Computer Help -- svchost.exe is eating up my computer

[jaerdaph]

Try Spybot Search and Destroy if AdAware doesn't get it.

Spybot is probably the best free anti-spyware out there.

 

[maransreth]

The only couple of files that add size to your HDD are the pagefile.sys and the hibernate.sys (if you are running it).

Honestly forget about the svchost as some of the others are saying. It is a normal Windows file that needs to do a lot of work.

 

[RangerWickett]

So . . . I ought to download more anti-spyware software, and hope that it fixes the problem. Hrm.

 

[Ferret]

I've never used it, but my dad does so thats good enugh for me, he pretty much said "that should work". I have PestPatrol though, but I don't where I got it.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Possible Solution...

Hi, you should have at least 5 of them running normally, three for System, one for Network Service, and one for Local Service, any more beyond that, then you have problems.

As mention by a few others here, virus, spyware, but also, did you DL the latest updates for your system (All XP related).

A similar case occured in another forum I visited, where the trobuled person, was formatting his system while online(Which is NO, NO, in all cases, never do that).

On the lack of space, with your onboard ram of 128, that means your virtual memory, set by default by XP, is forced to transfer most daily routines to the hard drive's virtual space, to help solve some of the problem, please locate the System icon in the Control Panel Menu, once done. Click on the Advance tab, locate the Performance tab, you will see it deals with Virtual Memory, click the Settings button.

Look for the Second Advance tab again, there, at the bottom of that page, Virtual memory will be.

You will see a number, stating the current size of the Paging file, it should be running in 2000's to 3000's mark, this is set by MS, you will have to change this, manually.

Click on the Change button, and now you have enter the Virtual Memory setup, if you have one hard drive, that is okay, if you have two seperate ones, you can shift the virtual memory to another drive, away from the main OS.

Now, since it is set on Default, you will be switching it to manual, don't worry, it will be fine, unless there are more problems you are not telling us about.

Okay, please click on the Custom Size feature, the current number in the Intial Size table(both numbers) will be change by you, now, since you have only 128mb Ram onboard, in some writes up, you are suppose to give virtual page of no bigger 1.5 times of current ram, or 2.5, this all depends on what you have originally.

So, it will go like this, in the first box, you would put the number of(1.5 example) 192MB, the second box, the same number, you will be telling the system, it cannot go higher that in use, it is a fixed allocation of resources., but since you have only 128, go with the 2.5 multiplaction

Once you do this, with the boxes, press the Set Button, and you will be prompted for a reboot, go through that, after clicking all the OKay's to return to main menu.

And there, you will have a virtual memory, that will not expand on demand, as set by MS, and some space is return to you.

It does sounds you don't play games, online, because that 128 will not do. And honestly, I would kick up that memory to 512 at least, trust me on that, XP operating on 128, fully functional is a myth.

And if you are the type that DL music, burn it off to CDs or DVDs, and get some space back on your system.

Good luck.

 

[RangerWickett]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I've got about 4 options lined up now and I'm going to hope one works. *grin*

At first I thought perhaps it was a bit of spyware, but my server checks how much data gets sent back and forth, and it keeps a running tally. Even when I had no internet traffic going on, the computer was still using up its memory. To triple check, I unplugged the ethernet cable, and it did not relent. So it's certainly a local problem, some sort of program that makes files (though I tried a few searches and couldn't find new files that I couldn't account for, and certainly nothing of 100+ MB). Maybe it's just using up Virtual Memory, as Truth Seeker suggested.

As for XP working, I just use this frikkin' computer for MS Word, the occasional Photoshop project, and music. Oh, and did I mention it was originally an older model? The hard drive's only 6 GB. I just was worried because the computer had worked flawlessly for the 8 months since I updated to XP, and out of the blue, this problem appeared.

I don't even get the blue screen of death. I'm not so lucky. *grin*

 

[Truth Seeker]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I've got about 4 options lined up now and I'm going to hope one works. *grin*

At first I thought perhaps it was a bit of spyware, but my server checks how much data gets sent back and forth, and it keeps a running tally. Even when I had no internet traffic going on, the computer was still using up its memory. To triple check, I unplugged the ethernet cable, and it did not relent. So it's certainly a local problem, some sort of program that makes files (though I tried a few searches and couldn't find new files that I couldn't account for, and certainly nothing of 100+ MB). Maybe it's just using up Virtual Memory, as Truth Seeker suggested.

As for XP working, I just use this frikkin' computer for MS Word, the occasional Photoshop project, and music. Oh, and did I mention it was originally an older model? The hard drive's only 6 GB. I just was worried because the computer had worked flawlessly for the 8 months since I updated to XP, and out of the blue, this problem appeared.

I don't even get the blue screen of death. I'm not so lucky. *grin*

Ugh....only 6gigs???? No wonder, XP updates and installment takes up at least 3/4 of that...wow, it is a miracle it is still running. And by the way, when your space is being reduce by whatever you DL, you also shrink the virtual space reserve, forcing the system to take some drastic measures, if it is 'system' function on the scvhost.exe, all that the OS might be doing, is trying maintain functionally with all current operations, with what room it has.

And since you DL music, if you are using Peer to peer...those things are active software always. That might be something you may need to discontinue.

Good Luck.

 

[Mystery Man]

Ugh....only 6gigs???? No wonder, XP updates and installment takes up at least 3/4 of that...wow, it is a miracle it is still running.

That and 128 megs of RAM is just barely enough. 512 would be the best, least amount. I have 2 gigs of RAM and my hard drive only spins with I load a program. You might want to throw a bigger hard drive on there, or run linux.

 

[Henry]

I'll go ahead and move this to the computers and software forum, but it looks like you're in pretty good hands, R. I would definitely follow up on the "more RAM, more Hard Drive, more anti-virus and anti-spyware" suggestions, if feasible. XP has a STRONG need for up-to-date patches and preventative-ware, with or without SP2, and the more software on there, the worse your need for resources gets.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Go to www.sysinternals.com and download process explorer, it can show you the command line that each SVCHOST process started with, which might give you more of an idea.

I second Dismas' suggestion. It is really helpful to find what is running in each SVCHOST process if you've got any suspicious about nasty activity going on.

Cheers