Anyone who uses different versions of Windows in their work, always faces the presence of obscure services in the system, marked as a host process for Windows services . What is this, we will now try to understand the example of three main processes. Along the way, recommendations will be given to resolve some problems.
What is a host process?
To begin with, in the broadest sense, the host process defines a specialized intermediate link (platform) that is responsible for the interaction of a computer system, hardware, programs and their components with the user.
Today there are a lot of such processes, often hidden from the eyes of the user. For the correct operation of any component (s) of the system , a specific host process for Windows services is used. What can it be in the "OS"? This is a means of launching programs and applications, both manually called by the user, and those that cannot be started in the standard way, or to launch additional components.
Without delving into the jungle of the principles of operation of all system processes, we consider the three most famous and most often used. These are the Svchost, Rundll32, and Taskhost services. By the way, it is with them that a lot of problems arise related to the prohibitive load on the central processor and RAM.
Svchost.exe Service
It is the primary system host process for Windows services. What is it, let's see.
Earlier, say, even in versions of Windows XP, this service was responsible exclusively for network connections, but over time it was transformed into a single process, due to which additional components of the OS itself or user applications are launched, due to which, in theory, resource consumption should be reduced processor and "RAM". In other words, one service is responsible for simultaneously launching several programs or their components.
After loading the system in the "process tree" of such services, there are at least four. As soon as a program is started in a user session, it immediately appears in the "Task Manager" as an active application, and in the process tree as this service, but with a note in the description that the user process is running. Naturally, if there are problems with system resources, it can be completed or disabled. In some cases, it may be a virus, then it is better to use antivirus software to check the system.
Windows Rundll32.exe Host Process
Rundll32 is also a system service, however, it is solely responsible for launching software components that are presented in the system as 32-bit dynamic components (libraries with the .dll file extension) that do not start in the usual way (such as EXE files).
Such a process reads the executable program code located in the library and initiates its launch (already by the type of the executable file).
Naturally, there are also failures that occur most often with damage to the Rundll32.exe file itself or infection with viruses and malicious codes. You can fix this situation from the Windows Recovery Console located on the original installation disk, or again check the system for threats.
Taskhost.exe process
Now about the Taskhost service. And it, too, is a host process for Windows services . What is this in a broader sense? In fact, it turns out that this service is as if duplicating the first two, but is solely responsible for launching applications and programs that differ in the type of executable file, but only with 32-bit architecture.
Simply put, in the same 64-bit version of the Windows 7 operating system, applications or dynamic libraries (32-bit architecture) are launched using the Taskhost process. As practice shows, it can be safely turned off, since calls to applications of this kind can be carried out by the services described above. What is noteworthy: such a shutdown will not affect the system’s performance, but it will free some of the used system resources.