Hi Guys!

My Computer is rather stable, but when I go away and the computer is idle it freezes after about 20 or 30 minutes. I ve disabled the screensaver, and watched the task manager until the computer freezes. I saw that a svchost.exe process suddenly takes more and more cpu power and then i can't even move the mouse, I have to shut it down. I don't know what to do anymore. Plz help !

C U

Chris

Dani AI

Generated

Quick, practical checklist to narrow down a runaway svchost without guessing: svchost is just a host process that runs one-or-more Windows services, so a single misbehaving service (or malware masquerading as one) can drive CPU to 100% and freeze the desktop. Start by identifying which svchost instance is guilty, then map it to the service names so you can isolate or stop the offending service rather than blindly killing system processes. ()

Identify the PID and the services it hosts (use an elevated command prompt or Task Manager). Example command to run:

tasklist /svc /fi "imagename eq svchost.exe"

Match the PID you see in Task Manager to the services column; that tells you which service(s) are inside that svchost. Use a deep inspector like Process Explorer to inspect threads, CPU usage per thread, loaded DLLs, and the process image path (helps detect impostors). (learn.microsoft.com)

If a specific service looks suspect (wuauserv, BITS, Winmgmt, etc.), isolate it into its own host so you can test it without bringing down other services:

sc config <ServiceName> type= own
net stop <ServiceName> & net start <ServiceName>

When done, revert with sc config <ServiceName> type= share. Isolating a service is safe for troubleshooting but requires admin rights and a reboot to fully revert in some cases; document changes before you make them. (learn.microsoft.com)

If you suspect malware (svchost running from a non-system folder, unsigned image, or odd network activity), treat it as malicious: check the file path/digital signature, collect process dumps/EVT log times, and run offline scanners (Windows Defender Offline, a second-opinion tool). Masquerading by renaming binaries is a common tactic, so file-location + signature checks are fast first steps. A clean-boot and Event Viewer / Reliability Monitor review will help rule out third-party software conflicts. (car.mitre.org)

Notes tied to earlier replies: was right to look at startup/services — modern tools (Process Explorer, Autoruns) make that far easier than manual guessing. Keep backups and restore points before changing service configuration.

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well i have seen such an error before. however u may have a virus. there has been a number of nasties going around that cause such an error. do good check witha reliable virus scan program, norton usally doent work.

also if u get that error in win9x then that is a sure sign u have a virus

i only checked the system with norton antivirus pro 2003 with the newest virus definitions. So which virus prog would you recommend ?

I only checked the system with norton antivirus pro 2003 with the newest virus definitions. So which virus prog would you recommend ?

Symantec software, in general, is among the worst resource hogs out there. It could even be part of your problem. I use Grisoft AVG in my Windows environment; it's free for personal use, better for resources than Norton or McAfee, and just as well-supported and effective.

You might also try a spyware-stomper like Spybot-Search & Destroy or Ad-Aware (I much prefer Spybot-S&D over Ad-Aware, but I always mention both - S-S&D is free but "donation suggested", AAw is available in free and paid versions. Both can be downloaded from http://www.Download.com.

Grisoft AVG site: http://free.Grisoft.com

S-S&D support (including forums): http://Security.Kolla.de

Ad-Aware's site:

well i have seen such an error before. however u may have a virus. there has been a number of nasties going around that cause such an error. do good check witha reliable virus scan program, norton usally doent work.

also if u get that error in win9x then that is a sure sign u have a virus

My Computer is rather stable, but when I go away and the computer is idle it freezes after about 20 or 30 minutes. I've disabled the screensaver, and watched the task manager until the computer freezes. I saw that a svchost.exe process suddenly takes more and more cpu power and then I can't even move the mouse, I have to shut it down. I don't know what to do anymore.

It's difficult to answer this question directly. svchost.exe is the NT equivalent of the Win9x RunDLL32.exe in that it's used to launch other things, most of them hidden "behind" the launcher -- a major pain in cases like this. I would disable as much stuff as possible in your startup, then fold them back in one-by-one to see which one is clobbering cycles.

Thank You, for your quick answer. What do you mean, disable stuff in your startup ? I can't disable svchost.exe because windows needs it to run? And i know that svchost.exe crashes the comp. Or is there a way to shut down specific processes which are summed up in svchost.exe ?

...is there a way to shut down specific processes which are summed up in svchost.exe?

As I have stated before, svchost.exe is a launcher -- you will often have multiple instances running, with no way of knowing which is which.

Of course, since this reply was originally written we now have HijackThis and CodeStuff Starter, as well as other tools, to manipulate the startups in the registry and elsewhere. See my signature for links and articles.

Another utility I find useful is PrcView.

Thank you very much for your help. I ve downloaded the programs you mentioned, and i am trying to fix the problem with them.

C u
chris

Thanks for your Help. I think i figured out the problem. I installed a better cooler and now the cpu won't get so hot anymore. Although when i play games the cpu also raised to 65 C, but i think the maximum temperature for atholn xp cpu's is about 85C, isn't it ? When i stop the game the temperature lowers back to about 58 C. How can i lower the temperature of my cpu ? Now i have installed a slot cooler and a copper silent cpu cooler. What can I do else ?

C u

Chris

I apologize for my ignorance but a cpu cooler is a heatsink and fan, right?

Yes, exactly

How i can stop the svchost.exe takes 100% of my cpu

Hi nik,

If you use the 'Search' function to look for topics about 'svchost.exe' I'm sure you'll find quite a number of discussions that may prove relevent to you. Please read them and if you still have not found a solution then start a separate thread for your problem.

Pigy-backing questions on the end of an earlier discussion can lead to confusion, rather than the assistance you're seeking.

Welcome to TechTalk, by the way!

Well, from my point of view if your goal is just to keep svchost.exe from rising it's memory 'take-age'... just program some other application that takes the memory up first, before svchost.exe even has a chance :P !!!

MS has finally fixed ALL the bugs relating to SVCHOST. The patch can be found at:

It's an update to the same patch released a month before, which actually didn't work for me. After installing this new patch it's fixed this problem which I've been having for a year now and has prevented me from using Microsoft Update and would randomly lockup up the PC about 3 times a day!

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