svchost.exe file - What is it?

[gordonlr]

I've been having a lot of problems with my desktop computer recently
and my Norton Utilities 15 shows a popup indicating that svchost.exe
is using a lot of disk time.

This causes my computer to stall out and the screen will fade. I see a
message at the top (Not Responding). This will hang things up for
anywhere from a few seconds to as much as 10 minutes, and it happens
very frequently.

What is this program svchost.exe and is there any way to get rid of it
without causing a major problem?

My computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium. It has two hard drives,
none for the OS and client software and the second drive is for all my
documents. Both drives show a lot of free space. This can't be a drive
space shortage problem.

I"m running Norton 360 and Norton Utilities, both with the most recent
updates. I've gone through several deep scans but found no problems. I
did a disk error check and defrag but there were no problems found.

Thanks for any helpful insights. Gordon

 

[Wolf K]

On 29/10/2012 11:26 AM, (e-mail address removed) wrote:
[...]

What is this program svchost.exe

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/what-is-svchostexe-and-why-is-it-running/

Advice: read it all.

and is there any way to get rid of it
without causing a major problem?

No.

 

[Dave-UK]

I've been having a lot of problems with my desktop computer recently
and my Norton Utilities 15 shows a popup indicating that svchost.exe
is using a lot of disk time.

This causes my computer to stall out and the screen will fade. I see a
message at the top (Not Responding). This will hang things up for
anywhere from a few seconds to as much as 10 minutes, and it happens
very frequently.

What is this program svchost.exe and is there any way to get rid of it
without causing a major problem?

My computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium. It has two hard drives,
none for the OS and client software and the second drive is for all my
documents. Both drives show a lot of free space. This can't be a drive
space shortage problem.

I"m running Norton 360 and Norton Utilities, both with the most recent
updates. I've gone through several deep scans but found no problems. I
did a disk error check and defrag but there were no problems found.

Thanks for any helpful insights. Gordon

I reckon Norton is the major problem.
Try Microsoft Security Essentials instead, it's free.

 

[Big Steel]

I've been having a lot of problems with my desktop computer recently
and my Norton Utilities 15 shows a popup indicating that svchost.exe
is using a lot of disk time.

This causes my computer to stall out and the screen will fade. I see a
message at the top (Not Responding). This will hang things up for
anywhere from a few seconds to as much as 10 minutes, and it happens
very frequently.

What is this program svchost.exe and is there any way to get rid of it
without causing a major problem?

My computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium. It has two hard drives,
none for the OS and client software and the second drive is for all my
documents. Both drives show a lot of free space. This can't be a drive
space shortage problem.

I"m running Norton 360 and Norton Utilities, both with the most recent
updates. I've gone through several deep scans but found no problems. I
did a disk error check and defrag but there were no problems found.

Thanks for any helpful insights. Gordon

Svchost.exe hosts programs, and these programs can be legit O/S
programs, non O/S programs and malware programs too. There can be many
svchost.exe(s) running that are hosting programs, because that's
svchost.exe's job, which is to host programs.

If svchost.exe is not running out of C:\windows\system32, then it's a
trojan.

Sometimes, you have to go look for yourself and see what is running on
the computer and not use the detection crutch tools that can and do get
fooled or they misses things completely.

<http://www.windowsecurity.com/artic...d_rootkit_tools_in_a_windows_environment.html>

The above link talks about Process Explorer.

http://download.cnet.com/Process-Explorer/3000-2094_4-10223605.html

You can get PE at the link below.

<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb545021.aspx>

You can install Process Explorer and run it. You can click on a given
process like svchost.exe in the upper pane, you can see what it's
hosting in the bottom pane and what location the program is running from
while it's being hosted. You can also right-click a process in the upper
pane and go to Properties and use other tools with PE to see whats
running on the computer.

You should go look for yourself.

 

[Bob I]

I reckon Norton is the major problem. Try Microsoft Security Essentials
instead, it's free.

+1 !

 

[gordonlr]

I reckon Norton is the major problem.
Try Microsoft Security Essentials instead, it's free.

I was using Misrosoft Security Essentials on this computer when the
problem first came up, about 3 months ago. Per the suggestions of many
of my computer savvy friends I bought a fresh copy of Norton360 and
Norton Utilities 15, installed them and did a thorough clean-up. This
seemed to help a tiny bit but it didn't resolve the major problem of
svchost.exe taking over and holding things in limbo for up to ten
minutes at a time. Gordon

 

[gordonlr]

This may help: http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-9865052-12.html

I need to go through a tedious learning process with this before I
risk trying it on my computer. I am concerned that I might really mess
thigns up and not have any way back to square one! Gordon

 

[choro]

I gave up on Norton years ago and haven't looked back since!--
choro
*****

 

[Desk Rabbit]

I need to go through a tedious learning process with this before I
risk trying it on my computer. I am concerned that I might really mess
thigns up and not have any way back to square one! Gordon

Try this new fangled invention the clever boffins have come up with. I
believe it's called "A backup"

 

[Dave-UK]

I was using Misrosoft Security Essentials on this computer when the
problem first came up, about 3 months ago. Per the suggestions of many
of my computer savvy friends I bought a fresh copy of Norton360 and
Norton Utilities 15, installed them and did a thorough clean-up. This
seemed to help a tiny bit but it didn't resolve the major problem of
svchost.exe taking over and holding things in limbo for up to ten
minutes at a time. Gordon

Can you see anything in the Process tab of Task Manager?
If you click on the 'Image Name' header the list will be sorted so the svchost.exes will be grouped together.
From the menu select 'View > Select Columns' and select PID, CPU Usage,
I/O reads, I/O writes and any others that you think may help.
Also, from the Performance tab you can go into the Resource Monitor.
Each process will have a PID number.
To view more details about the svchost PIDs try running this viewer:
http://svchostviewer.codeplex.com/

 

[John]

It happens that (e-mail address removed) formulated :

I was using Misrosoft Security Essentials on this computer when the
problem first came up, about 3 months ago. Per the suggestions of many
of my computer savvy friends I bought a fresh copy of Norton360 and
Norton Utilities 15,

You need new friends! No-one who is 'computer savvy' would *ever*
recommend anything Norton or McAfee

installed them and did a thorough clean-up. This

 

[gordonlr]

Svchost.exe hosts programs, and these programs can be legit O/S
programs, non O/S programs and malware programs too. There can be many
svchost.exe(s) running that are hosting programs, because that's
svchost.exe's job, which is to host programs.

If svchost.exe is not running out of C:\windows\system32, then it's a
trojan.

I find one entry in Task Manager that is shown as running out of
C:\windows SysWOW64 but I don't know if this is something that was
installed by my motherboard setup software or if it is an invader
malware of some sort.

Task Manager shows this entry's Image Name as svchost.exe*32 while
none of the others have the *32 ending. Any suggestions?

There are 16 entires in Task Manager and all of them, including the
one mentioned above, show the Description as Host Proces for Windows
Services. Gordon

 

[Big Steel]

I find one entry in Task Manager that is shown as running out of
C:\windows SysWOW64 but I don't know if this is something that was
installed by my motherboard setup software or if it is an invader
malware of some sort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svchost

Svchost.exe is either running out of two directories as explained in the
link. Svchost.exe is part of the O/S, and nothing should be installing a
version of Scvhost.exe, period. If you have Svchost.exe running out of
any other directory other than the two mentioned in the link, then there
is something wrong, and it's not legit.

 

[Big Steel]

On 10/30/2012 2:30 PM, (e-mail address removed) wrote:

<snipped>

I'll say it again. You need to use Process Explorer to track-down if
possible what is happening with running processes. PE can do what Task
Manager can't do, which it allows you to drill-down on a running process
and see what running programs are hosting (other programs they hosts).

Svchost.exe does nothing on its own. It allows other programs to run
under its hosting process. Again, what svchost.exe hosts are O/S
programs and non O/S programs, and those non O/S programs can be malware
too.

Svchost.exe is doing nothing other than hosting a program or programs.
Now what those programs are doing as they are being hosted by
Svchost.exe is another matter, but it's not svchost.exe that's doing it.

If you are having some kind of problem, which may not even be a malware
problem, then you need to try and track it down. PE can help you
discover who is the culprit that's causing problems.

You also need to check the location of every svchost.exe that is running
and not just one of them, because there could be one that's not running
out of a legit location.

 

[KCB]

I find one entry in Task Manager that is shown as running out of
C:\windows SysWOW64 but I don't know if this is something that was
installed by my motherboard setup software or if it is an invader
malware of some sort.

Task Manager shows this entry's Image Name as svchost.exe*32 while
none of the others have the *32 ending. Any suggestions?

There are 16 entires in Task Manager and all of them, including the
one mentioned above, show the Description as Host Proces for Windows
Services. Gordon

Gordon, have you figured out which instance of svchost.exe is using all your
CPU cycles? You can right-click it, then select 'Go to Service(s)'. This
will take you to the Services tab in Task Manager, with the services
attached to that instance of svchost.exe highlighted. Knowing which service
or services is/are causing the issue is half the battle.

You may be able to disable it/them, or if you are pointed to a specific
program, you may be able to update it, get some other fix, or even uninstall
it.

Post which services are involved, and I'm sure somebody here can help you
further.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

On 29/10/2012 11:26 AM, (e-mail address removed) wrote:
[...]

What is this program svchost.exe

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/what-is-svchostexe-and-why-is-it-running/

I second this advice! Svchost.exe is what is used to run your Windows
services. There's no point in looking for viruses or trojans, or
anything like that, masquerading as Svchost. The problem is likely being
caused by one particular service that's going haywire. Find out which
service it is by reading the above article, and then stop it, or restart
it.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I find one entry in Task Manager that is shown as running out of
C:\windows SysWOW64 but I don't know if this is something that was
installed by my motherboard setup software or if it is an invader
malware of some sort.

SysWOW64 is the directory through which 32-bit applications run under a
64-bit Windows. It's the equivalent of System32 directory in a 32-bit
Windows. Nothing to worry about here.

Task Manager shows this entry's Image Name as svchost.exe*32 while
none of the others have the *32 ending. Any suggestions?

Yes, this means that a 32-bit version of a program is being run here. If
it has nothing at the end of the name, then a pure 64-bit program is
being run.

There are 16 entires in Task Manager and all of them, including the
one mentioned above, show the Description as Host Proces for Windows
Services. Gordon

A lot of the services are just 32-bit applications, and Microsoft never
bothered to update them to 64-bit as the 32-bit version is all that is
necessary. The 32-bit services are run through the 32-bit version of
SvcHost.exe ("svchost.exe*32).

Yousuf Khan

 

[gordonlr]

I've been having a lot of problems with my desktop computer recently
and my Norton Utilities 15 shows a popup indicating that svchost.exe
is using a lot of disk time.

This causes my computer to stall out and the screen will fade. I see a
message at the top (Not Responding). This will hang things up for
anywhere from a few seconds to as much as 10 minutes, and it happens
very frequently.

What is this program svchost.exe and is there any way to get rid of it
without causing a major problem?

My computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium. It has two hard drives,
none for the OS and client software and the second drive is for all my
documents. Both drives show a lot of free space. This can't be a drive
space shortage problem.

I"m running Norton 360 and Norton Utilities, both with the most recent
updates. I've gone through several deep scans but found no problems. I
did a disk error check and defrag but there were no problems found.

Thanks for any helpful insights. Gordon

I've been working my wy through all the suggestions that have been
posted here but haven't yet gotten the problem resolved. I'm now
thinking it is an indexing problem associated with drive D: but I
don't know how to check this out. I will often see a ribbon at the top
of the screen (thermometer looking thing) that shows progression from
left to right, while the system is stalled out.

As I mentioned earlier, I have my OS and client software installed on
drive C: and my working files on drive D:. Both are Western DIgital
500 GB SATA hard drives and, for the most part seem to be working
well.

If I open a new client program that needs file data from drive D: the
stall-out will occur while the thermometer ribon slowly crawls across
the upper edge of the screen.

Any suggestions as to how I can check this out and hopefully get the
indexing set poperly for drive D:? Thanks, Gordon

 

[Dave-UK]

I've been working my wy through all the suggestions that have been
posted here but haven't yet gotten the problem resolved. I'm now
thinking it is an indexing problem associated with drive D: but I
don't know how to check this out. I will often see a ribbon at the top
of the screen (thermometer looking thing) that shows progression from
left to right, while the system is stalled out.

As I mentioned earlier, I have my OS and client software installed on
drive C: and my working files on drive D:. Both are Western DIgital
500 GB SATA hard drives and, for the most part seem to be working
well.

If I open a new client program that needs file data from drive D: the
stall-out will occur while the thermometer ribon slowly crawls across
the upper edge of the screen.

Any suggestions as to how I can check this out and hopefully get the
indexing set poperly for drive D:? Thanks, Gordon

I guess the first place to look is in Control Panel (icon view) > Indexing Options.

 

[Char Jackson]

I've been working my wy through all the suggestions that have been
posted here but haven't yet gotten the problem resolved. I'm now
thinking it is an indexing problem associated with drive D: but I

It's highly unlikely to be an indexing issue, especially if the issue
has lasted more than a few hours already.

don't know how to check this out. I will often see a ribbon at the top
of the screen (thermometer looking thing) that shows progression from
left to right, while the system is stalled out.

It would be very helpful to know which "screen" you're talking about.
My guess is that it's Windows Explorer and that you're accessing a
folder with a lot of files, perhaps video files, contained therein.
That would explain the delay, but I shouldn't have to guess.

If I open a new client program that needs file data from drive D: the
stall-out will occur while the thermometer ribon slowly crawls across
the upper edge of the screen.

I don't know of any user applications, besides Win Explorer, that have
the so-called thermometer, and the standard File Open dialog doesn't
do that, AFAIK, so it's up to you to clarify a bit.

As long as I'm guessing, if it's not Windows Explorer needing to
interrogate many, many files on demand so it can list their
properties, it might be a case where Drive D: is spinning down, per
your Power settings, and it simply takes a bit for it to spin back up
and become ready.