Question
I have ThinkPad Edge E420s and it is equipped with an SSD instead of a normal hard disk and I noticed a process running called tpshocks.exe .
I think this has to do with the "airbag" like protection - ThinkPad Active Protection that would normally park the heads of a hard disk if it detected sudden movement of the system, as if it were bumped or dropped. I understand that this would help reduce the chances of losing data from the heads touching down in a data area of the drive.
But, as I have an SSD with no moving parts, can I just uninstall this? How?
Answer
Yes, tpshocks.exe is a core process of the ThinkPad active protection program and no, you don't want or need it with an SSD. The program can be uninstalled:
[Windows 7]
- Start Windows and logon with administrative account.
- Click Start, click Control Panel.
- Make sure View by Category is selected, click Uninstall a program.
- Select ThinkVantage Active Protection System, and click Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete uninstallation and restart the computer.
[Windows Vista]
- Start Windows and logon with administrative account.
- Click Start, click Control Panel.
- Make sure Control Panel Home is selected, click Uninstall a program.
- Select ThinkVantage Active Protection System, and click Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete uninstallation and restart the computer.
[Windows XP]
- Start Windows and logon with administrative account.
- Click Start, click Control Panel.
- Select Add/Remove Programs.
- Select ThinkVantage Active Protection System and click Remove or Change/Remove.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete uninstallation and restart the computer.
For additional details, or to obtain the Active Protection Software, visit the Lenovo support site page here.
