What is Toaster.exe? How To Disable Toaster.exe

What is Toaster.exe?

DataSafe Local Backup Toaster.exe is set by default in C: Program FilesDell DataSafe Local Backup. AOL's process (which WinAmp uses) can be found in C: Program Fileswanadoo .

Toaster.exe is primarily identified as a process under Dell's DataSafe Local Backup software

Both appearances of toaster.exe pose a potential security risk - meaning they can be modified by a virus in a malicious way and used as a camouflage against security scans.

Some users have noticed that the DataSafe Local Backup process automatically appears in Task Manager and uses quite a lot of GPU resources. This could potentially slow down in-game performance on low to medium platforms. There are also situations where users frequently get the ' Toaster.exe Bad Image ' error .

What is DataSafe Local Backup?

DataSafe Local Backup is Dell's most popular end-user software, allowing for the backup and deployment of reliable recovery solutions. The software is capable of backing up and restoring operating system files, drivers, applications, user settings and personal data files (music, photos, videos, documents, etc.).

The software is considered a safe application against data loss caused by virus attack, software corruption and hardware failure. Enabling this feature can be helpful in the long run, mainly because it allows you to restore your device to factory settings while keeping your personal data and files. This is why the toaster.exe process is opened most of the time and continues to receive input.

General issue

While the software behind toaster.exe is certainly useful, this process often involves freezing and other behaviors that paralyze the system's responsiveness.

Users have also reported that while toaster.exe is running, scrolling functionality is disabled, file movement by drag and drop doesn't work.

Potential security risks

If you see the error ' Toaster.exe Bad Image ', it is most likely a symptom of a malware infection. However, this is very unlikely on versions of Windows that have the latest security updates. You can get rid of this case by opening Task Manager ( Ctrl + Shift + Esc ), right-clicking toaster.exe and choosing Open File Location . Then, right-click toaster.exe and choose Scan with Windows Defender .

Right-click toaster.exe and select Scan with Windows Defender

Alternatively, you can also use a more powerful spyware / adware scanner like MalwareBytes to eliminate the possibility of a security threat.

How To Disable Toaster.exe

If you determine that DataSafe Local Backup is slowing down your PC or you get a frequent ' Toaster.exe Bad Image ' error , disabling the service will usually get rid of the problem. Here's a quick guide to doing this:

Step 1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run command . Type 'services.msc' and press Enter to open the Services window .

Step 2. Scroll to the bottom of the Services screen and make sure the Extended tab is active.

Step 3. Scroll down through the services until you find a service called SoftThinks Agent Service. Right click on it and select Properties.

Step 4. In the Properties window , activate the General tab and click the Stop button .

Step 5. After the service is stopped, use the drop-down menu next to Startup Type to set the behavior to Manual and click Apply to confirm.

Use the drop-down menu next to Startup Type to set the behavior to Manual and hit Apply

Micah Soto

Update 04 September 2020