Windows 10 keeps installing Conexant audio drivers

Question

My speakers do not work with Conexant Audio Drivers but Windows 10 automatically keep reinstalling it. How can I remove it?

Answer 1

1. Kill the "Flow.exe" process if running
2. Delete the folder "C:\Program Files\CONEXANT"
3. Using REGEDIT, Delete the Key: "HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENT VERSION\UNINSTALL\CONEXTANT_HDA" Surprisingly, this 64bit install doesn't add registry keys under WOW6432NODE.
4. In Device Manager, Install your new driver. I prefer the High Definition Audio Device drivers provided by Microsoft than the Conexant HD Audio drivers. If you want these, choose "update driver", "Browse my computer for driver software", "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer", Select "High Definition Audio Device" and click Next.

After doing these items, the malware stopped installing!

Answer 2

Go find flowsetup.ini. Mine was in c:\program files\flow. Open it. look for addreg.uninstaller

You will have addreg.unintsaller32 and addreg.unintsaller64 Under each of those it has a uninstallstring like "Setup.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe" or "Setup64.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe"

Open up a command prompt with admin. click on start type cmd then right click on it and choose administrator.

CD to the directory c:\program files\flow

Then put in one of the "Setup.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe" or "Setup64.exe -U -Iflowsetup -SRM=Flow.exe"

Seems to have worked for me. Give it a shot.

Answer 3

This worked for me in Windows 11 using admin PowerShell.exe:

1. Find the Synaptics/Conexant audio package:

Get-AppxPackage -allusers *Synaptics*

Output:

Name                   : 22094SynapticsIncorporate.SmartAudio3
Publisher              : CN=5699BA41-022E-4685-9AD3-95C4C30DE78D
Architecture           : X64
ResourceId             :
Version                : 1.0.86.0
PackageFullName        : 22094SynapticsIncorporate.SmartAudio3_1.0.86.0_x64__qt57b6kdvhcfw
InstallLocation        : C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\22094SynapticsIncorporate.SmartAudio3_1.0.86.0_x64__qt57b6kdvhcfw
IsFramework            : False
PackageFamilyName      : 22094SynapticsIncorporate.SmartAudio3_qt57b6kdvhcfw
PublisherId            : qt57b6kdvhcfw
PackageUserInformation : {S-1-5-21-1397068946-2291806019-2590410235-1001 [Master]: Installed}
IsResourcePackage      : False
IsBundle               : False
IsDevelopmentMode      : False
NonRemovable           : False
IsPartiallyStaged      : False
SignatureKind          : Store
Status                 : Ok

2. Uninstall using its full package name (PackageFamilyName, which is 22094SynapticsIncorporate.SmartAudio3_1.0.86.0_x64__qt57b6kdvhcfw in my case above):

Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -Package "22094SynapticsIncorporate.SmartAudio3_1.0.86.0_x64__qt57b6kdvhcfw"

Now, Flow.exe and SmartAudio3.exe are gone, without any notable effects on my system.

Updated, winget uninstall "SmartAudio 3" might also work.

Answer 4

The only thing that solved was:

1. Open Device Manager
2. Go in Sound, Video and Game Controllers, expand it
3. Right click and Properties
4. Tab Driver
5. Roll Back Driver button

Important: If you uninstall the conexant using Windows Programs and Features, Windows will reinstall it again, so just go in C:\Programs folder and delete the CONEXANT folder.

Disabling the Automatic Driver Downloads in System Properties did not worked.

Answer 5

I was having this problem on a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E530 Type 3259. When the Conexant drivers are used, the inbuilt microphone has a very low level which cannot be increased. With the Microsoft driver it works just fine.

I couldn't stop the Conexant software from being installed, but in device manager, I could select the device, right-click and choose update driver, look for drivers on my PC, and pick "let me choose" to allow me to select the Microsoft driver rather than Conexant.

This choice seems to stick.