How To Fix “Failed to Initialize SmartAudio.The Application will Now Exit“ error on Windows?

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  • 3methods
  • 20 minutes
  • Beginner
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Applies to Windows 7

3 methods in this guide
  1. Option 1. Enable Conexant SmartAudio
  2. Option 2. Reinstall SmartAudio
  3. Option 3. Make Conexant SmartAudio as default sound driver

The same error "Failed to initialize SmartAudio.The application will now exit“ pops up every time I launch the computer. And sometimes my sound disappears, do you know I can fix it?

“Failed to initialize SmartAudio.The application will now exit” error is associated with Conexant Audio Filter Agent, which is an integral part of Conexant High Definition Audio. It is preinstalled on the computers of certain brands. The error message might appear if users have updated their sound drivers recently or installed additional ones. Therefore, it may result in a certain mismatch between functioning drivers. Users may also notice that cafedebug.txt or cafedebug.exe file is running in Task Manager at startup. In case, the latter file encompasses a large amount of CPU memory resources, end its command in Task Manager. If you enter System Configuration settings, they grant you the option to choose what files to launch at startup. Note that these files are legitimate ones. In addition, make sure that your computer is clean from threats and malignant files. In order to solve SmartAudio initialization issue, try several methods.

Option 1. Enable Conexant SmartAudio

Thanks to Andreas Socratous, who developed this method, some users might find this method effective.

  1. Click on Start button and type Device Manager. If you use Windows 7, type the entry in the search box.
  2. Enter Sound, video and game controllers.
  3. Once you see several options, right-click on each entry, except Conexant SmartAudio HD, and choose Disable.
  4. Reboot the system.

Option 2. Reinstall SmartAudio

You can uninstall this sound software the same way as all other system applications.
1. Enter the Control Panel or Apps and Features and locate Conexant SmartAudio.
2. Choose Remove or Uninstall option.
3. Install it from the official manufacturer web page.

Option 3. Make Conexant SmartAudio as default sound driver

  1. Right click on speakers icon in the toolbars and choose Playback devices.
  2. Depending on the type of sound device, click on the default sound device: speakers or headphones. You might also notice the name of default sound driver.
  3. Click Properties on it.
  4. Besides Conexant SmartAudio controller information, click on Properties again.
  5. Click Change settings.
  6. Choose Driver tab.
  7. Here you can choose either to disable, uninstall or enable it.
  8. Locate SmartAudio Controller application on the device and configure it to function as Multi-Stream rather than in classic mode.

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