Svchost.exe is a Windows operating system process that is essential for services running from dynamic link libraries, such as automatic updates and fax services. They are located in the C:WindowsSystem32 folder and are so important that terminating or deleting these processes can break the operation of Windows.
What is svchost.exe?
svchost.exe, known as Service Host, is a software program that is part of the Windows operating system used by many Windows applications. The computer’s svchost.exe should be located in the system folder at ‘windowsSystem32‘.
At startup, the Service Control Manager starts svchost.exe to manage system services that run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). Therefore, for each running service, there is an instance of svchost.exe to manage it.
It helps reduce CPU load by ensuring that various services and processes share resources. Dynamic Link Libraries have code used by various software applications. They need svchost.exe as an add-on to ensure the efficiency of running these different services. Make sure Windows or other programs are effectively loading the required DLL files.
Why are there several service host processes running?
Since Windows and other applications require many services to function effectively, each service has its own svchost.exe to manage it. This is why you will see many service host processes running at the same time.
Can you imagine if all these services were running under one service host process? This means that if one service fails, it can affect all other services, causing Windows or any application to crash. That’s why they are separated and organized into related logical groups. Therefore, the service host process that manages related network services is different from the service host process that runs firewall-related services.
Is svchost.exe a virus?
Svchost.exe is not a virus. In fact, it’s an important Windows file. Despite its significance, svchost.exe is sometimes considered a virus. This is because attackers utilize svchost.exe as a common system process to attach malicious files that affect your computer. Attackers use cunning methods to avoid detection of their malware or viruses. They can:
- They named their virus svchost.exe and described it as a “host process for Windows services”.
- Use misspellings like svcosl.exe
This makes it difficult for users to distinguish legitimate service host processes from their malware. However, a legitimate svchost.exe file is not a virus, but rather helps ensure that the program runs on your computer.
How to Check if svchost.exe is a Virus or Malware
No matter how legitimate it looks, the svchost.exe process can be malware or a virus. The Svchost.exe virus spreads in different ways, either through spam emails, downloaded by users after being tricked into thinking it is legitimate software, or through malicious or hacked websites.
The svchost.exe virus can copy its executable file to Windows and then modify the registry to run during startup. Besides double-checking the spelling of the file to make sure it’s svchost.exe or svchost.exe, there are other ways to identify a malicious svchost.exe file. They include:
1. Check its file location
Since the svchost.exe infection masks itself, the easiest way to check if it is a virus or malware is by Check its file location.
To check the file location of the svchost.exe file:
step 1: Open Windows Task Manager By pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC or typing ‘task manager‘ in the search box and start the application
Step 2: Right click on the offending svchost.exe file
Step 3: click ‘Open file location‘
The file should be located in the “Windows/system32” folder. If this is not the case, then svchost.exe is a virus or malware.
2. View process details
After opening the task manager;
step 1: Right click on the svchost.exe file
Step 2: choose ‘characteristic‘
Step 3: Click the Details tab
Under copyright, check if it is Microsoft Corporation. If not, then it is malware.
How to remove or uninstall svchost.exe from your computer
Unless you are sure that a specific svchost.exe process is a virus or malware, it should not be removed or uninstalled from your computer. Doing so may crash your Windows or affect the operation of other applications. If you suspect that svchost.exe is a virus or malware, you can use a malware removal program to remove it.
Therefore, to delete the svchost.exe virus or malware:
1. Use R-Kill to kill malicious processes
Before running any malware removal program, you can use R Kill to search for malicious processes running in the background and kill them. This helps ensure they don’t interfere while running antimalware. Use R Kill for you:
- download it from R kill official website.
- Run the program.
- Please wait for it to scan for malware and suspicious background processes and kill them.
- After completing the scan, it generates a log file with detailed information about the terminated process.
You should keep your computer running because restarting it means restarting background processes.
2. Scan with anti-malware software
After the R Kill software has successfully terminated the malware, you can use a malware removal program to eliminate the svchost.exe infection. To remove viruses or malware:
- Download anti-malware software like Malware Bytes or Bitdefender.
- Install the software on your computer.
- Scan your computer for malware or virus attacks and eliminate them.
Your anti-malware software will remove the svchost.exe virus or malware from your computer.
1. How to stop the svchost.exe process?
Although not recommended, you can stop the svchost.exe process in ‘task manager. Under the Processes tab, right-click the svchost.exe process you want to stop, and then clickEnd the task. ‘
However, since Microsoft Windows uses svchost.exe, it will start after your computer or application restarts.You should also pay attention to the importance of the process before stopping it as it may cause problems with Windows.
2. Is svchost.exe causing high CPU usage?
Typically, svchost.exe does not cause high CPU usage. However, svchost.exe can cause high CPU usage for various reasons. Svchost.exe high CPU usage may be due to virus or malware attack. You can fix this by running a deep virus scan.
maybe because Windows searches for or downloads updates in the background. You can resolve this issue by running the Windows Update troubleshooter, updating your Windows, or disabling automatic Windows updates.
3. Is svchost.exe causing high disk usage?
svchost.exe causes high disk usage in most cases If BITS uses excess bandwidth. Background Intelligent Transfer Service helps download Windows updates in the background, generating the demanding svchost.exe. You can work around this problem by disabling BITS.
High Svchost.exe disk usage can also be due to unnecessary log files in Windows Event Viewer. You can fix this by clearing the Event Viewer log. A corrupt or incorrect svchost.exe file can also cause high CPU/Ram usage.