Tfswctrl.exe is the background process of Hewlett Packard’s DLA (Drive Letter Assignment) software, which is installed on your computer when you install the software that comes with Hewlett-Packard CD/DVD writers. HP’s DLA software offers you a distinct advantage – with this software, you can store data onto CDs without using the actual CD writing software and by directly copying files from within Windows applications.
The main function of tfswctrl.exe is that controls the readability combo disk drivers. It is an essential process, and you should not disable/terminate it. If you remove this file, you will still be able to write disks, but you will certainly not able to read the data.
File Information
The file is located in a subfolder of C:\Windows\System32. By default, this process loads automatically every time you start Windows. The path of the startup entries related to this file in Windows registry is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Tfswctrl.exe is known to exist in the following file sizes – 114,741, 127,035, 106,549, 106,551, 127,037, 102,455, 122,941, 122,939, 122,933, 16,897, 122,880, 118,843, 118,837, 32,821, 135,227, 102,453, 37,473, 38,924, 126,976, 28,176, 131,131, 24,076, 497,664, 23,052, 37,388, 23,564, 24,588, 147,515, 114,742, 37,451,106,496, 27,660, 37,822, and 159,797 bytes.
Issue
You may receive the “tfswctrl.dll not responding†error when you shut down your Windows computer.
Workaround
A simple workaround to this issue is to use CD writing software such as Nero and uninstall HP’s DLA software by doing the following:
- Click Start.
- Click Control Panel.
- Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
- Locate and select HP DLA Software, and then click Remove.
Error
When you install Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 2 on your computer, you may receive the following error:
“Direct Access Component has encountered a problem and needs to closeâ€
Cause
The above mentioned error occurs because of an incompatibility between the earlier versions of DLA and Windows XP SP 2.
Resolution
To resolve the issue, download and install the latest version of DLA software. In case this fails to resolve the issue, you may consider disabling this program. You can disable tfswctrl.exe using the following steps:
- Click Start.
- Click Run.
- In the Open dialog box type msconfig and then press Enter.
- Click the System tab in the System Configuration Dialog box.
- Locate and uncheck tfswctrl.exe.
- Click Apply to save your preferences.
- Click OK.