AlienwareTactXMacroController.exe unresponsive

Question

I have an Alienware 18 running Windows 8. I am having a problem that I think started when the Command Center was updated about a month and a half ago.  The update was done because a pop up said that there was an update to it and I said to go ahead and install it. The problem is that after a while (could be an hour of a couple of days) the macro keys become unresponsive.  A reboot will fix it until it fails again.  I call Tech support and the rep had me do all kinds of things including removing and re-installing the command center (did that 3 times).  The also had me i install the keyboard driver for the stand alone keyboard and that really messed up things. I uninstalled and re-installed the Command Center (the 3rd time) and it look like the problem was fixed but the next time I booted it failed again after a few hours. TheTaskinfo (a utility I have) showed that AlienwareTactXMacroController.exe was not responding so I terminated the process and then started it again by double clicking on the exe file.  The program then shows up in Task manager as A;ianLabs.Keypad.Controler (32 bits) and it usually is not responding right after I start it.  I then do an End Task from Task manager and then the keys start to work again.  When (notice that I said when and not if) I do the End Task and restart and I am back in business. When the keys are not working, if I open the command center and go to the TactX screen, I can select the keys and even use the pop up menu to define them, but when I try to put in a key stroke nothing goes into the box.  When I try to define a macro it lets me name it, but when I try to record it the keystrokes do not appear in the box. Any one has any idea as to how to fix or diagnose this problem since Tech support is totally useless?

Alienware-Naomi · Answer

Hi!

I would suggest doing an AlienRespawn to factory settings or a System Restore using a recovery point created before the problem started. This will help us identify if the problem is software or hardware.

Let me know how it goes!

Note: For System Restore on Windows 8, just find the program on the Control Panel or just click Search on the Start menu and enter "System Restore".

andyrey · Answer

Will this remove all my installed applications?

andyrey · Answer

Then it is not an option.  I wold have to re-install too much stuff.  I guess I will have to live with the bug until they can figure out what it is and distribute a fix.

Alienware-Naomi · Answer

If you use System Restore you can decide how far back you want to go and the restore will only affect your applications but not your files. If you use AlienRespawn, it will go back to factory state and your files and applications will be affected, so you should do a backup first.

Alienware-Naomi · Answer

Try re-installing just the TactX software. You can download the application and driver here.

andyrey · Answer

Thanks, but that is for the standalone keyboard.  That was one of the things tech support had me even though I pointed out that it says it applies only to the Alienware X51 and Alienware Aurora R4.  It really messed up things until I uninstalled the driver.  And I did remove and re-installed the Alianware Command Center several times.

Alienware-Naomi · Answer

In that case, the next step would be running System Restore.

andyrey · Answer

And as I said before, that is not an option.  I will have to live with the buggy program.

Locked Topics – Alienware General

Was this post helpful?