Endless Errors with IntelTACD.sys

[KeithW14]

I have a Dell Alienware X16R1.  I have been experiencing a lot of blue screens recently and so have been investigating the Event Log. Amongst other errors, I am seeing masses of Event ID 7000 from Service Control Manager. The description is "The IntelTACD service failed to start due to the following error: The system cannot find the file specified."

Sure enough, looking at c:\windows\system32\drivers, that inteltacd.sys does not exist.

I can find virtually nothing online about this service or file, I have no idea what it does. It might be graphics (hence posting here) or bluetooth. 

The intel DSA says all my drivers are installed and up to date.

In frustration, I removed the service with Regedit, which of course got rid of the errors, but it was soon added back so at next reboot the errors return.

Can anyone advise what this is and how I fix or get rid of it? 

Intel - please fix whatever is installing the service without the file it is pointing to!

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi KeithW14,

Thank you for posting in the Community.

I understand how frustrating frequent blue screens and Event ID 7000 errors can be, and I'm here to assist you in resolving this matter.

To better understand the situation, could you please provide the following information:

• Your operating system version and any recent updates installed.
• Any recent driver updates or new software installations that might coincide with the start of these errors.
• Additional error messages or codes appearing in the Event Log that might offer more context.
• When did the issue first start occurring?
• Have you tried contacting Dell support for assistance with this issue?
• What troubleshooting steps have you already taken to address the problem?
• Could you provide the exact BSOD error code you are encountering?

Before we proceed, please note that this is an OEM device, so I will try to assist you with general troubleshooting steps. However, if the issue persists, you will have to contact the Original Equipment Manufacturer of your device. Your device manufacturer may have altered features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to some components for better compatibility with your system. 

Best regards, 

Dean R. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[KeithW14]

Hello Dean
I am running Win11 24H2.
To be clear, I think it is unlikely the errors relating to IntelTACD are causing my BSOD events. I am just trying to eliminate as many errors as possible. I have contacted Dell Support about the blue screen events. They are looking into it.
I just thought someone here could tell me what inteltacd.sys does/what package has installed it (incorrectly) so I can figure out how to get rid of it or fix it.
I have already uninstalled non-essential Intel software and registry entry is still there, pointing to the non-existent file. It could have been faulting for weeks or more, I don’t usually look at Event Viewer.
Thanks

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi KeithW14,

I understand your concern about the Event ID 7000 errors related to the IntelTACD service and your efforts to eliminate these errors. I kindly request for the following information to further check this internally.

Please provide an application event viewer log from your system. Below are the steps to generate the logs 

• Right Click on the Start Button 
• Click on Event Viewer 
• Click on the chevron of the Windows Logs 
• Right Click on the Application and select Save All Events As 
• Save the file and send us a copy (make sure to indicate the timestamp of the crash) 

Please provide a System event viewer log from your system. Below are the steps to generate the logs 

• Right Click on the Start Button 
• Click on Event Viewer 
• Click on the chevron of the Windows Logs 
• Right Click on the System and select Save All Events As 
• Save the file and send us a copy (make sure to indicate the timestamp of the crash) 

 Best regards, 

Dean R. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[KeithW14]

Hello Dean,

Zip archive with logs attached.

Please note I have already established that the Event 7000 errors related to inteltacd.sys are not causing my system crashes. They are related to the Nvidia graphics driver not entering Sleep mode correctly.  The last crash was March 30 at 10:59am.  I have not allowed the system to enter sleep since then.

Many thanks,

[KeithW14]

Just to update, I have now completely reinstalled Windows (deleted partitions etc. so no trace of previous installation left). That has fixed my blue screen errors related to Nvidia drivers and Sleep mode.

The errors referencing 'IntelTACD.sys' have returned in the fresh Windows install.  They do not seem to be causing any issue, so I guess given that no-one, even at Intel, seems to know that this file is, what it does, or what package attempted to install it, I'll just ignore it and hope it doesn't cause any issues in future!

best,

Keith

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi KeithW14,

Thank you for keeping me updated on your progress. I'm glad to hear that reinstalling Windows has resolved the blue screen errors related to the Nvidia drivers and Sleep mode. It's great to know that your system is running more smoothly now.

Regarding the "IntelTACD.sys" errors, I understand your frustration with the lack of information about this file. I will look further into this internally and get back to you once I have the necessary information.

Best regards, 

Dean R. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[mbell]

Same error is reported here from several users: What on earth is the IntelTACD.sys service, and why can't it install? : r/techsupport

And my brand new Dell PC has it, too. 

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi KeithW14,

The inteltacd.sys driver is a system file related to managing storage devices, including SSDs and HDDs, on computers with Intel processors. This driver is typically provided by system manufacturers rather than Intel directly. Given this, I recommend coordinating with your system manufacturer to determine which specific drivers are needed for your system after the clean installation of the operating system.

Your OEM will be able to provide the necessary drivers and support to ensure your system is configured correctly and all components are functioning as intended. Drivers & Downloads | Dell

As this matter is best handled by your system manufacturer, I will be closing this thread. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to reach out.

Hi mbell,

Thank you sharing this in the community but to avoid further confusions, I suggest creating a new thread for this concern.

Best regards, 

Dean R. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[AlanColette]

Dell only has "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" drivers to download. They do not list anything when I search for "Rapid Start"

[T_J_H]

I am sure you know this already, and I appreciate it's not a fix, but you can raise the threshold at which a BSOD occurs by unchecking the [automatically restart] box in [control panel/system/advanced system settings/startup and recovery].

[CephasChan]

I have the same issue. Is there any fix for this? I have updated dell command and intel is up to date as well.

[amirgh]

i have the same problem

[Alex1984]

Did you ever find a solution?>

[cowbat]

I believe there's quite a lot of misinformation about IntelTACD.sys.

This service (actually, a driver) is not provided by the 20.x series of Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) drivers that support motherboard RAID and Optane storage. It also does not appear to be supplied by Intel iGPU or Bluetooth drivers.

I began getting these errors after installing the new Intel Platform Performance Package driver kit (version 26.03.100.7) as provided by my motherboard vendor which resulted in the IntelTACD.sys driver being configured to attempt to auto-install, but failing because %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\IntelTACD.sys did not exist.

The Intel Platform Performance Package driver kit helpfully leaves a copy of the IntelTACD driver under %ProgramFiles%\Intel\Intel(R) IPF Extension Providers\Providers\PMTProvider and it is normally installed by PMTProvider_sw.inf.

To complete the installation, right click on PMTProvider_sw.inf then select Install and enter an administrator password. Then manually copy %ProgramFiles%\Intel\Intel(R) IPF Extension Providers\Providers\PMTProvider\TACD\IntelTACD.sys to %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\ (e.g. using a CMD prompt running as an administrator). Once this is done correctly, the errors in the System log in Event Viewer will cease.

[RGinFL]

I have the same problem where the IntelTACD file is not found error occurs, but the file is NOT in the second location stated above 

(%ProgramFiles%\Intel\Intel(R) IPF Extension Providers\Providers\PMTProvider\TACD\IntelTACD.sys) and the Dell Support site is literally no help.

Good luck to all with this problem .  Very poor service from DEL.  imo

[cowbat]

Try installing the Intel Innovation Platform Framework and Provider Package Driver ( hxxps://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=kn3kr&oscode=w2021&productcode=alienware-x16-r1-laptop ).

If that doesn't fix it, unzip the driver installer exe, then you'll find IntelTACD.sys in Intel-Innovation-Platform-Framework-and-Provider_KN3KR_WIN64_2.2.10205.3621_A07_01\17763\Drivers\IPF\Intel(R) PMT IPF Extension Provider\TACD\ (I tested this with version 2.2.10205.3621, A07).