Well, if you want software to function properly, you're going to have to let it run the processes it needs.

I think you can nix the Asus KB filter and let Windows just use its own.

I think the OP is asking a good question here that I myself have a reason to wonder ...for example, those of us who use Linux will never be able to use the wonderful keyboard backlight unless a) ASUS releases ATK for Linux (or somebody writes a device driver for this), or b) there is a hardware/BIOS way of turning that on?

Does anyone know of a way?

I also don't like having extra processes like the OP. Yesterday, I reinstalled Windows 8 on my G74. I didn't install the ATK Package, thus the keyboard backlight didn't work. However, I turned my computer on today and the backlight is working! The light is dimmer than with the max setting on the ATK Package and the function keys don't work, but the backlight is working as of right now. Did the backlight work for anyone else who didn't install the ATK Package? And, if so, for how long did it work?

Alright... This post is old as hell but your the first result in Google with «*asus backlight without atk*»

So here a solution :

WORK ONLY WITH WINDOWS x64 bits !!

— 1 ———————————————————————————————————————————————
Download the package here :
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=62997842885044561806
And extract it where you want.

— 2 ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Copy BackLight folder and its contents to «*C:\Program Files (x86)*»

So you must have something like :
«*C:\Program Files (x86)\BackLight\*»
with the 4 files in it:

BackLightDrv.sys
BackLightSrv.exe
Hcontrol.exe
Inputhook.dll

— 3 ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Use «*srvman.exe*» include in the package to create one service and one driver

To do this use «*add service*» at the bottom left of srvman.exe to create exactly the same :
» Service like BackLightSrv.png picture
» Driver like BackLightDrv.png picture

Note : You can change «*Internal service name*» (ONLY letters, no space, no special caracters)
Note2 : You can change «*User-visible name*» at your convenience.

— 4 ———————————————————————————————————————————————

Execute the BackLight.reg to add some feature at the registry.

Note : You can change the value of «*TurnOffKeybdLight*» in this reg file about how many seconds to wait before switch off backlight keyboard without activity.
Unity : seconds.
NO LESS THAN 30 décimal (=1e hexa) seconds or backlight will not switch off !!

30 seconds : "TurnOffKeybdLight"=dword:0000001e
45 seconds : "TurnOffKeybdLight"=dword:0000002d
60 seconds : "TurnOffKeybdLight"=dword:0000003c
...

http://www.binaryhexconverter.com/decimal-to-hex-converter

— 5 ———————————————————————————————————————————————

ReBoot. Enjoy.

You can delete your download. Keep only «*C:\Program Files (x86)\BackLight\*» with the 4 files:

BackLightDrv.sys (driver, the same as original «*Atkwmiacpi64.sys*» from ATK WMIACPI)
BackLightSrv.exe (service, the same as original «*Asldrsrv.exe*» from ATK Hotkey)
Hcontrol.exe (control less or more light / FN + F3 and FN + F4 from ATK Hotkey)
Inputhook.dll (detect when keyboard come back to activity from ATK Hotkey)
and few registry keys.