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How to Fix Svchost.exe Error

By Pete F Morgan

"Svchost.exe" is a service host program that allows several other programs to run together to save memory usage. To give you an idea of how useful this process is, programs run simultaneously using "svchost" was discovered to save around 700 KB as compared to programs that were made to run on their own.

The existence of svchost can be attributed to Microsoft's decision to convert Windows services executable files (".exe") into more efficient dynamic-link libraries (".dll"). Since.dll only functions when there's an ".exe" program to launch it, they created different types of service hosts to accomplish various tasks.

If you use the task manager or "tasklist.exe", you may see that there are many svchost processes working all at the same time. This is usually normal, since several programs are distributed in separate service hosts. This separation helps in avoiding massive shut downs.

On the downside, this confuses people because the specific applications grouped under each "svchost" are not shown, and the presence of multiple svchost often causes alarm. Computer users also complain of the "exe" file's high memory usage, and there are times when it uses the full memory capacity of the computer so it slows down or hangs. Otherwise, it can have glitches and cause other problems.

Solving Service Host Problems

Know What the "Exe" Files Are Doing

To see the individual programs running under a service host, you can do either of the following:

• Use the task manager. Open the task manager by clicking control alt delete or right clicking the Windows taskbar and selecting Start Task Manager. Then, click Processes, making sure you have clicked the option to show processes from all users. You will see service hosts; right click the name then select Go to Service(s) to see the host's services.
• Use the command prompt. Type tasklist "/SVC" then press enter. The services under each will be listed beside the exe files.
• Know if the file is authentic.

This is easier done in task manager. Right click the host program and select the Properties option. Check for the Microsoft Corporation signature. If there isn't any, it's possible that it's a virus. You can also use the command prompt task list and see if all svchost are running in "system32". If not, it could be a malicious program.

Stop or Pause the Program and its Components

Once you discovered the applications governed by the service host programs, or if you noticed that they are not registered under Microsoft, you could choose to pause or terminate them if you suspect that they are causing the error.

• Using "MSCONFIG". Press Start, Search, and then type MSCONFIG. Click on the icon and then Services. Remove the check mark beside Svchost and select Apply.
• Using Task Manager. Press on Svchost or the particular service under it by going to Service(s). Click on pause or end process.
• Using command prompt. Type net stop then the name of the service, putting in a space between net stop and the service name. Or, use net pause and the service label.
• Using services.msc. Find the Start button, click it and press Run. Type services.msc. Click the specific service you want to disable, and then press Stop.
• This measure can cut computer memory usage and speed up your pc. However, you could also use a free pc optimizer and achieve the same results without having to do the changes yourself.