The bus controller sm (or the bus controller control system) is part of the microprocessor chipset, which is located inside the computer system unit. This is an in-circuit system bus that was built on the basis of the I2C bus. It is necessary for the exchange of official information between various system chips (SM - in translation, System Management) and, accordingly, the management of their settings. The bus controller sm transmits information to programs that track hardware sensors. These sensors are vital to system performance and maintaining its optimum temperature and voltage.
The controller was developed by Intel for use in its chipsets in 1995. Since then, it has been improved, has become faster and successfully used in subsequent chipsets. However, this is a relatively slow data bus. Its speed ranges from 10 kHz to 100 kHz.
The sm bus controller is used to communicate with devices on the motherboard that require relatively low bandwidth, i.e. the data transfer speed for these devices is much lower. Such a controller is a simple two-wire bus that connects the motherboard with power chips, such as laptop battery subsystem batteries. It can provide information about the manufacturer and model number of the internal devices, as well as save the current state in standby mode. The device may also report system errors and control parameters.
Since the bus controller is part of the chipset, it cannot be accessed by users, which means that it is impossible to change the configurations of this device. The most common problem that users experience is the lack of controller drivers. Since the sm bus controller is often used for power management, its malfunction can cause problems with the computer related to standby mode and exit from it. In this regard, the software for the controller is very important to ensure the correct operation of the system. In case of any malfunctions or unstable operation, the driver must, of course, be reinstalled.
The sm bus controller is part of most Intel chipsets. If you see an unknown device in the Windows "Device Manager" window or receive the error message "Bus controller not found", you need to install its driver using the Intel Chipset Installation Utility. If this fails, then you can try to download the software from the manufacturer’s website.
To install, follow these steps:
1. Insert the driver disk into the drive or download the latest version of the required driver. To do this, in the "Support" section of the website, enter the model number of your motherboard or computer.
2. Run the installation wizard.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to continue the installation. In most cases, just click the Next button a few times to complete the process.
4. Restart the computer after the driver is installed.
Sometimes after reinstalling the driver or software it will be necessary to turn on the SM bus controller. For this:
1. Click the "Start" button, and then right-click the "Computer" icon.
2. Click on the "Properties" button, and then - "Device Manager".
3. Click on the "System devices" button to expand the tree.
4. Right-click the "SM Bus Controller" icon, and then click the "Allow" button.
5. Exit the window.
Be careful! Any changes in the operating system increase the likelihood of its instability. Make sure you back up your files before you start. And even better, in order to avoid additional problems, contact specialists for advice and help.