Many users know that the first tool when a computer system freezes is to call the “Task Manager”, which displays all currently running processes that can be completed manually. It is in the process tree that users see several svchost.exe services. What is svchost.exe, we will try to figure it out. There are several explanations for understanding this process.
Svchost.exe. What is svchost.exe?
Now we will not particularly delve into the technical details of the work of this service. Consider the process itself, called svchost.exe. What is svchost.exe in terms of the file itself? By extension, it is easy to guess that such a service is an executable file, which Microsoft Corporation has been very actively using for some time.
In fact, this is a system service responsible for launching some applications and components of the Windows operating system, which can reduce the load on RAM and the CPU. This is briefly.
Process Principles
If we approach the understanding of this service in a broader sense, it can be noted that it is present in almost all Windows OS. However, the use of its capabilities began as fully as possible with the release of Windows XP. Previously, the svchost.exe process was primarily responsible for the network connections used to connect to the Internet. Then, Microsoft went even further. This service began to be used to start many system and local background processes from files with the .dll extension (the so-called dynamic libraries), which in normal mode cannot be started.
Speaking about dynamic libraries, it is worth saying that they include either related system processes, or some additions for programs installed in a computer system. A vivid example is, say, VST or RTAS plugins used in music sequencers or in programs for processing audio and video.
Through a virtual host, they can connect to their respective applications. The svchost service itself and additional drivers such as ASIO are responsible for this.
From the point of view of the impact on the system when using this service, there is no need to physically launch the .exe executable file, which means that the number of processes hanging in the RAM and virtual memory is reduced . That is why when calling the “Task Manager” the user sees not one, but at least four processes with the same name. Now it’s clear that the more heavyweight applications with add-ons are launched, the more svchost processes of the same name will be present in the “Dispatcher”.
In addition, the svchost.exe file itself always starts at system startup, regardless of which processes and services are present in autorun. Even a complete shutdown of unnecessary services at startup does not affect the launch of the svchost.exe system application.
Why does the svchost.exe process load the system?
The intentions of Microsoft specialists are understandable. They wanted to reduce the load on the system by using only one service to start the rest. As practice shows , this did not work. First of all, when launching a sufficiently large number of "heavy" applications in low-power systems, it also freezes at the same time. The fact is that at the start of any process or program the system registry is accessed, and here it turns out that the system seems to “rush around” in search of exactly the svchost.exe service that is responsible for the operation of one of the running applications. It is such reflections that lead to the fact that even restarting the computer becomes problematic.
Troubleshooting Methods
However, such situations can be fought. The easiest way is to simply restart the computer terminal. After a restart, the load will disappear. On the other hand, this does not always help, so more radical methods will have to be used.
For example, the svchost.exe program can be stopped from the same "Task Manager" if, using the right-click button, use the "End Process Process" command in it.
But it’s better to do otherwise. In the "Task Manager" (in the process window), right-clicking on one of the svchost processes calls up an additional menu in which you need to select the line "Go to Service (Go to Service (s)), after which all the processes that are currently running will be shown under the auspices of this service.
To stop all these processes or make them inaccessible, double-click on the process and select the “Service” tab, where you can simply click on the “Stop” button or in “Properties” change the startup type (Disabled), and use the service stop after that.
Suspected Viruses
In some cases, more serious symptoms associated with the svchost.exe service may appear. What is svchost.exe in terms of viruses? Everything is very simple. Some virus programs are simply disguised as this system process. In principle, it’s possible to recognize that this is a virus even in the “Task Manager”. Note that the process itself never starts on behalf of the user. It can only have user attributes SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE or NETWORK SERVICE. Services with other attributes are viruses or malicious codes.
In this case, you can use a deep scan with the antivirus program installed in the system, but in most cases this does not lead to anything. Then it’s better to seek help from utilities such as Kaspersky Rescue Disc or a special Dr.Web application that loads before Windows starts and checks the system for viruses and threats much more effectively than a standard antivirus.