The file sthda.sys executes a process simply known as DELLRC. This file is the main executable for a number of Sigmatel audio hardware devices. If this file gets corrupted in some way, or is disabled or deleted unintentionally, your PCs audio functions will not launch. In short, you will have no audio on your computer. The file may be installed through the drivers for your Sigmatel audio chipset or your motherboard. Being a device driver, you need to have this installed and running at all times so your audio hardware will not be rendered dead or unusable. The file has not been cited as a CPU time hog. It has also not been associated with any form of virus or malicious software. The file’s most common size is 1,156,648 bytes. General file location on disk is C:\Windows\System 32\Drivers\sthda.sys. The file may not be a core Windows system file but it is nonetheless verified and signed by Microsoft, which makes it a legitimate file.

Most non-system processes that are running can be stopped because they are not involved in running your operating system. sthda.sys. is used by DELLRC, If you shut down sthda.sys, it will likely start again at a later time either after you restart your computer or after an application start. To stop sthda.sys, permanently you need to uninstall the application that runs this process which in this case is DELLRC, from your system.

After uninstalling applications it is a good idea to scan you Windows registry for any left over traces of applications. Registry Reviver by ReviverSoft is a great tool for doing this.

The ReviverSoft experts have not yet reviewed sthda.sys

A process usually a part of an installed application such as DELLRC, or your operating system that is responsible for running in functions of that application. Some application require that they have processes running all the time so they can do things such as check for updates or notify you when you get an instant message. Some poorly written applications have many processes that run that may not be required and take up valuable processing power within your computer.

We have not received any complaint about this process having higher than normal impact on PC performance. If you have had bad experiences with it please let us know in a comment below and we will investigate it further.

The first thing you should do if sthda.sys. is causing errors on your computer is to run a Windows registry scan with Registry Reviver If you are still seeing errors after this you should uninstall the program that sthda.sys, belongs to, in this case DELLRC