Should I remove Atheros Driver Installation Program?
What percent of users and experts removed it?
12% remove it88% keep it
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #193
United States Rank #192
Reach 2.8445%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 17.31 days
510.62 days >
Average installed length: 268.29 days
Versions
| Version | Distribution |
| 10.0 |
23.44% |
|
| 9.2 |
29.94% |
|
| 9.0 |
18.47% |
|
| 8.0.0.305 |
0.01% |
|
| 8.0.0.259 |
0.26% |
|
| 8.0.0.238 |
0.34% |
|
| 8.0.0.225 |
0.49% |
|
| 8.0.0.218 |
0.02% |
|
| 8.0.0.205 |
0.01% |
|
| 8.0.0.177 |
0.03% |
|
| 8.0.0.171 |
0.19% |
|
| 8.0.0.162 |
0.02% |
|
| 8.0.0.144 |
0.03% |
|
| 7.7.0.429 |
0.00% |
|
| 7.7.0.406 |
0.00% |
|
| 7.7.0.396 |
0.00% |
|
| 7.7.0.384 |
0.01% |
|
| 7.7.0.356 |
0.12% |
|
| 7.7.0.348 |
0.09% |
|
| 7.7.0.343 |
0.04% |
|
| 7.7.0.329 |
0.01% |
|
| 7.7.0.319 |
0.01% |
|
| 7.7.0.312 |
0.03% |
|
| 7.7.0.268 |
0.01% |
|
| 7.7.0.267 |
0.03% |
|
| 7.7 |
0.67% |
|
| 7.6.1.244 |
0.02% |
|
| 7.6.1.224 |
0.01% |
|
| 7.6.1.221 |
0.04% |
|
| 7.1 |
4.65% |
|
| 5.2 |
14.65% |
|
| 5.0 |
6.35% |
|
Typically installed together
Other programs by Atheros Communications
Atheros Driver Installation Program
What is Atheros Driver Installation Program?
This is the driver installer for the Atheros wireless/bluetooth device installed in the computer.
Overview
Atheros Driver Installation Program is a software program developed by Atheros Communications. The most common release is 9.2, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. The primary executable is named wsimdbub.exe. The setup package generally installs about 7 files and is usually about 1.58 MB (1,657,553 bytes). Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 7 (SP1) and Windows 10. While about 50% of users of Atheros Driver Installation Program come from the United States, it is also popular in United Kingdom and Germany.
Program details
URL: www.atheros.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Atheros
Uninstaller: "C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information\{C3A32068-8AB1-4327-BB16-BED9C6219DC7}\setup.exe" -runfromtemp -l0x040a
Estimated size: 1.58 MB
Language: English (United States)
Files installed by Atheros Driver Installation Program
| Program executable: | wsimdbub.exe |
| Name: | wsimdbub |
| wsimd bind unbind utility |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\Atheros\wsimdbub.exe |
| MD5: | 12d6688d8f912f74739ebd17da9a06e4 |
Additional files:
-
DiagAPI.dll - DiagAPI Dynamic Link Library
-
AWiCDiag.exe - AWiC Diagnostics Utility
-
oemres.dll - oemres (Atheros OEM Resource DLL)
-
ACU.exe - ACU (Atheros Client Utility)
-
Ath_WlanAgent.exe
Behaviors exhibited
Service
- Ath_WlanAgent.exe runs as a service named 'ZAtheros Wlan Agent' (ZAtheros Wlan Agent) "Atheros agent for Wlan".
Startup File (All Users Run)
- ACU.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'ACU' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Atheros\ACU.exe" -nogui.
Resource utilization averages
Show technical details
| ACU.exe |
| Memory: | 6.02 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.1875598086% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.11100478% | |
| User CPU: | 0.07655502% | |
| Switches/sec: | 73 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 88 Bytes | |
| I/O writes/min: | 93 Bytes | |
| Ath_WlanAgent.exe |
| Memory: | 1.23 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0001232739% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00010910% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00001418% | |
How do I remove Atheros Driver Installation Program?
You can uninstall Atheros Driver Installation Program from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program Atheros Driver Installation Program, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Atheros Driver Installation Program.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 56%
Win 8 0%
|
|
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
|
|
USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 12%
Keep it 88%
|
|
Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
61.55% |
|
| Windows 10 |
23.80% |
|
| Windows Vista |
13.67% |
|
| Windows XP |
0.98% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
42.42% |
|
| Windows Vista Home Premiu... |
10.67% |
|
| Windows 8.1 |
9.27% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
8.68% |
|
| Windows 10 Home |
7.41% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
6.28% |
|
Geography
49.76% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
49.76% |
| United Kingdom |
6.07% |
| Germany |
4.29% |
| Italy |
3.46% |
| France |
3.24% |
| Canada |
3.15% |
| Australia |
2.99% |
| Spain |
1.55% |
| Netherlands |
1.40% |
| Sweden |
0.97% |
| Brazil |
0.96% |
| India |
0.94% |
| Mexico |
0.92% |
| Portugal |
0.83% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Toshiba |
43.12% |
|
| Hewlett-Packard |
41.95% |
|
| Acer |
9.02% |
|
| ASUS |
5.04% |
|
| Dell |
0.88% |
|
Common models |
| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
6.91% |
|
| HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... |
5.58% |
|
| HP G60 Notebook PC |
4.55% |
|
| HP Pavilion g6 Notebook P... |
4.03% |
|
| Hewlett-Packard Compaq Pr... |
3.84% |
|
| TOSHIBA Satellite C55-B |
3.67% |
|
About Atheros Communications
Qualcomm Atheros is a developer of semiconductors for network communications, focusing primarily on wireless. The Atheros chipsets for the IEEE 802.
Publisher URL: www.qca.qualcomm.com