How to fix ‘Set user settings to driver failed’ error in Windows

Many Windows users, especially those with Lenovo and Sony laptops, report that they come across a strange dialog error stating ‘User settings failed in driver’. On the surface, the problem doesn’t seem that serious, but users are quite annoyed due to the persistent dialog alert from time to time. So we did a bit of research and found that the bug is related to the touchpad (made specifically by Alps) which is mostly shipped on Lenovo and Sony laptops. The error is due to the Alps touchpad driver, which has some bugs and compatibility issues. That being the case, We bring you a detailed guide on how to fix ‘Set user settings to driver failed’ error on Windows computers. Then let’s get started.

Fix Set User Settings for Driver Failed Error in Windows (2021)

We have included three different ways to resolve the ‘Set user settings to controller failed’ error in Windows. The first method allows you to permanently remove the Alps pointing service so that you don’t encounter the error again. The second method allows you to disable the service completely and the last allows you to keep the Alps touchpad service but with an updated driver.

All that said, let’s move on to the steps now. As always, you can use the table of contents below to navigate between the methods detailed in this article.

Remove the Alps Pointing driver

1. First, right-click on the taskbar and open the Task Manager.
2. In the “Processes” tab, find “Alps Pointing Device Driver”and select it. After that, click the “End Task” button in the lower right corner.
3. In the same way, search for “ApMsgFwd”in the same “Processes” tab and finish the task.
4. Next, go to the “Details” tab in Task Manager and locate “HidMonitorSvc.exe”. Again, finish the task.
5. Once done, open the “C” drive and navigate to “Program Files”. Here, find the “Apoint2K” folder. If the folder is not available there, look inside the “Program Files (x86)” folder.
6. Now, just delete the “Apoint2K” folderand you are done. Finally, with all processes closed and no program directory available, you will no longer encounter the ‘Set user settings to driver failed’ error on your Windows PC. With that said, keep in mind that you must be in the administrator account to run the delete operation.

Rename the Apoint.exe file

If the above method did not solve the problem, try renaming the Apoint.exe file, which is responsible for the annoying “Set user settings in driver failed” error on Windows laptops. This will prevent Windows from calling the Alps Pointing driver as the file name has been changed. These are the steps to follow.

1. First of all, open File Explorer and navigate to drive C. Here, open “Program Files” and find the “Apoint2K” folder. If the Apoint2K folder is not there, try looking in the “Program Files (x86)” folder.
2. Next, right click on the “ Apoint2K” Folder and select “Properties”.
3. Now, go to the “ Security” Tab and click on “Advanced”.
4. In the Advanced Security Settings window, click ” Exchange“.
5. You will have the option to enter the name of the object. Enter ” Everyone” and click “Check Names.” This will validate the name of the object. Now, click “OK” and everyone will become the owner, allowing us to modify the folder and its content.
6. Then click ” Add” in the Advanced Security Settings window.
7. Next, click on ” Select a manager” And type “All” as we did before. Under “Type,” select “Allow” from the drop-down menu. Finally, select the “Full Control” check box and click “OK.”
8. Now click “OK” on other open windows. After that, open the “Apoint2K” folder and find the ” Apoint.exe” File. Change the name to whatever you want. For example, I have renamed it “nothing.exe”.
9. Finally, restart your computerand from now on, you will not face the error “Set user settings to driver failed” on your Windows computer.

Disable the service

If you do not have access to the administrator account and cannot continue with the delete operation, then you can take another route. You can disable the ‘Alps’ service from running on your PC. This way, the service won’t run and you won’t face the ‘Set user settings to driver failed’ error on your Windows PC.

1. First, end all processes by following steps 1-4from the previous section. After that, press the “Windows” and “R” keys at the same time to open the “Run” window. Here, type services.mscand hit enter.
2. The Windows Services window will open. Here, find “Alps SMBus Monitor Service”and right click on it to open “Properties”.
3. Now, click on “Stop” and change the “Startup Type” to ” Disabled“. After that, click the “OK” button.
4. Next, open the Task Manager and go to the “Start” tab. Here, locate “Alpine Pointing Device”and disable it immediately. Finally, restart your computer. Now, the error “Set user settings in controller failed” will not occur on your PC.

Reinstall the driver

As we know, there are some bugs with the Alps touchpad driver resulting in the error ‘Set user settings to controller failed’. And I have mentioned that removing the program folder or disabling the service would easily stop the persistent dialog. However, removing or disabling the service is not an option for many users who actually use the Alps service for various touchpad gestures . So if you want to fix the error and also want to keep the Alps pointer service, follow these steps.

1. Right click on the start menu and open ” Device Manager“.
2. Here, expand the menu “Mice and other pointing devices” and right click on ” Alpine pointing device“. After that, choose “Uninstall device”.
3. Once done, click on “Action” at the top and choose ” Scan for hardware changes“. You will see that your PC has automatically reinstalled the “Alps pointing device”.
4. This time, right-click on “Alpine Pointing Device” and select “ Update Driver“.
5. Here, click “Search for drivers automatically”and your Windows computer will start downloading the latest Alps driver from the Internet. After installation, restart your computer.
6. Now, you should not find the error “Set user settings to driver failed” on your Windows PC. In case the error persiststhen you have no choice but to follow the above methods: remove the program or disable the service.

Solve Set User Settings for Failed Driver Error on Lenovo and Sony Laptops

This is how you can fix the ‘Set user settings to driver failed’ error on Windows computers, especially Lenovo and Sony laptops that ship with the Alps touchpad driver. Other than that, if the Alps touchpad driver has been mistakenly installed on your Windows desktop, then there is nothing to worry about. You can follow the same steps mentioned above to stop the persistent dialog alert. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you want to learn how to speed up Windows 10 computers, head over to our linked article. Also, you can also check out our separate article on how to fix common problems in Windows 10.