What is pfc.sys? Is pfc.sys spyware or a virus?

How to fix pfc.sys related problems?
1. Run Security Task Manager to check your pfc process
2. Run SpeedUpMyPC to fix related speed issues
3. Run Spyware Doctor to remove persistent malware

Process name: Padus ASPI Shell or Padus R ASPI Shell

Product: Padus ASPI Shell or PADUS ASPI SHELL or Adobe Audition or Padus Aspi Shell

Support: Help link ☒   Update link ☒   Uninstall tool ☒  

Company: Padus (www.padus.com)

File: pfc.sys


pfc.sys is a system driver installed along with the drivers for many CD and DVD writers. It is associated with the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI), a standard developed by Adaptec that lets PC software control optical drives. It was originally developed for SCSI but now is used for other interfaces as well. Terminating this driver may cause software errors when using your optical device.http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/pfc.sys.html 

If you want a detailed security rating about your pfc.sys (and all other running background processes) read the following user opinions, and download the free trial version of Security Task Manager.

Note: Any malware can be named anything - so you should check where the files of the running processes are located on your disk. If a "non-Microsoft" .exe file is located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder, then there is a high risk for a virus, spyware, trojan or worm infection! Check it out!


Click to Run a Free Scan for pfc.sys speed issues.


Users Opinions

Average user rating of pfc.sys: 4.5 based on 60 votes. Read also the 50 reviews.

2030 users ask for this file. 40 users rated it as not dangerous. 8 users rated it as not so dangerous. 10 users rated it as neutral. 2 users rated it as little bit dangerous. 6 users didn't rate it ("don't know").


All comments about pfc.sys:
rate1 Installed by interlink intervideo player   Dominique
rate0 I removed it and lost my optical drives (windows could not find)  
rate2 Listed as a driver for samsung DVD burner, but is digitally unsigned.  
rate1 Padus, Inc. is a leading developer of professional CD and DVD duplication,   Bill
rate1 Installed by nstant media Nvidia DVD decoder  
rate0 I think that is a Pinacle Studio 9 file   Cuk
rate0 I removed it, and my 2 DVD player/burner could not be found by windows   oldbrazil
rate4 Installed by Adobe Encore 2.0 on XP x64 - BSOD every boot  
rate1 optical drives need it else it can't be work   POP
rate1 Lower level filter DVD/CD driver installed by intervideo   Camo
rate1 I removed it and lost my optical drives (windows could not find)   Mauro
rate1 appeared after installing intervideo  
rate3 installed with ACDSee Multimedia pack   Dicksp
rate1 Somehow I lost it, or it became unsigned or something and now my LITON CD ROM doesn't work!!! :(   Tom
rate1 adoby audition driver  
rate1 Nvida Pure Decoder  
rate1 once ya have installed it ull need it 4ever.  
rate1 A quick google of the file turns up a zillion hits on CD/DVD players. It's only important if you want your toaster to work. :)   Runaway1956
rate1 It is a samsung DVD driver  
rate2 I agree with the Pinnacle Studio verdict by Cuk - the only software out of all the abiove comments that I have on my system   Chyro
rate1 It is installed automatically with Photoimpression 5. Part Of Epson Scanner 3490 (& others) installation CD.   The Monster
rate1 DVD Lab Pro installed it   mutt
rate2 optical drives disappear when pfc.sys is disabled   JC_N
rate3 Installed by InterVideo products that include cd burning capability, such as WinDVR, WinDVD, etc. May cause incompatibility with other burning software or dvd/cd drives. If don't mind disabling cd burning in such apps, can remove by deleting pfc.sys, deleting the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\pfc, and removing pfc from LowerFilters at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\[the key for "DVD/CD-ROM drives"].   Scree
rate1 I think it is a file which will be created while a software in relation to the use of CD/DVD. So it's not dangerous and better not to delete it .   Tony
rate1 Uninstalling InterVideo, said not needed anymore. I kept it in case..   RFunk
rate1 belongs IMO to windows - i lost my CD-Drives if i did not start it   RanuKanu
rate1 This is Padus ASPI shell which lets the Pinnacle software write to multiple drives at once.   FabioC
rate1 Came with preinstalled software, all virus and spyware scans negative. Have no troubles.   UMLGuy
rate1 I removed it and lost my optical drives   Tunay Durul
rate3 it is not dangerous but it's very problematic/ i have some problems with writing dvd+-r/rw discs on many computers after pfc.sys appeare. i have not been able to determine which programs installs that driver/   QWERTY_rus
rate1 It uses C/C++ programming to enhance CD/DVD software hardware functionality  See also: Link   mark
rate1 Video driver required to play DVD's  See also: Link   Allan Barker
rate1 Padus ASPI Shell is just a Video Driver for DVD programs. You must keep it.   Allan Barker
rate1 I'm pretty sure it's installed by "Sonic MyDVD". I did not try to remove it. It is not possible to verify its signiture. May be related to Roxio (who own sonic)  See also: Link   WOFall
rate1 seems that clonecd also installs this; errors out on Vista   ultramage
rate0 I removed it and lost my DVD (XP 64)  See also: Link   Alex
rate0 that it is messin with my system. think turnaround time 4 sftwr dev is tweaked Short, so no time to deploy to cust successfully. PITA  See also: Link   Dr Zen
rate2 if you have tried WinDVD and then uninstall it, your burner will no longer recognize unformated CDRWor DVDRW, Had to delete it, remove the keys, go to thedevicemanager, select the burner, delete it so that its driver gets disabled and uninstalled, then reboot to have the DVD recognized again without PFC.SYS in the list of files for the DVD driver. Anyway, It's not signed. Causes just havoc with other burning softwares. Nor dangerous by itself but works only with some specific burning softwares that need it (I wonder why WinDVD requires it for reading a DVD, but it breaks burning)   Philippe
rate1 Seemed to be installed with Nvidia Purevideo Decoder   Growler
rate1 Causes Crysis to crash in Vista Ultimate x64 Delete it. Vista doesn't need it anyway.   Wm Rickert
rate2 It was installed during ACDsee complete installation process   Hngry_photog
rate1 Crashed my Win XP64 - \SystemRoot\SysWow64\drivers\pfc.sys has been blocked from loading due to incompatibility with this system. Please contact your software vendor for a compatible version of the driver.  See also: Link   Ooops
rate1 its a aspi driver for windows xp (32-bit) needed for (virtual) cd/dvd-drives   Massareal
rate3 Adobe Audition installed it. My dvd-burner lost possibility to burn Philips dvd-rw discs. But now I'm afraid to unistall it, because perhaps Audition will not work anymore.   Naccherino
rate2 This was probably installed on my system by Adobe CS4 Design Premium. Windows 7 Pro x64 refuses to run it, giving an error in the System log saying it's incompatible. It doesn't seem to have broken anything however.   Chris
rate0 Installed with Adobe Premiere Pro 7.0 for Windows. 1 Download FilterFix.zip, unpack and run it with administrator rights, select the pfc filter and click remove, rename or remove \Windows\System32\drivers\pfc.sys or \Windows\SysWOW64\drivers\pfc.sys, Reboot system.  See also: Link   Peet
rate1 It was installed by Nvidia Video Decoder   Madison
rate1 Biggest BS out there along with Adaptec ASPI and SPTD. SPTD will and can stop pc booting. Nothing to do except remove it manualy if can. Or replace with backup 'you have been warned'. All of the above including elaborate bytes elby driver can slow down cd, dvd, blu-ray and bdxl reading and writing. Again you have been warned, sorry for warning but it is important to not. SPTI as installed by microsoft is the best there is. No joking use nothing but that. If need an aspi layer try use nero aspi.dll search for it on nero site it is free. Place it in software folder and it should use it from there, or tell software to use it from there. That is all there is to know for keeping your microsoft os running in perfect health for optical drives. Another thing try get in the habit of unpacking in virtual memory or a sandbox to know the installer contents. Or better still ask your av, malware, trojan etc software company to detect instalation of these device and to notify you so can make decision to install product or not. Doing this will no doubt make those softwares think twice and maybe put a option to install or not, that is allow on os at all. Maybe then they get the idea that SPTI or nero.dll aspi is the best to use. Actualy I don't use nero, I prefer ImgBurn becuase it is better. Use other freeware tools for conversion if need video or audio done. Far faster than relying on nero bloat ware. Scuse if this upsets anyone, better to tell the truth than not to. Dangerous rating because they can stop pc from booting. Also make only coasters and have an optical drive that seems as if it only reads slow, one or all problems can happen.   Not these drivers on any microsoft os
rate4 reading of the pfc.sys in notpad: de junking This program cannot be run in DOS mode. C:\Bonanza\Drivers\Pfc\Driver\Win2KXP\objfre\i386\pfc.pdb \ D e v i c e \ P a s p i 0 \ D o s D e v i c e s \ P a s p i 0 ntoskrnl.exe HAL.dll F i l e V e r s i o n 2 , 5 , 0 , 2 0 1 L e g a l C o p y r i g h t ( C ) P a d u s , I n c ... ntoskrnl.exe and HAL.dll can be fond in system32 you cant load ntoskrnl.exe in win7 coz its 16bit i dont see how Nvidia Video Decoder will need this!   HELPER

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