svchost.exe takes up 100% of CPU on start up.

[veg1992]

i had 7 too, but disabling auto windows update.... it will cut out 2 of em' i of which is giving u the 100% CPU usage....

 

[eyeCpc]

eyeCpc, so what ur saying is.........if there is multiple svchost.exe running in the processes, is that bad?

because i think my computer had some.

I usually see only about 4-6 svchost.exe instances loaded. But the fact that one is taking up cpu in any large amount can point at a worm type virus posing as a system file(not found) or you have a piece of software hanging up on you demanding cpu time. One idea is cut the number of items that load up along with Windows. The msconfig utility's startup group is the place to look for things that you don't loaded every time Windows boots. You can use this to find out which if any program is causing this.

 

[Ajay!]

Everytime I boot up the svchost.exe runs and takes up all the CPU memory. I have run Microsoft Update several times now and it still tries to run this process. I have to go in and end the process manually, then the computer runs fine. If I do not end the process, the computer just locks up. What can I do to fix this problem? Can you help me?

I have run the following; Ad adware, Spy-Bot search and destroy, Avg anti-spyware, Avg anti-virus and Highjack this. Nothing seems to come up when these are run. Let me know what to do.

Thanks,
John

I had the exact same problem, I re-formatted. I ran a registry repair, virus scan and spyware+addware and got nothing. When I ended it, it turned my desktop to classic view and everything worked fine lol.

 

[jasson]

I have the same problem with several computer systems where I work. I used process explorer to find what was running under the svchost.exe when it started hogging the system. And it was the windows update service running. So I killed the process and after that the other services registered to that svchost stopped working, like the audio, dhcp etc... The only thing I have done is stop automatic update service and set it to manuel. This really isn't a fix but only a workaround. Anyone found the fix yet?
The below tool came in handy finding out what exactly was going on.

any help is appreciated greatly.

Process Explorer for Windows v10.21

 

[Osiris]

The latest batch of patches from Microsoft has left some users in the slow lane.
After applying the seven critical updates released by Redmond, some punters are finding their processor's resources eaten by an application called svchost.exe, in a way that mimics a viral infection. Svchost.exe is a generic name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs).

Outlook 2003 users have been hardest hit, with some linking the application's slow-down to the effects of a cumulative update to Internet Explorer. However, the effect is far from limited to Outlook 2003 users.
The issue has cropped up on the WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) blog and among reports to the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Centre (ISC). The precise cause of the problem remains unclear. Microsoft is yet to respond to our requests to shed some light on the problem.
Some users are experiencing relief by applying a hot fix issued to address problems involving non-response of svchost.exe (not exactly the symptom most are reporting) prior to upgrading their Windows Update client, ISC reports. Your mileage may vary.

 

[jasson]

Ah, yes! This issue didn't start happening to me until wsus tried pushing some upgrades out. But out of 180 computer systems with the same OS and typically the same apps installed only six so far have had the issue. I have installed the KB mentioned in the article last week and the problem did not go away. I will now also try the wu client update and let you know if this works... Thanks for the input. Much appreciated.

 

[johnc123]

Hello eyeCpc and all others,

Thanks for the help. This thing has been a real problem. What I have been doing is during the boot up I press Ctrl-Alt-Del and then end the process manually. This seems to work but if I don;t catch it it locks the thing up.

I found this patch that has, I believe, fixed the problem. After several boots the svchost.exe, that is hogging the CPU, has stopped running. Here is the link to the file, you can check it out for yourselves.

Windows - Automatic Updates | Amset.info

Scroll all the way down to the "Reset-Repair-Reinstall". I used the Reset batch file first and this did nothing. I then went straight to the Reinstall and that seemed to have worked. Let me know if this works for any of you or what you think.

Thanks, John

 

[eyeCpc]

That looks like a good reference to keep onhand. You could easily give that a good look along with seeing which items in the msconfig are unnecesary to have auto loading along with Windows. The more you cut down the fewer the amount of things that can be ruled as the cause.

 

[Osiris]

Windows XP systems are still locking up during patch update attempts -- even after users deployed the fix suggested by Microsoft Corp.

Symptoms of the long-running problem -- which the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) team dubbed the "svchost/msi issue" -- include 100% CPU usage by svchost.exe and its multiple processes during Automatic Updates scanning, update downloads and sometimes even if AU is simply enabled on a machine.

"Of course, the computer is virtually unusable" when that happens, said a user identified as Foxy-Perth on the Windows Update support forum.

Every month at patch time, Microsoft's support boards fill with complaints from users. It was no different this week. "I have 6 (and counting) computers having issues with SVCHOST process running at near 100% CPU utilization," said TKovacs on Wednesday, one day after Microsoft unveiled seven security updates. "Disabling Automatic Updates resolves the issue. [What] did Microsoft just release?"


Microsoft's fix for Automatic Updates lockup not working

 

[johnc123]

Can you guide me through the process of checking my msconfig as you suggest? Thanks in advance.

John