS Expressgate Cloud Utility - App
TrendMicro Internet Security 2011 Tita... - App

 

Hey guys.

I have an Asus G74SX.

My question is: Does it also affect the G74 series if you decide to delete the Oberon games? Any G74 owner in here who have tried deleting the games? If you have, did it mess something up, or is it safe to delete the bloody Oberon games?

 

if you delete Oberon games, your g74 will be unusable. You will spend a lot of hours to make things working.

 

Hmm. It really sucks. Unusable programs taking up space -.-

One more thing. Can I uninstall THX TruStudio without affecting how the speakers sound? Cause turning THX on just makes the sound worse.

 

chrizz96 this may be of help but I would do a system image B4 trying it!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/380681-asus-utility-bloatware-guide-16.html#post7014697

@kimiraikkonen when you say delete do you mean uninstall, the terms seem to be used interchangibly in many forums?

 

yep, native Game Park (or Oberons' game uninstallers) causes system disaster. All the system settings (including your wallpaper) will be reset, most of pre-installed programs will not launch. I experienced that. It seems Asus haven't noticed that or they're still insisting on putting these junks due to an agreement with Oberon.

 

Very useful list and information. I have a Live Update solution that I had to come up with on my own after doing battle with ASUS support for some time. They now finally admitted to me that Live Update is buggy. I figured out a solution (at least for my 1005HA.) Hopefully it will work for others too.

1. Uninstall whatever version of Live Update you have.
2. Download and install version 1.29 from ASUS' support website (or whatever the oldest version for your system is.)
3. The next time Live Update launches, it should update itself successfully.

Live Update is not large after the update, and in my opinion if you don't have a utility that auto-checks for new versions of software, it is a workable utility once it is fixed. I don't know of many systems that ship these days without some sort of software that performs this function.

Hope this helps those that have problems with this utility.

 

I've read the whole thread but nobody mentioned GameFast yet. Is this also something useless?

 

I just bought an Asus U46E-BAL5 and I can't seem to find the old version of the control panel, when I click on control panel there isn't an option for the old or new version on the left-hand side of the pop-up, how else can I go to it?

 

Anyone knows what SceneSwtich does?

 

Agorilla, this may be of help, http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/262-control-panel-view-category-icons.html