84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Creative Software AutoUpdate?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
8% remove it92% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Good
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #6,354
United States Rank #7,071
Reach 0.0709%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 16.52 days
487.35 days >
Average installed length: 256.06 days

Typically installed together

Other programs by Creative Technology Ltd

Creative Software AutoUpdate

What is Creative Software AutoUpdate?

Creative Software AutoUpdate is a program designed to manage all installed Creative programs on the user's PC and check for and update any new versions of the software if available. This service will run in the background when Windows starts and periodically check for updates.

Overview

During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The primary executable is named autoupdate.exe. The setup package generally installs about 8 files and is usually about 1.91 MB (1,998,637 bytes). The installed file AutoUpdate.exe is the auto-update component of the program which is designed to check for software updates and notify and apply them when new versions are discovered.

Program detailsProgram details

URL: www.creative.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\creative\shared files\software update
Uninstaller: RunDll32 C:\Program Files2\COMMON~1\INSTAL~1\PROFES~1\RunTime\09\01\Intel32\Ctor.dll,LaunchSetup "C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information\{8
Estimated size: 1.91 MB

Program filesFiles installed by Creative Software AutoUpdate

Program executable:autoupdate.exe
Name:Creative Software AutoUpdate
Path:C:\Program Files\creative\shared files\software update\autoupdate.exe
MD5:f78fea74cc22f5549cd2d1683988fd9f
Additional files:
  • CTSUEng.ocx - Creative Software AutoUpdate Engine (Creative Software AutoUpdate OCX Module)
  • CTXMLPsr.dll - Creative Technology Ltd XML Parser (Creative XML Parser Engine File)
  • CTCRC.dll - Creative Technology Ltd CTCRC (CTCRC)
  • AutoUpdateA.exe - Creative Software AutoUpdate
  • CTPID.ocx - CTPID ActiveX Control Module
  • HookWnd.dll - Creative Dialog Skin Engine
  • CTSURun.exe - CTSURun

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

Scheduled Task
  • AutoUpdate.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{C0976264-FE67-47A5-9602-76CAAAD8C2C4}' (runs on registration).
Startup File (User Run)
  • AutoUpdate.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'Creative Software Update' and executes as "C:\Program Files\Creative\Shared Files\Software Update\AutoUpdate.exe" /Silent.
2 Startup Files (User Run Once)
  • AutoUpdate.exe is loaded once in the current user (HKCU) registry as a startup file name 'CTAutoUpdate' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Creative\Shared Files\Software Update\AutoUpdate.exe" /RunFromInstaller.
  • CTSURun.exe is loaded once in the current user (HKCU) registry as a startup file name 'CTSU' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Creative\Shared Files\Software Update\CTSURun.exe".
Startup File (All Users Run)
  • AutoUpdate.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'Creative Software Update' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Creative\Shared Files\Software Update\AutoUpdate.exe" /Silent.

How do I remove Creative Software AutoUpdate?

You can uninstall Creative Software AutoUpdate from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
  1. 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.
  2. When you find the program Creative Software AutoUpdate, 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).
  3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Creative Software AutoUpdate.

OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 39%
Win 7 0%
 
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
 
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 8%
Keep it 92%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 7 44.03%
Windows XP 29.95%
Windows Vista 13.51%
Windows 10 12.37%
Windows Server 2003 0.14%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Microsoft Windows XP 29.68%
Windows 7 Home Premium 21.47%
Windows 7 Ultimate 13.18%
Windows Vista Home Premiu... 10.30%
Windows 7 Professional 8.21%
Windows 10 Home 3.67%

Distribution by countryGeography

38.79% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 38.79%
  Germany 8.31%
  Italy 5.56%
  United Kingdom 5.50%
  Canada 4.15%
  Poland 4.15%
  France 3.97%
  Spain 2.02%
  Sweden 1.77%
  Australia 1.59%
  Netherlands 1.28%
  India 1.22%
  Belgium 1.16%
  Thailand 1.10%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Dell 28.33%
GIGABYTE 17.15%
Hewlett-Packard 15.62%
Acer 12.86%
Intel 8.12%
American Megatrends 7.50%
ASUS 5.21%
Sahara 2.14%
Toshiba 2.14%
Gateway 0.92%
Common models
Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 6.25%
Dell Inspiron 530 3.29%
ASUS All Series 2.96%
GBT AWRDACPI 2.96%
Dell Inspiron 1525 2.30%
Dell Inspiron 1545 2.30%

About Creative Technology Ltd

Creative designs, manufactures and distributes digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal digital entertainment products.
Publisher URL: us.creative.com

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