Member Avatar for zeroth

I noticed something amiss (can´t describe it, just a hunch) on my wife´s computer when I was doing weekly maintenance and on bringing up task manager found that a second iteration of scvhost.exe was running and intermitently going up to 100% usage and back down to 0. I had just run a virus checker, spybot, adaware and nothing.

I rebooted and it´s not doing the 100% thing but there are two iterations still. Don´t really notice any effects.

Anybody got any ideas if I have a problem? wireless g network with win2Kpro with three machines connected via cable. linksys 6 router. cable modem.

Thanks,
zeroth

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Minor typo: the process in question is svchost.exe (not "scvhost"). As noted, Service Host is how Windows runs many DLL-based services and it is normal to see more than one svchost instance because Windows groups services by role/account or (on newer builds) runs services separately when resources permit. (learn.microsoft.com)

An intermittent jump to 100% CPU on one svchost PID usually means one of the hosted services is doing work (Windows Update/Delivery Optimization, background scans, or other maintenance tasks are common culprits). A reboot can clear transient activity, but if the spike repeats it’s worth identifying which service inside that svchost is busy. (support.microsoft.com)

To confirm legitimacy and see what each svchost is hosting: verify the executable path is inside C:\Windows\System32 (or SysWOW64 on 64-bit systems) and that the file is signed by Microsoft; use Task Manager -> right‑click -> Go to Service(s), run the command below, or open Sysinternals Process Explorer to inspect a svchost properties -> Services list. Example command:

tasklist /svc | find "svchost.exe"

Use Process Explorer to view and (safely) stop individual services to see which one causes the CPU spike. (learn.microsoft.com)

If something looks wrong (svchost running from a non-system folder, unsigned binary, recurring high CPU), run an up-to-date full antivirus scan (Microsoft Defender or a trusted AV), repair system files with DISM then SFC, and use Process Explorer/Event Viewer to collect details before taking stronger cleanup steps (offline AV tools or reimage if infected). Example repair command:

sfc /scannow

These are supported troubleshooting steps and safe first actions. (support.microsoft.com)

(If the original poster needs exact command output interpretation or PID->service mapping from a capture, those details can be extracted from tasklist/Process Explorer and Event Viewer.)

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Member Avatar for dlh6213

Multiple instances of scvhost.exe running is normal and does not indicate a problem :)

Member Avatar for zeroth

muchas gracias amigo...that´s what I like to hear :cheesy:

Member Avatar for dlh6213

muchas gracias amigo...that´s what I like to hear :cheesy:

No problemo :)

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