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What is GEARAspiWDM?

The genuine GEARAspiWDM.sys file is a software component of iTunes by .
iTunes is a media player, streaming service, and acts as a client to access the eponymous online music store. GEARAspiWDM.sys is a system driver that provides CD/DVD recording capabilities to iTunes. This file was developed by GEAR Software. Removing or disabling this file may cause errors when running iTunes. iTunes comes equipped with media management capabilities, and can even be used to broadcast radio online. The software is popularly known for its mobile device management applications. It is used to play, download, and organize digital audio and video. The iTunes Store lets users purchase music online through their iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Apple Inc. is an American company that develops consumer electronics, computer software, as well as online services. The company is known for its smartphones, tablet computers, personal computers, media players and smartwatches. Apple develops the OS X and iOS operating systems, the iTunes media player, the Safari web browser, as well as several dozen productivity suites. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in 1976, to develop and sell personal computers. The company is currently based in Cupertino, California, USA.

GearASPIWDM stands for Gear Software Advanced SCSI Programming Interface Windows Driver Model - Filter Driver for iTunes

GEARAspiWDM.sys is a Windows driver. A driver is a small software program that allows your computer to communicate with hardware or connected devices. This means that a driver has direct access to the internals of the operating system, hardware etc. The free file information forum can help you determine if GEARAspiWDM.sys is a Windows system file or if it belongs to an application that you can trust.

Run a free scan to check for GEARAspiWDM drivers in need of updating

Since 2005, file.net has researched facts about Windows processes and files, analyzed user experiences, and examined files using its own analysis tools. Around 10,000 users rely on it every day.


GEARAspiWDM.sys file information

The process known as CD DVD Filter or CD/DVD Class Filter Driver belongs to software iTunes or GEAR Software or GEAR ASPI Filter Driver or GEAR CDRom Filter or CD DVD Filter by GEAR Software (www.gearsoftware.com).

Description: GEARAspiWDM.sys is not essential for Windows and will often cause problems. The file GEARAspiWDM.sys is located in the C:\Windows\System32\drivers folder. Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 26,600 bytes (34% of all occurrences), 26,840 bytes and 4 more variants. file.net/process/gearaspiwdm.sys.html 
The driver can be started or stopped from Services in the Control Panel or by other programs. The program is not visible. The file is not a Windows system file. The GEARAspiWDM.sys file is a Verisign signed file. GEARAspiWDM.sys is certified by a trustworthy company. There is no detailed description of this service. The program can be removed using the Control Panel's Add\Remove programs applet. The file is a Microsoft signed file. GEARAspiWDM.sys appears to be a compressed file. Therefore the technical security rating is 8% dangerous; however you should also read the user reviews.

Uninstalling this variant: In case you experience problems using GEARAspiWDM.sys, you can do the following:

Recommended: Identify GEARAspiWDM.sys related errors

Important: Some malware disguises itself as GEARAspiWDM.sys, particularly when not located in the C:\Windows\System32\drivers folder. Therefore, you should check the GEARAspiWDM.sys process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer's security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.

Score

User Comments

apple file for itunes
   
Pretty much jacked up my cd-rom drives, not sure exactly how though. Seemed to coincide with the installation of Ad-Aware or some type of "worm" my McAfee VS caught and deleted. Kept getting error code 41 for my cd-rom drives after that and was unable to use either of them. Click on the link for the fix, you will have to modify a registry entry. *Edit* Upon further investigation, I found it may be linked to the installation of DVD X Copy as well.
  beamy   (further information)
seems to be part of iTunes
  derton  
"How to remove" article in Gear Knowledgebase - seems to be needed BUT also seems to be left behind sometimes after uninstalling the application that uses it (such as itunes in my case). see link for driver remover utility
  David Schulz   (further information)
This cd/dvd driver is installed by iTunes as well as other software - see link for explanation
  David Schulz   (further information)
The DVD+-RW Dell is not recognized unless GEARAspiWDM.sys is available to load at boot time.
  Mike R  
part of itunes. Corruptes xp x64 CD driver
  ya  
iTunes interface to CDROM under WinXP.
  TR2005b  
Installed by PartitionMagic 8 on my system, looks to be part of a copy protection system that encodes registry entries for the application (possibly more seeing that it is installed as a filter driver). Service can be easily stopped and set to manual from Services control panel, start only when needed by application
  Thomas W.  
Used in DVD X-Copy
   
NeroCheck identified GEARAspiWDM as an incorrect driver in a CDROM LowerFilter registry Key. NeroCheck deleted the entry and changed the key value to 0. In common with what others have said, iTunes had been on the computer but was uninstalled just prior to NeroCheck finding the error. iTunes has been installed and uninstalled several times but this is the only time that NeroCheck has reported an error.
  RalfG  
Installed a new version of iTunes. Discovered my DVD-ROM would not work.Showed ? against hardware in Control Panel/System/hardware. GearAspiWDM was shown in device drivers as not being signed. Removed it from the System Registry as per GearKnowledgebase. Rebooted WinXP (SP1) Compaq NC6000 and all is well again.
  Ernie  
causes errors in windows xp 64. Possibly causing BSOD.
  Matt  
MS Defender found it after itunes install
  dennis s  
Installed iTunes on Windows 2000 Pro. Re-booted and system would hang during startup. After much pain discovered the problem was apparently GEARAspiWDm.sys. Deleted this file and my system came up.
  km  
my dvd\cdrw stopped functioning, and when i checked the drivers the one menitioned says that is not signed...so my pc don't come in contact with the cd-rom
  Matt  
it appears it is blocked from loading in xp x64 now. It is needed by iTunes for writing cd's
   
It doesn't allow me to play ANY CDs or DVDs
  Robot Chicken  
Breaks your DVD/CD drive if iTunes is installed. You need to edit the registry or it will not work.
  Robot Chicken  
After renaming Gearspiwdm.sys, no Cd drive is recognized
  wist  
Pretty much obliterated my DVD drive. The only way it will load a CD is if I completely restart, which is obviously not really that convienient. Somebody already posted a removal link but here it is again. It's installed by iTunes and I think it's necessary for it to rip from CDs (and apparently to gather album artwork now). But either way I absolutely cannot have it on my system.
  Robot Chicken   (further information)
Installed as part of iTunes 7.x as a service for all CD/DVD-ROM drives (real and virtual, not just recorders). Can and has broken all access to these drives under Windows XP x86. Manual removal through the registry may be necessary to restore drive functionality.
   
Norton Ghost v10 file
  torch_n'trefoil  
Incompatible with WIN XP 64 Bit SP 2 and cause Error 1060
  Zero  
makes itunes not install
  Maz  
my CD & CD writer drive cannot work as my system says its not verisigned...how do i deal with it?HELP!
  j1ayi  
I thought mistakenly thought that gearAspiWDM.sys was causing my computer to crash. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. I renamed it to malware1 and now my DVD-+RW is not recognized.
  Jon  
Yes, this is installed by iTunes in system\sysWow64\Drivers\GEARAspiWDM.sys . (Running Server 2003 x64 R2) This driver will cause errors due to its incompatibality with x64 architecture (e.g., XP x64 Edition, Server 2003 x64). Specifically, if you're running ATI Catalyst Control Center (cli.exe) it will cause the ATI program set to fail. Simply uninstalling iTunes is the only way to resolve the issue. After iTunes is removed, all problems will be solved. FYI, if you try to just remove gearaspiwdm.sys only, this will likely cause your CD/DVD drives to fail as the redbook driver will not work
  CJP Setevens  
This issue also affects Windows Vista
  steveoooooo  
iTunes interface to CDROM under WinXP
  Torti  
I have installed iTunes and am having no problems withe DVD drives
  skilz853  
Part of iTunes. Be carefull when removing manually removing because this driver is used as an filter driver for your CD/DVD drive and will cause it to stop working if not removed propperly. More information on how to delete it can be found at http://www.gearsoftware.com/wiki/index.php?title=DRIVERS:_Windows_-_Updating%2C_removing%2C_64_bit_versions%2C_etc#Removing_GEAR_Drivers
  Michael   (further information)
Comes with iTunes. It's essentially an ASPI driver that allows iTunes (and other programs that use Advanced SCSI Programming Interface) to talk with your cd/dvd drive(s).
  Cam  
as far as i can tell, my computer NEEDS it to run disks period, say link
  Dallas   (further information)
I did a windows search for Gear and deleted the files (Gearaspiwdm) but not before uninstalling QT and Itunes, Then I did a registry scan using run command for Gearapsiwdm and deleted all entries or folders. This worked
  Vince  
Same problem, I just removed itunes and lost DVD, this solution solved my problem. I think apples is becoming the next AOL with putting virus on my computer.
  MJ   (further information)
GEARAspiWDM.sys got infected by "Win32:Rootkit-gen [Rtk]"(id. by Avast4). Even after virus has been removed and GEARAspiWDM.sys replaced by correct file DVD-RW drive was missing in explorer and there was exclamation mark next to DVD drive in device manager. Problem was fixed by removing invalid values from registry entry(link included below)
  Kusar   (further information)
DVD would not work in Windows 7 BETA after working as expected in Vista x64 and during the entire upgrade. The current workaround is to press F8 during boot (after BIOS but before Windows) and choose "disable driver signature enforcement" in the list of options. I'm thinking of removing the driver as I'm not using the DVD drive in iTunes.
  Jaybee  
The filter driver is used with iTunes and Norton Ghost14. Gear Software has recently released a new driver see http://www.gearsoftware.com/support/drivers.php which did fix the problem in Windows Vista64
  Babalawo   (further information)
Effectively disabled my CD/DVD reading and writing. Running Windows 7 64-bit and it eventually took care of the problem, but only after 4-5 restarts. Do NOT install iTunes!
  von_Runkel  
Itunes installed disc drive driver
  Cheesecakemonkey  
Cam is rigth. Comes with iTunes. It's essentially an ASPI driver that allows iTunes (and other programs that use Advanced SCSI Programming Interface) to talk with your cd/dvd drive(s).
  Fer86bd  
This is a driver software from Gear, required to read/write to optical media using different application like ITunes, symantec Norton 360 backup
  Prashanth  
GEAR Software Inc: CD DVD Filter. IMPORTANT: Update your driver to latest version(See Link). Old versions have a security flaw that allows kernal access to NT Systems! Also, updated drivers support 32/64bit as well as Itanium.
  ComputerAdept   (further information)
installed by iTunes, To remove it delete the sys file and the "UpperFilters" key in the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
  Dr. Watson   (further information)
Trend micro identified this as suspicious whilst downloading iTunes. The next time I went to use my Cd/DVD drive, it was not recognized. Performed a system restore to the point that occurred before downloading iTunes. Drive works again.Will need to do more research before attempting iTunes download again.
  MP  
Thanks for the help from everyone. I found some meaningful results from the link provided below by David Schulz but it has moved to the link i have included.
  vorhaben   (further information)
Win 7 64 bit: Using other CD burner s/w caused iTunes to lose CD/DVD registry settings. Solved this by reinstalling GEAR driver and installing GEARAspiWDM.inf. On doing this I got the error that GEARAspiWDM.sys could not be found. You need to find the GEARAspiWDM.sys in a x64 folder to solve this
  Ian Ridley   (further information)
It will stop the use of your CD-DVD RW devices. Eliminate them from the system as far as usefulness. Drives are seen but non-operable until you remove this file from your registry and WIN SYSTEM32 Folder
  cabodano  
Crash my System
  Wargh  
Completely disabled my CD/DVD/BluRay drive. Appears to have been loaded as part of iTunes... thanks for breaking my computer :( Newer driver from GEAR Software at link posted by Babalawo above appears to have fixed problem. Thanks dude!
  PO'd Asus Laptop Owner   (further information)
Can cause CD to disappear
  Richard   (further information)
Edits registry entry for CD causes error even with updated install
  Richard   (further information)
A memory dump analysis shows it caused a BSOD on my system
    (further information)
Thru my router, it removed any pc recognition that a DVD RW was installed on 3 separate computers, with 3 different OS (XP Pro, Vista & &) and, removed all admin rights, and, locked out downloads that would help. I'd say it's a virus and a really nasty one at that.
  SuT  
This was preventing my Plextor DVD from working, uninstalled/installed driver didn't fix. Then I uninstalled iTunes and reinstalled the driver and it worked. @#$%! Apple iTunes
  John D.  
Caused BlueScreen 0x003B SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION. Version 2.02.03.00 has file size 33,240 bytes on Win7Pro64.
  Bobkat  
I had to install this program on a Dell Inspiron 11 notebook in order to restore the ability to read a USB DVD and SD cards. once installed, this hardware worked as intended. I suspect that the if this driver is removed, it may prevent Windows 7/8/8.1/10 from reading optical drives that are supposedly working properly acocrding to Device Manager.
  Ronald Medlicott  
-If found in System32 DRV STORE (in blue text, means compressed file) is mock file/virus with outdated 2012 signature; not picked up by AV. -If found in System32 Drivers (standard black text) is actual file. [CAUTION]: System32 Driver Store (in black text) contains File Repository for ALL DRIVERS, do NOT delete. To Remove Mock File/Virus: C:/Windows/System32/DRV STORE (in blue) One click (left) to select, right click Properties Advanced (next to read-only)*UNCHECK COMPRESS* click Apply + OK. back out and right click to admin delete.
  JadedOne  

Summary: Average user rating of GEARAspiWDM.sys: based on 72 votes with 59 user comments. 26 users think GEARAspiWDM.sys is essential for Windows or an installed application. 11 users think it's probably harmless. 13 users think it's neither essential nor dangerous. 14 users suspect danger. 8 users think GEARAspiWDM.sys is dangerous and recommend removing it. 6 users don't grade GEARAspiWDM.sys ("not sure about it").


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Best practices for resolving GEARAspiWDM issues

A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with GEARAspiWDM. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1cleanmgr and 2sfc /scannow, 3uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4msconfig) and enabling Windows' 5Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.

Should you experience an actual problem, try to recall the last thing you did, or the last thing you installed before the problem appeared for the first time. Use the 6resmon command to identify the processes that are causing your problem. Even for serious problems, rather than reinstalling Windows, you are better off repairing of your installation or executing the 7DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command. This allows you to repair the operating system without losing data.

To get your computer running as fast as it did on day one, you can 8reset your PC. Your personal files will remain intact, but any programs you installed will need to be reinstalled.

To help you analyze the GEARAspiWDM.sys process on your computer, the following programs have proven to be helpful: ASecurity Task Manager displays all running Windows tasks, including embedded hidden processes, such as keyboard and browser monitoring or Autostart entries. A unique security risk rating indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan. A good Bantivirus software detects and removes sleeping spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, malware and trackers from your hard drive.



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