[Ham-Computers] Problem with XP

[nn6o]

SVCHOST is the Microsoft program that hosts Windows services.  Each instance of SVCHOST can actually be hosting several services - exactly how a service is attached to each SVCHOST instance, I don't know.  But, you can see a breakdown of each SVCHOST instance using a utility such as Process Explorer by SysInternals.  The SysInternals treasure chest of utilities is so good that Microsoft acquired them several years ago and it's now under their TechNet umbrella of things.  More on Process Explorer a little later...

Since each SVCHOST instance can host multiple services, it's hard to know exactly what is taking up CPU time without the proper utility (such as Process Explorer).   Also, without knowing what services each instance is hosting, you could be killing several services by killing that one SVCHOST instance.

But, being that the system is running Windows XP, I'm willing to bet that it's the Automatic Updates service (WUAU) eating up CPU cycles.  WUAU is known to cause high CPU utilization esp when the updates database is corrupt or when one of the updates is doing some type of "telemetry" gathering.  To find out if it's WUAU, next time you notice high CPU utilization in an SVCHOST instance, try stopping the WUAU service.  To do this, open an elevated Command Prompt (run as Administrator) and enter the following:

  net stop wuauserv

and press enter.  Wait a minute or two, and check the Task Manager - if CPU utilization returns to normal, then the Windows Update service is the culprit and more diagnosis is needed to determine exactly why.

Process Explorer - you can download Process Explorer or the entire SysInternals suite of utilities here:

  http://www.sysinternals.org

Once you install either, run Process Explorer and it will show you a window similar to Windows Task Manager, but in more detail.  If you click on the "Process" column header, it will switch views between A-Z sort, Z-A sort, and breakout or threaded view that shows the process hierarchy (this includes showing each service under each instance of SVCHOST).  You can also move the mouse pointer over each process to see the threads running under it, or the command-line of how it started.  This will help clue you in to what might be eating CPU cycles.  Once  you've found the particular thread, determine if it's safe to terminate, right-click it, and select "kill process".  Or, if you know the service name, it's better to use "net stop servicename" in a command prompt to safely stop the service (or, use "sc stop servicename" as an alternative with no feedback).

I hope this helps you track down the issue...I'm pretty sure it's Windows Update, but let us know what you find.  If it is Windows Update, there are several possible fixes, but no guarantees.  Sometimes, the high cpu use lasts for several minutes to several hours/days, then everything is back to normal - this would be the Windows Updates telemetry gathering mentioned earlier.  Or, WUAU might also be trying to self-correct a database problem and is rebuilding it.  Suffice it to say, WUAU has it's issues.

73,

  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O
    {nn6o}@arrl.net



--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 11/19/17, Robert Downs via Ham-Computers <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

 Subject: [Ham-Computers] Problem with XP
 To: Ham-Computers at mailman.qth.net
 Date: Sunday, November 19, 2017, 7:33 AM
 
 This is a long shot, but you never know what
 someone else might know unless 
 you ask.
 
 I still run XP on two machines because
 two critical programs won't run on 
 anything later.
 
 When the machine boots up, there are
 several instances of svchost.exe 
 loaded.  Sometime within the past
 week or two, I noticed that one of them had the 
 CPU utilization running at 50% all of
 the time.  And Mem Usage was under 
 10,000 K  
 
 As the machine goes through the boot
 process, right after after you can 
 call up the Task Manager, it starts off
 with the CPU utilization flickering 
 from 0 to 4 or 5%.  And the Mem
 Usage under 10,000 K.  Over the next few 
 minutes, both figures climbed until
 finally reaching 50% and a little over 150 Mb. 
  Sitting here with Task Manager running
 as I type this, I see that Mem 
 Usage is currently at 152,780 K. 
 When I started writing, it was a little lower.
 
 Figuring that I had nothing to lose, I
 ended the process and everything 
 seemed to keep working.  Until I
 tried to run our accounting system, which is a 
 dBase 5 program.  The program
 loaded  OK and everything worked at first 
 until I tried to open the inventory
 database to see what condition I had said 
 that a piece of radio gear was
 in.  Whereupon the program locked up and it 
 took a three-finger salute to shut it
 down.  So I concluded that this 
 particular instance has something to do
 with running MSDOS.
 
 Does anyone have any idea as to what is
 screwed up, and how to fix it?
 
 Robert Downs - Houston
 wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
 MVPA 9480
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