Realtek Sound Manager includes the soundman.exe process as part of their computer software, which was developed by Realtek Semiconductor Corp. This EXE file is a system tray utility which is installed for particular Realtek sound cards. The soundman.exe process is a system tray icon for the Realtek AC97 Audio Sound Manager since Realtek’s AC97 audio codec is used primarily in modems, motherboards and sound cards. An icon in the tray is included in this EXE file to allow facilitative accessibility in order to configure the sound card. ASUS and Gigabyte also created the soundman.exe file as utility software for the built-in soundcards on some of their motherboards. This EXE file allows users to set up or test their sound configuration. A sound card/source with a Realtek chipset is usually needed in order for this Sound Manager program to operate at its fullest. Sony/Philips Digital Interface also uses the soundman.exe application in order to provide support to control their input and output. It also allows the user to change the different functions of the input or output ports on the soundcard.
How can I stop soundman.exe and should I?
Most non-system processes that are running can be stopped because they are not involved in running your operating system. soundman.exe. is used by Realtek Sound Manager, If you shut down soundman.exe, it will likely start again at a later time either after you restart your computer or after an application start. To stop soundman.exe, permanently you need to uninstall the application that runs this process which in this case is Realtek Sound Manager, 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.
Is this a virus or other security concern?
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What is a process and how do they affect my computer?
A process usually a part of an installed application such as Realtek Sound Manager, 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.
Is soundman.exe known to be bad for my computer's performance?
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.
What can I do if soundman.exe is causing errors on my computer?
The first thing you should do if soundman.exe. 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 soundman.exe, belongs to, in this case Realtek Sound Manager