svchost.exe blowing up my shit.

[Arin 0]

When I start up the computer, one of the svchost.exe instances hogs all my cpu and destroys my loading time. I always have to end the task in task manager or else I'll sit here forever waiting for stuff to load.

 

Strange thing is, while playing a game today, it popped back on stealing all my cpus resources again.

 

WTF is going on? Could it be a program disguised as svchost.exe running that is haxoring my boxor? I have Avast! anti virus running as well as a several time a week adaware scheduled cleaning. It's not caught anything strange....

[ozyrus 0]

Have you tried backing up your important data and reinstalling Windows?

 

It usually does the trick for me. (I do this once every 2-3 months)

[Arin 0]

I use to reformat all the time but I dont have the time to do it anymore.

[Wilhelmus 1]

(This is for XP Pro. Home version does not have required command.)

 

When this hogging starts, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to start Task Manager. Goto Processes tab. Look for PID of the svchost.exe process which using most CPU time. Then File->New Task(Run...). Type cmd. Then tasklist /svc.

You see list some sort of this:

Quote:

Image Name PID Services

=========================

...

svchost.exe 616 DcomLaunch

svchost.exe 664 RpcSs

...

Using the PID, see which service is hogging your system.

 

Then try disabing the service or setting it to manual via services.msc.

 

[Arin 0]

ok, after it stopped hogging all the resources I was able to run that command in the cmd prompt. The service is Dnscache...

 

could this be because my HOSTS file is humongous?

[Wilhelmus 1]

Sometimes XP/2K do not like large HOSTS file.

Try setting DNS Client service to manual in Services app.

Start->Run. "services.msc".

Scroll down to "DNS Client", right-click and select Properties.

Select "Manual" from "Startup type" box.

Apply/Ok and restart computer.

 

[Arin 0]

That was it.

Thanks!