[TheDude]

Hi, my PC has a habit of being very slow recently, especially browsing. It almost grinds to a halt and I have to physically restart it using the button rather than through windows.

Looking in the Task Manager it seems the problem could be with the SVCHOST process which seems to take up vastly more (10x) mem usage than any other process.

Can I do anything to speed it up, or is it time to get a new PC? I've tried CC Cleaner, registry cleaner and deleting temp files etc. No good.

Any help welcome....

Thanks

[Tams]

prob you got a virus from a porn site.

[Kiwi]

Whats the processor and how much memory dude?


____________________

Don't expect anyone to treat you like a human when you act like a complete twat

[Trendup_]

Originally Posted by TheDude »

Hi, my PC has a habit of being very slow recently, especially browsing. It almost grinds to a halt and I have to physically restart it using the button rather than through windows.

Looking in the Task Manager it seems the problem could be with the SVCHOST process which seems to take up vastly more (10x) mem usage than any other process.

Can I do anything to speed it up, or is it time to get a new PC? I've tried CC Cleaner, registry cleaner and deleting temp files etc. No good.

Any help welcome....

Thanks

Windows 7 is all good so far. Don't know which OP you use.
Just googled on svchost and found few solutions...........
Could be this: How to Fix svchost.exe using 100% CPU / Memory Leak | Technibble

[TheDude]

Tams - I doubt it. If I visit a porn site, I always cover up and wrap both my router and monitor with giant condoms.

Kiwi - Its an old(er) PC so probably does need upgrading, but the issue has only started a few weeks ago. It comes & goes. Has technology demand changed so much in the last few weeks?

Trendup - XP (still). Thanks for the link - that seems to describe the problem. CPU usage remains low though. PF Usage does rise however.

Thanks

[Trendup_]

I've attached my Processes list of svchost.exe, windows 7, 4 Gb ram. Home network 3 computers.



Someone found a second 'svchost.exe' copy in user ‘dir’, which was causing the problem, you can use ‘Process Explorer’ to see what is running and from which dir.
Process Explorer

Another cause could be your host file, as describe below:
Good luck.
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I've been trying to figure out this problem for quite some time and it's been very frustrating. I've known it was the svchost.exe(Network Services) process but didn't know what to do about it. I was looking for some tech support online; but I came across a site that suggested it might be due to a large HOSTS file. This was exactly my problem!!!! I had been using the hp-HOSTS free HOSTS file download (see link below) which is a humongous file!!! It's up to almost 4MB now!! (BTW....Some of the things in there are totally unnecessary too! So I have to edit it. It's definitely thorough but can also be paranoid.) After finding the suggestion to consider my HOSTS file, I was intending to download their smaller file; so I went back to the hp-HOSTS site to get it. I first tried their "fix" though of disabling the DNS Client and still using the larger file. So far it's worked for me. So I'll probably stick with it. If not, I'll try the smaller file and if that doesn't work then I'll go back to using MVPs HOSTS file (see link below), which is also a free download. It's not quite as large and never gave me problems before. I just lost the MVP link when my previous computer died and went with the hp-HOSTS when it was the first decent one I found for this computer. Anyway.... so far so good; so if you're having the same problem, I would suggest looking at your HOSTS file. It's an easy thing to do and might take care of the problem in a snap. To definitely tell for sure, you can always set your HOSTS file back to the Microsoft default (which is tiny) and if your system works fine, then it's your HOSTS file.


Here's how to run the Microsoft default test:

1.) go to URL -->How do I reset the hosts file back to the default?

2.) find the system you use and copy the code for it or just click the "You fix it for me" button (if you let them fix it you're done at this point; just try it out to see if your system is working better now). If you didn't click the "You fix it for me" button then

3.) follow the directions on the page to install that HOSTS file to your computer


Try your system by disconnecting and reconnecting to the internet. If it fixed the problem, I suggest getting a better HOSTS file.
***DON'T*** stick with the Microsoft default!!!!!!


The Microsoft file was just for a quick test!!! It leaves your system vulnerable to attack though. So get rid of it! Go to one of the sites below (MVPs or hp-HOSTS) or choose one of your own, but the MS default is no good for safe browsing! Download a HOSTS file that you want and follow the instructions that you find on the download's page or on one of the pages below to install it. If you have problems again, try disabling the DNS client. (Instructions for that are on the hp-HOSTS download page. I would suggest visiting the site's main page first for any extra info.)


hp-HOSTS
hpHosts Online - Simple, Searchable & FREE!


MVPs
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File
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[Kiwi]

Interesting information about service host.

I have always regarded this kind of slow down as a potential problem and for the last couple of years have run a simple solution. The problem is exacerbated for me by my tendancy to experiment with applications thus noising up my directories and my registry.

When I first build the OS with my core apps I take and image of the C drive (I don't have my data on C, I redirect My Documents to my E drive). I currently use Macrium Reflect to do that and Cobian Backup for my data backups. That image is pure and can be used to recover from a virus or to give me a clean start.

As I progress along my machine gets messier. So every couple of months I reimage C and then reinstall all the newer programs or versions that I have found acceptable. I then save this image which is "Core+changes at xxx" and move along one set of changes at a time. After two or three cycles I start from the Core and do the changes since then.

Its a little like revirginning your lover

This year I got inspired to build as much of my system with free open source software as possible so I did a clean install of XP and have only 3 paid softwares where I couldn't find satisfactory open solutions (XP itself, TextAloud for listening to PDFs, and ConvertXtoDVD). So its like having a brand new partner.

[Trendup_]

Originally Posted by Kiwi »

The problem is exacerbated for me by my tendancy to experiment with applications thus noising up my directories and my registry.

Same here, I like to experiment with new softwares. Very happy to have found ‘ Revo Uninstaller’ I’ve been using it for years now (instead of windows uninstall), it removes all leftover in the registry and hard drive.
The free version is OK.
Revo Uninstaller Pro - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems