RE: Realtek HD Audio Drive....Before my upgrade to version 6.0.1.5910 (sp44380)

1.  Whose's upgrade version?

Realtek says, 

Audio drivers available for download from the Realtek website are general drivers for our audio ICs, and may not offer the customizations made by your system/motherboard manufacturer. To be sure you obtain the full features/customizations provided in your original audio product, please download the latest drivers from your system/motherboard manufacturer's website. 

 2.  Check Device Manager, and see if Microsoft has some audio program there...

3.   Is this the correct format, with double slashes?  "C: \ Program Files \ \ Realtek \ Audio \ HDA \ \ RAVCpl64.exe "

Realtek has had a 64 bit version since 2000/XP days, as I recall.

Normally, when a program installs itself, it can insert details into registry, and one should not have to " ticked the box to show icon in System Tray."

I assume you have unticked it, and then rebooted computer?

Maybe one should remove the data in registry, and then de-install Realtek...then, re-install it.

 Btw, is your "RAVCpl64.exe\" in the C:\Windows directory?  I do not have the 64 bit Vista, but in registry, there is no Path for

RtHDVCpl.exe ....here is what it looks like:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"RtHDVCpl"="RtHDVCpl.exe"

Hence, you might untick that box, and remove the path in registry if there is a copy in the C:\Windows directory.

Hence, if you have two different  "RAVCpl64.exe," one in C:\Windows, and one in C:\\Program Files\\Realtek\\Audio\...you have a problem.

Thanks for your reply. 

RtHDVCpl.exe is for the 32-bit version and RAVCpl64.exe is for the 64-bit version. It is the same program (Realtek HD Audio Manager). 

There is no copy in the C:\Windows directory. But I have noticed a (installed?) copy of all the Realtek files installed in C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\... in the hidden directory C:\HP\DRIVERS\Realtek_HDAudio\Vista64. 

I think that your idea about removing data in the registry and then de-install and re-install is af possible solution. Before re-install I will also remove all directories and files regarding Realtek including RAVCpl64.exe on my C-drive = Clean install.

If this solution is a succes I will write about it here.

 RE: RtHDVCpl.exe is for the 32-bit version and RAVCpl64.exe

Yes...I'm fully aware....my point was that in my 32 bit version, registry was pointing to C:\Windows directory..instead of  C:\\Program Files\\Realtek\\Audio\

I'm a geek from Windoze 3.1 to XP....sometimes, you have to re-examine your directories and registry to delete all traces of an installation.  Just removing a program means nothing sometimes...sometimes old files linger around....just as entries in registry.

It's a real pill to "exterminate" all traces with some programs.  If there was only a readme file for each program installed, explaining what they did...but those knuckle heads don't do it.

 I did some Google searching, but could not find anything on your issue...my guess is something in your installs has created it.

Good luck

Thanks to both of you.

I did a clean install and it did not help. I also tried different reg keys. Among other things, your proposal.

Yes, I am aware of the the icon settings in Windows 7. However, this does not help. System icons are turned on in both programs (Realtek HD Audio Manager and Windows 7), but when I start/restart Windows 7, the icon does not show in notification area. The icon only pops up in the notification area, if I open Realtek from control panel. Odd. Next time I start Windows 7 the icon is gone again.