PowerDVD 8 and Brs.exe

Brs.exe is a program from Cyberlink, the company that brought PowerDVD to your computer screens. In PowerDVD 8 BD region control information is stored in the BRF.dat file. This file is controlled by the runtime program Brs.exe.

Erroneous reports stemming from different companies’ antivirus programs have alarmed some users into thinking that this process is a virus. The reports turned out to be false positive, and updates to various antivirus programs should fix this particular issue.

However, you are still advised to run a regular scan with a reliable antivirus program whenever you encounter a suspicious program. Malware often camouflages itself by using similar nomenclature to legitimate software. A good antivirus and anti-spyware tool, will also help you maintain your system at optimum levels.

File Information

By default, Brs.exe is located in a subfolder within the C:\Program Files folder. Its default size on Windows XP is 91,432 bytes. The program makes an entry in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run that enables it to load at system startup.

How to Remove Region Protection Controlled by Brs.exe

To remove region restrictions, you need to alter or stop BRF.dat. When Brs.exe is running, only PowerDVD can alter or remove BRF.dat However, if you stop Brs.exe, it will turn the region settings to default, which is no region setting.

Lets us now have a look at the steps to stop Brs.exe and delete the BRF.dat file.

Steps to Stop the Brs.exe Process

1. Check to make sure that PowerDVD isn’t running on your system. Close the program if it is already active.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del or Ctrl + Shift + Esc simultaneously to launch Task Manager.
3. Go to the Processes tab.
4. Look for brs.exe and  right click on it.
5. Select End Process.
6. Click Yes when the warning sign comes up.
7. Close Task Manager.

Steps to Delete the BRF.dat File

Now that you’ve stopped brs.exe, you can delete the BRF.dat file.

If you are on Windows XP, you can usually find BRF.dat in the X:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\CyberLink\BDNAV folder. Note that X here is the drive where Windows is installed.

If you are on Windows Vista, you can usually find BRF.dat in X:\ProgramData\Cyberlink\BDNAV\. Again, X stands for the drive where you installed Windows.

Navigate to the folder and then delete the BRF.dat file.

Open PowerDVD. Your region settings should have reverted to the default no region settings.

You should note that at your next reboot, brs.exe will restart. You can disable this process permanently by using the System Configuration Utility. You should be very careful when using this command and must be familiar with the commands to be carried out as doing this incorrectly can seriously damage your computer.

Steps to Disable Brs.exe from Loading at Startup

1. In the Start menu, select Run.
2. Enter msconfig and press Enter to display the System Configuration Utility dialog box.
3. Go to the Startup tab.
4. Look for brs and clear its checkbox.
5. Click Apply and the click Close to save your changes and exit the dialog box.

You may be asked to choose between restarting your system and exiting the utility without restarting. You may select either of the two.

The next time you boot up, brs.exe won’t be running. You can proceed directly to deleting the BRF.dat file-if you have not done so already.

Computer problems may occur if there are problems with registry entries related to them. A good registry cleaner will not only repair any error, but will also keep your registry free from other issues.

Enjoy region free movie viewing!