Forget about hot fixes, register editing and black magic. I even re-installed the whole OS and I got the same problem again! THIS is the quickest and most effective solution to the 99 % CPU usage by SVCHOST.EXE during Microsoft Update procedure. Read on and in 2 minutes you’ll get control on your computer again!
1) Click on Start > All programs > Windows Update
2) In the opened Microsoft Windows Update window click on “Change Settings” in the left grey column.
3) Disable Microsoft Update option and don’t care about the warnings.
4) Go through the uninstall procedure of Microsoft Update and enjoy the possibility of Windows Update again.
And that’s it: you’ll get your updates for Windows anyway and your computer will not be stuck anymore!!!
Discuss Biology
buy a mac
you wont have any more problems
you are dark!
what a macintard
you propaganda man
buy me a Mac!
you are dark
You are the man!!!
Haha, no. Macs suck.
Gaming is all PC based.
PCs can do everything a Mac can do (and more), and doesn’t carry the hefty price to get similar hardware. Plus, you can build a PC, and not a Mac (not easily, in any case).
Mac these days are the same PC with mac software and connections + double price.
That’s amazing why does it work on 12 of my other PC’s and it doesn’t work on my HP Pavilion 5210us? I did what you said, got back immediate speed and problem was resolved instantly. How come it works on my other 12 though? I always got my updates in the past from Microsoft Update.
Well djangojazz I am sorry: I am not such a good expert to answer your question
thank you very mutch
It worked! Thank you. My computer slowness is gone.
Oh well, today my working day was like s..t, and it is even nicer to feel helpful for somebody’s else work
you are so cool, man^^^, problem solved!!!
Thank you, this solution worked perfectly!
So what do you do about updating windows?? Just uninstall windows update and all is well? All of you fuckwads are brainless.
Fuckers
Cock knockers. Ionnis is right, you should buy a mac and you wont have anymore problems…or at least you wont know about it if you do.
>Haha, no. Macs suck.
>
>Gaming is all PC based.
>PCs can do everything a Mac can do (and more), and doesn’t carry the hefty price to get >similar hardware. Plus, you can build a PC, and not a Mac (not easily, in any case).
Have you lost your fucking mind? “PCs can do everything a Mac can do (and more),” Youre absolutely right..PC’s running windows can do much more than Macs. Things like being compromised by a rootkit and taking part in botnet DDoS and spam attacks. Macs arent so good at doing those things, so yeah, youre absolutely right. PC’s can do much more in the way they suck compared to Macs.
Go get a fucking clue.
I’m sorry to burst you bubble, but all of you are dead wrong. Windows is superior to Mac, but it is still horrible. The real operating system is Linux. So maybe you should all get a fucking clue and learn more about computers
.
Good you have time to learn Linux – the very powerful but sadly unfriendly-user OS
Linux is not so user unfriendly anymore…..if you PAY ATTENTION…..use that bit of slop between your ears…I believe that it’s called……YOUR BRAIN…for 75 percent of the things that most people normally use a computer for, you don’t need to know much extra when switching to Linux….
That would be the Mac which costs 50%+ more for the same hardware as would be found in a PC with comparable specs? The Mac with one mouse button because its fanboys lack the manual dexterity to operate more than one? Yeah sure.
MacOS prior to OS X was an utter abomination, lacking even basic multitasking. Its replacement, OS X, largely derives its security from the (free) BSD operating systems on which it is based. So why not use one of them instead?
Oh, and yes, I know I’m replying to a years-old comment. Sorry, but this Mac fanboyism needs to be countered wherever it crops up. Oh, and I own a Mac, a dual-G5, which is the last Apple product I bought and the last I am likely to buy.
Hi Moron it seems you cannot read so well. You uninstall microsoft update and you re-activate windows update. I hope not all Mac users are like you
Thanks for the article, it led me to find the real cause of the problem, You need this hotfix here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7a81b0cd-a0b9-497e-8a89-404327772e5a&displaylang=en&Hash=G0VRm89YHPrpmTMRnUhJsG21KTrxznu%2b0SoP2G4TKPnX%2fQQvQZBI%2fRRjxh7f1YSlF6ThLdu1dQKHPu%2fl%2bRC%2feQ%3d%3d then you can use microsoft update again
Incase my link above here is a better one to the microsoft hotfix http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=7A81B0CD-A0B9-497E-8A89-404327772E5A
I didn’t put the link to Microsoft because in my case the hotfix din’t fix the problem. And I read in internet that the hotfix was not helpful also in other cases. But if it is sometimes working, good you wrote it.
I have had the same problem. There is a short term fix by disabeling the automatic update service.
thanks a lot man!!!!!!!! saved by you
I have found this fix. Try the reset first.
http://www.amset.info/windows/auto-updates.asp#Reset%20Automatic%20Updates
that worked for me 2. cheers guys. i had 20 laptops go wrong!!!! now all fixed. ta
Happy you solved your problems! Yesterday this post got 1200 contacts: it seems this bug is spread out everywhere!
Where is the Disable Microsoft Update Option within the Change Settings page, all i can see is a list of languages to choose from and to show beta updates? Im i looking in the wrong place or have microsofts changed this?
Ignore my last message.
In order for this option to be enabled you must have the latest update software installed on your computer, follow this link:
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate
sorry for repeating this information if its already been covered above.
Worked Perfectly!
worked perfectly
Atta Boy !
Worked as you instructed.
Thank you ( two times ! ) much appreciated.
How do you accomplish step #4?
You just have to accept the possibility to use Windows Update: it is written on the same screen you were working on in step 3.
After they tell you: “You have successfully disabled blablabla” they inform “you can also visit Windows Update website“. Just visit it.
Microshit have a “hot fix” for the issue
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891/
THANK YOU! It worked!!
Many thanks. This was very irritating, and with the knowledge that it was MS caused, is now more so.
This was brilliant! Cheers.
I have got my computer back from hell!
Thank you very much!
Take care.
Thanks for the help Seems to have solved the painfull problem
Cheers
OK, I got through step 3 –thank you!– but am stuck as to how to uninstall MS Update. Where do I do that? (Using XP Pro.)
@missy
After they tell you: “You have successfully disabled blablabla” they inform “you can also visit Windows Update website“. Just visit it clicking on the link.
Thanks Dude. Your the F-ing MAN!!! May computer was running like a snail!!!
the 4 steps own. Thanks!!!!!!!!
I’m in a pickle. I’ve got the svchost.exe problem – it’s sucking up all my cpu. It doesn’t die down after a few minutes – it stays at around 70-100% constantly. I tried disabling/removing microsoft update, I tried completely turning off automatic updates, I tried the 927891 hotfix, I tried deleting the SoftwareDistribution folder (it won’t let me delete the ReportingEvents.log file, and the rest of the files regenerate upon reboot), I tried stopping the security update service, and after every little hack and fix and patch I could find (including this one), my svchost is still chuggin along at 80% of my cpu.
I really need to get this fixed! Any further ideas? Thanks so much…
Hi,
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/what-is-svchostexe-and-why-is-it-running/
this might help u understand it more, that might help u realise the problem underneath the problem etc..
Also, u might have a virus – if this is so, back up all ur files and re-install windows on ur computer.
Hope this helps…..
I feel bad but I can’t help you any further
Hope you find somebody that can give some more useful informations.
Good luck!!
You da man!!!!! This fixed my issue!! Thanks!
Really happy for you, but what I wonder is why Microsoft doesn’t solve this issue. I wrote this post one year ago..
Seemed to work instantly. How simple that fix was. Now, let’s hope it continues to work after a reboot.
Thank you sir .
You’re welcome!
loranablog,
Thank you for the tips! =]
Noogy wrote that they were still having problems with SVCHOST.EXE even after they tried to fix it. There are viruses out there that pretend to be SVCHOST. A virus would explain the constantly high CPU usage. Maybe Noogy should try a good anti-virus program to fix their problem.
Also, one of Noogy’s SVCHOST.EXE files might be corrupt. I think if you delete a SVCHOST file, Windows will replace it with a brand new one. So that might be an option.
Noogy could try other sites like, Annoyances.org to find a solution. If Noogy tries everything else, and still can’t fix the problem on their own, they could try contacting Microsoft about the problem.
Whatever the problem is, I hope they find an answer.
Regards,
-The Watcher
loranablog,
I just found out a couple of things and I needed to make an update…
The main points are:
1) DON’T DELETE SVCHOST.EXE.
2) There is a virus out there called, “sCVhost”. Notice the slight difference in spelling. This is intended to confuse people.
3) ZoneAlarm or another firewall program could be blocking SVCHOST. This could cause SVCHOST to run constantly, trying over and over to make a connection to the internet. (Personally, I recommend Filseclab over ZoneAlarm for a firewall.)
Here’s the full article:
http://ask-leo.com/svchost_and_svchostexe_crashs_cpu_maximization_viruses_exploits_and_more.html
Regards,
-The Watcher
Thank you for this info. It worked like a charm!
Happy to be useful
you are the best. i spent 5 hours trying to solve this issue before reading your solution. what a simple quick remedy. thank you so much. river
Thank you for this information, It worked instantly, but how can I get Microsoft updates when they come out?
If you click here and you click on the link on the upright corner called office update you should be able to get office update without passing through the annoying Microsoft update
what do u mean by step 4? i done up to 3, and 4 well i dont get it, explain plz
It’s caused by a combination of the new windows update plugin and MS office software. You dont have to uninstall windows updates, just revert back to the old version of the update.
This didn’t work!!! What now???
Thank you mister, you have finally solved my problem. Dear god that was annoying.
Thank you!
you da man!
TY YOU SO MUCH! I have tried to fix this problem the past 2 years. Finally its over!
Should Bill Gates read this blog and solve the problem? Hay, Biiiiiiill!!!!??
THANK YOU DUDE!!!
Hi,
Thanks for the help!!!!
svchost.exe CPU running from 93 – 99%. Turned off automatic updates & svchost still running 93 – 99% although haven’t rebooted yet. Tried checking for Microsoft updates and wont allow me to check for updates as I have automatic updates turned off!!! How do I get my updates?
After you put MICROSOFT automatic updates off you’ve to turn on WINDOWS update. After rebooting did you still have 93% SVCHOST?
Thanks a lot for this information, fixed my problem instantly.
By the way, (and I know this is about a year late) to ioannis and Moron_muncher? I’d rather have my PC than your bullshit.
Thank you Thank you Thank you – I thought I was going mad!
Very happy to help. This post is more than one year old: did Microsoft find a patch for it or not?
uhh in change settings there is no disable, just language and beta testing….
Then probably you’re using Windows update already, not Microsoft update…
If you kill the offending svchost.exe process and watch which services in services.msc stop as a result, you can usually get a clue as to the cause of the problem. another place to look is eventvwr.msc, if you see alot of serious errors that do not have to do with active directory or system time, or a particular 3rd party app crashing now and then, that might lead you to the cause and solution of the problem.
if it is always using the CPU, that doesnt necessarily mean its a virus, it could be a symptom of a hardware problem, which you can confirm by reinstalling windows or even a different version of windows (likely on a different hard drive but same system), but most people dont have that option. in many cases the hardware problem makes scvhost.exe stay pegging the processor at 90%+ indefinitely, and only by killing that svchost.exe instance does the problem go away, but then usually it will kill 5 or 6 important processes, like Server, Workstation, Print Spooler, or sound to name a few, which for most people is not an option. I would try something like STOPPING services in services.msc one at a time (NOT DISABLING!!!), because the worst that can happen is your computer crashes if you stop the wrong process, in which case you can just restart. eventually by doing this you should find which stopped process causes the svchost.exe to stop pegging the CPU, and then you can look into it further.
apparently this issue is more prevalent among people who have ms office installed, the original hotfixes which were supposed to stop this every time automatic updates was triggered apparently stopped working once the person installed ms office, and they released yet more hotfixes which i never had any luck on.
i am also annoyed by the automatic updates notification, so i simply disable updates and manually turn it back on once a month or so to get them out of the way. i leave my system on for weeks at a time so i dont really want that annoyance anyways.
also sorry to disappoint the mac fans on here, but there ARE mac viruses in the wild, i would like to refer you to the Month of Apple Bugs project which found 31 errors in one month of varying severity, most of which were the kind that Microsoft had fixed years ago, such as buffer overruns. link: http://projects.info-pull.com/moab/
if any mac fan ever argues that it is just as easy to develop software for the mac as for the PC, but that most vendors just as easily that its just as easy to write viruses for the mac. one of the selling points of the mac is that it is simple, so many mac users arent tech savvy and are as likely as windows users to run a file that has a virus in it, even when it asks for a password.
neither windows or mac or linux or bsd or unix are any more secure than any other inherently, as it is 99% of the time the problem was entirely the users fault. had they updated their shit to close known security holes, scanned the files they ran for viruses, and inspected the source code of simply scripts they download from the internet to be sure it doesnt do something blatantly malicious, they wouldnt have had the problem. I use windows xp heavily, and i often dont apply updates for several weeks after they’re available because i dont want to restart, and i haven’t had a virus since 2003. i dont even run an antivirus, i have one, but i disable it because i dont like it scanning my shit constantly because i know my shit doesnt have viruses in it, when i download something i dont trust i scan it, thats it. i run a full scan maybe once a month and i NEVER find anything.
It worked the first time, then I later reset the computer and when I turned it on the whole thing started again and the option to turn auto updates on or off isnt there now.
If I end the svc process, it usually stops charging to 99% for a while, but the sound usually stops working.
Please help!!!
I still don’t understand Step #4. Windows Update leads to the same website as Microsoft Update does on my computer. I didn’t get those notifications that you did when I disabled Automatic Updates. The URL both icons took me to is http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us . Help?
Easier 2 step solution.
1 – Open command prompt (start > run > cmd)
2 – run this command below
net stop “Automatic Updates”
Automatic update stops running in the background and you get your cpu back
Peace!
http://mental-roars.blogspot.com/2009/03/svchostexe-eating-up-cpu-resources-and.html
for those who want to start it again, use the command prompt again:
net start “Automatic Updates”
I’ve tried four your step, my problem coming again…
u have another way to solve problem like this
Well, looking at the last comments left this year on this post, it seems this method doesn’t work anymore.
That’s really sad.
Actually, last year it worked for many people and for me as well (and it still works).
I am not an expert, I’ve to say, and it is difficult to me to find an additional solution. Sorry man, if you find some solutions in google, I would be glad you to post it back here.
[...] Now you can visit the “Windows update” page instead of the “Microsoft Update” Source [...]
Hmmm… I don’t know how this last comment ^ linking to my blog ended up here. It looks like a pingback but I don’t have anything in my post linking to your blog.
Anyways. The third solution in my post did it for me. But it was such a long time ago; don’t remember the details. Thought MS fixed this issue by now.
Do you have an HP printer?
In my case (running xp home), I discovered that the application causing the problem was an HP printer monitor. I uninstalled it just to see if it will work. I was surprised to see that green bar go down from around 98% constantly to almost 0% at idle. I don’t know what the printer monitor is doing exactly, but I am not going to install it again as I can still access the printer from a vista computer on the network. I would think that you can install HP’s printer driver without the printer monitor.
I don’t have any HP printer. But it is very interesting to see how the svchost.exe problem seems to have different causes. Thanks a lot for your comment.
All mac users are brainless…. theyd rather have things done for them than try it themself…. never trust a mac user either, they are all dodgy f*ckers with there head lodged quite firmly up there own rectums.
Basicaly… mindless turncoats
I do not agree. if ONE mac user is brainless, you cannot generalize. I am sure is full of PC brainless users out there, but we’re not all the same.
didn’t work on my Vista… Damn!
I’m thinking of killing the process using end process of task manager.I want to know if killing the svchost process will cause any problem or it is safe to do this.
IT WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS!!! svchost.exe is what helps a heap of other programs to work….
Yes u can kill it there is no problem as far as i know.
But if I remember correctly soon a new svchost.exe 99% will come back..
thanks man for helping,…earlier i used to go to task manager then processes and then i look for svchost.exe and how much memory it uses then i selected that and click on end process,…anyways thanks again
I love you man ! Thx for the tip , worked perfectly
fuck mac, its unix with gui.
I love Mac,.. Big Mac.
None of this worked for me….I tried just about everything I came across for hours last night (100% CPU under svchost.exe). The last thing I tried was running the free version of “Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware” (I had tried other anti-virus/malware that didn’t find anything up to this point). It found quite a lot the first time through and I ran it a second time for good measure. Everything is back to normal this morning…maybe this will help if none of the other recommendations are working for some poor soul out there!
okay guys, this is an easy solution to solve this problem until you found a real one:
- open taskmanager
- right-click svchost.exe
- set priority to “low”
–> it will still be at 99%, but if you start something it lowers itself to 60 or something so youwont be slowed down until you are able to solve this prob 4 real
Worked great on Vista, when i unchecked the box it instantly dropped CPU usage on the Resource Monitor. Thank you.
Ok, i guess i can see how it works, but disabling the updates means that you won’t get any more updates… which is kinda BAD, especially in terms of virus’s and service packs…
It just disables Microsoft updates , not Windows updates.
Stunning. I’d just started to put up with my laptop running sluggish as hell even though it’s far newer than my desktop pc. Finally looked today to see what was eating all my memory usage and then looked this up. Seems to have instantly made a massive impact. Thanks!
Worked! Thanks a lot mate
how do i …..
4. Go through the uninstall procedure of Microsoft Update and enjoy the possibility of Windows Update again
????
its not appearing as listed in add/remove programs, done numbers 1-3 ok, but svchost.exe still coming up in running processes in task manager?
Of course it still is! If it wasnt coming up at all, then there would be something SERIOUSLY wrong with your computer.
The point of this is to REDUCE the amount of svchost.exe’s running, so as to save CPU usage. DUH.
As reader already replied to you, svchost.exe IS a process Windows needs.
Svchost.exe using 99% cpu can be a virus disguising itself as the native windows process. Run some anti malware/spyware programs and see if anything comes up. I would recommend malwarebytes anti malware.
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What a fucked up solution you have it does nothing.
[...] SVCHOST.EXE 99 % CPU usage SOLVED in 4 steps! March 2007 114 comments 3 [...]
great tutorials man! awesome hahahha Microsoft/windows update Suck your svchost
lol
Why buy a MAC, when you can install Linux for free!!
If you don’t like Windows, install Linux!!
just hit f5 in 5sec.
everything ok…
HOW I FIXED MINE: Did a SYSTEM RECOVERY 4mos ago…that fixed my virus issue but now i had %100 CPU usage from svchost.exe… it would lock my PC up.. so i would jus end the process from Task Manager which would leave my PC with no sound but everything else was cool… anyway… SYS RECOVERY created another desktop which i was happy with cuz i thought i lost my info… to shorten the story i figured out svchost.exe was trying to access both Desktops… i erased my old Desktop ..fixed ..Good luck
NOTE: there is no “1″ solution that will fix this problem…every svchost issue is different
[...] [...]
heard that this solution may disable the audio function. is it true or just do it and there won’t be any problem?
thanks!
YC
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read more things about it!
Thank you
Problem fixt whit 100% CPU SVCHOST.EXE problem
Pure genius, thanks man, greetings from Bosnia !
virusremoval…
[...]SVCHOST.EXE 99 % CPU usage SOLVED in 4 steps! « Today is life … Tomorrow never comes[...]…
Does not work on W7.
This worked perfectly on my older Gateway PC! Thank you SO much for the great tips! I’m thrilled.
With all the crap on the internet regarding this f’ing issue of svchost.exe, why doesn’t Microsoft FIX the problem? I tried your (4) step process and still have the problem. Have tried lots of fixes, NONE work. Will start to look for a MAC.