How can I stop a Windows 10 (version 1903) process from loading at startup? I want to stop Flow.exe. I have to end the task (in Task Manager) every day when I turn on my laptop.
Hello lyradd,
Normally, the Flow.exe file is a software component of Conexant SmartAudio II by Conexant.
If this file is in your startup items, you can disable or delete it using an option in the tutorial below to stop it.
Add, Delete, Enable, or Disable Startup Items in Windows 10
It's not a Startup item. It is in Background Processes. This file (Flow.exe) causes high CPU usage when Firefox is running. The problem has been ongoing since 2017...
1555726 - Using Firefox on Windows 10 makes Conexant audio driver's Flow.exe program use excessive CPU
1569712 - Conexant Flow is instantiating a11y and harming system performance
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebo...e/td-p/6483020
I suppose for now, use a different browser until Firefox or Conexant get's it sorted out??
Otherwise, you could try uninstalling Conexant SmartAudio.
It seems, that renaming the file should do. Run PowerShell ISE as an admin and copy/paste/run:
Source: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebo...6483020/page/3Code:#Stop the Flow.Exe process if it is running get-process flow | Stop-Process #Rename Flow.Exe file so processes that call to it will not find/execute it. Rename-Item -Path 'C:\Program Files\CONEXANT\Flow\flow.exe' -NewName 'Flow-Old.Exe' #Remove information form the registry about the application. remove-item -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Conexant\SA3\FLOW' -Force
I've tried renaming the file previously. Windows gives an error message about not finding the file. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other. Either I end the task every day or close out the error every day.
Go find flowsetup.ini.
Mine was in c:\program files\flow.
Open it.
look for addreg.uninstaller
You will have
addreg.unintsaller32
and
addreg.unintsaller64
Under each of those it has a uninstallstring like
"Setup.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe"
or
"Setup64.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe"
Open up a command prompt with admin.
click on start type cmd then right click on it and choose administrator.
CD to the directory
c:\program files\flow
Then put in one of the
"Setup.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe"
or
"Setup64.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe"
Seems to have worked for me. Give it a shot.
In the future, just remember not to buy a laptop/tablet with Conexant audio. They're nothing but trouble.
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