error message hkcmd.exe unable to locate

[aansell]

Hi,

I've had a new laptop for only a few days. It came pre-installed with
XP pro and has worked fine. Just a short while ago I began receiving
the error message "HKCMD.EXE - unable to locate component" followed by
the message. I'm not aware as yet of anything not working but being
someone who HATES having any error messages at all cropping up, and
this is a new computer - could anyone please suggest a way into
resolving this problem?

Thanks

 

[Wesley Vogel]

HKCMD.EXE = Intel Hotkey command activator

Installed by the Intel 810 and 815 chipset graphic drivers. If you want the
Ctrl+Alt+F12 or similar keypresses to access Intel's customised graphics
properties, you need it, otherwise not. Can be disabled via the Display
Properties in Control Panel.

C:\WINDOWS\System32\hkcmd.exe

Probably starts from one of these...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKCMD.EXE can also be a trojan. If you do not have the Intel 810 or 815
chipset graphic drivers...

UPDATE your antivirus software and run a full system scan.

UPDATE whatever anti-spyware applications that you have and run a full
system scan with each one.

You might want to start in Safe Mode to run your antivirus and anti-spyware
software.

Running a full system antivirus scan or anti-spyware scan in Safe Mode can
be a good idea. Some viruses and other malware like to conceal themselves
in areas Windows protects while using them. Safe mode can prevent those
applications access and therefore unprotect the viruses or other malware
allowing for easier removal.

''In safe mode, you have access to only basic files and drivers
(mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, base video, default system
services), just the minimum device drivers required to start Windows.''

Because of that some malware does not load in Safe Mode and is easier to get
rid of.

How to start Windows in Safe Mode Windows XP
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=61#winxo

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[aansell]

HKCMD.EXE= Intel Hotkey command activator

Installed by the Intel 810 and 815 chipset graphic drivers. If you want the
Ctrl+Alt+F12 or similar keypresses to access Intel's customised graphics
properties, you need it, otherwise not. Can be disabled via the Display
Properties in Control Panel.

C:\WINDOWS\System32\hkcmd.exe

Probably starts from one of these...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKCMD.EXEcan also be a trojan. If you do not have the Intel 810 or 815
chipset graphic drivers...

UPDATE your antivirus software and run a full system scan.

UPDATE whatever anti-spyware applications that you have and run a full
system scan with each one.

You might want to start in Safe Mode to run your antivirus and anti-spyware
software.

Running a full system antivirus scan or anti-spyware scan in Safe Mode can
be a good idea. Some viruses and other malware like to conceal themselves
in areas Windows protects while using them. Safe mode can prevent those
applications access and therefore unprotect the viruses or other malware
allowing for easier removal.

''In safe mode, you have access to only basic files and drivers
(mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, base video, default system
services), just the minimum device drivers required to start Windows.''

Because of that some malware does not load in Safe Mode and is easier to get
rid of.

How to start Windows in Safe Mode Windows XPhttp://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=61#winxo

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Thanks, Wes for your reply

I think I've fixed the problem (I get motivated when things go wrong
with my PC!) so I'm happy to post here in case it helps (which I
doubt). The problem seems to have been related to the graphics driver.
My laptop has the 945GP. I've actually had problems with a PCM card so
I logged on to Driverzone and found that instead of having to trawl
through a database to try to find the driver, they now install some
sort of applet and live scan the machine. The results page recommends
updates. It found several - including the suspect PCM card but also
highlighted drivers for both the chip itself (T5500) and the
aforementioned graphics chip. Although I found this slightly strange
since I'm fairly hot on Windows updates I figured why not - after all,
Microsoft do seem to rather neglect some areas of their systems
(registry management springs to mind). I downloaded their recommended
drivers (from Intel) and installed them. When installing the graphics
driver update - which was written for Vista, which was actually why I
installed it - it turned out that it wasn't signed for XP (again not
totally surprising). All that happened was that when I rebooted, the
system fired up in VGA mode. I have a UWXGA screen and the highest
settings were no longer available to me in the display settings. So I
uninstalled the drivers again. The screen was restored on reboot but
after posting here, and doing more searching, I came across a thread
that mentioned graphics drivers. So I reinstalled the driver for the
945 and - hey presto - like magic the error message disappeared.

So there you have my sorry tale. No, I shouldn't really have installed
an unsigned video driver but then again, why shouldn't I have the
latest versions. But I will be writing to Driverzone to point out
their error.

Alan