The hcwbt8xx.sys file is the process called Hauppauge WDM Driver version Bt848 or Bt878 that is part of the application Hauppauge WinTV with version 848/9 WDM Video Driver created by Hauppauge Computer Works. This process file is a driver. It does not have a visible window. It is not a core file for Windows. A driver is a computer application that controls or operates a certain device connected to the computer. It communicates with the device typically through a communications subsystem or a computer bus that is connected to the hardware. It directs commands to the connected device when a program calls it for instructions. When the device sends data back, it will call for routines from the calling program. A driver is operating-system-specific and dependent on hardware. IT acts as translator between the operating system or application and the hardware to simplify programming.

Most non-system processes that are running can be stopped because they are not involved in running your operating system. hcwbt8xx.sys. is used by Hauppauge WinTV, If you shut down hcwbt8xx.sys, it will likely start again at a later time either after you restart your computer or after an application start. To stop hcwbt8xx.sys, permanently you need to uninstall the application that runs this process which in this case is Hauppauge WinTV, 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 hcwbt8xx.sys

A process usually a part of an installed application such as Hauppauge WinTV, 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 hcwbt8xx.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 hcwbt8xx.sys, belongs to, in this case Hauppauge WinTV