svchost.exe using all CPU time

[Mark Laris]

I'm running Windows XP Pro and have all of the updates
installed. My system is a P4, 2.8 gig CPU with 1 gig of
ram. After I had the system running for 3 or 4 months,
svchost.exe started taking all of the CPU. I have other
programs running in the backgroung and these all slowed
down considerably. Calculations that used to take 3
hours now take days to complete because svchost is taking
all of the CPU. I can end one of the svchost processes
(the one taking all of the CPU) using the task manager
and everything is fine for a few hours and then there is
another svchost process running and taking all of the
CPU. It seems to start out with a normal amount of CPU
but the longer it runs, the more CPU it takes. I have a
friend that has the same problem. How do I fix it?

Mark

[w_tom]

Xref: kermit microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain:87947

You have a virus. Find all types of ~1 and ~2, etc files
maybe in the Temp folder. xxx.BAT files in the Windows
system32 directory. SVHOST32 in the registry to automatically
reload with every reboot. Virus was contained probably in
E-mail that you opened without first verifying the source of
that email.

Get a virus removal program. This virus (I believe) was
distributed about beginning of 2003.

Mark Laris wrote:
> I'm running Windows XP Pro and have all of the updates
> installed. My system is a P4, 2.8 gig CPU with 1 gig of
> ram. After I had the system running for 3 or 4 months,
> svchost.exe started taking all of the CPU. I have other
> programs running in the backgroung and these all slowed
> down considerably. Calculations that used to take 3
> hours now take days to complete because svchost is taking
> all of the CPU. I can end one of the svchost processes
> (the one taking all of the CPU) using the task manager
> and everything is fine for a few hours and then there is
> another svchost process running and taking all of the
> CPU. It seems to start out with a normal amount of CPU
> but the longer it runs, the more CPU it takes. I have a
> friend that has the same problem. How do I fix it?
>
> Mark

[Mark Laris]

I have a virus program, McAffee Virus Scan and it's setup to scan my e-mail.
I also scan my entire system every week and I have it set to auto download
new virus definition files every week and I have verified that it's up to
date and it ran yesterday. But I will check the files you suggest.

Mark

"w_tom" > wrote in message
...
> You have a virus. Find all types of ~1 and ~2, etc files
> maybe in the Temp folder. xxx.BAT files in the Windows
> system32 directory. SVHOST32 in the registry to automatically
> reload with every reboot. Virus was contained probably in
> E-mail that you opened without first verifying the source of
> that email.
>
> Get a virus removal program. This virus (I believe) was
> distributed about beginning of 2003.
>
> Mark Laris wrote:
> > I'm running Windows XP Pro and have all of the updates
> > installed. My system is a P4, 2.8 gig CPU with 1 gig of
> > ram. After I had the system running for 3 or 4 months,
> > svchost.exe started taking all of the CPU. I have other
> > programs running in the backgroung and these all slowed
> > down considerably. Calculations that used to take 3
> > hours now take days to complete because svchost is taking
> > all of the CPU. I can end one of the svchost processes
> > (the one taking all of the CPU) using the task manager
> > and everything is fine for a few hours and then there is
> > another svchost process running and taking all of the
> > CPU. It seems to start out with a normal amount of CPU
> > but the longer it runs, the more CPU it takes. I have a
> > friend that has the same problem. How do I fix it?
> >
> > Mark

[Zenon]

I have the same problem. When I leave my machine on for more than a day and
night I can't launch any
programs or even close down windows. I discovered (by waiting a *very* long
time for Task Manager to launch) that one of the copies of SVChost running
at those times is taking up a huge footprint in my RAM and (I guess) is the
reason why my CPU usage is up to 100%. I can only suppose that there is
some spyware embedded in my system (could it be DIDer masquerading as
explorer.exe? Should I delete c:\windows\explorer.exe?). I have never
opened an attachment
that was not from a known source. Whatever it is it is not
caught by Ad-Aware, McAffee or Zone Alarm. Anyone have any ideas?

Re the later post by w_tom. There are no *.bat files in windows\system32
and no ~1 or ~2 files in any of the TEMP directories. MacAfee is happy with
what it sees everywhere.

According to the MS Knowledge base a file with the name explorer.exe in any
directory other than the Programs directory is not from Microsoft. I am
reluctant to delete the one in WINDOWS (it is 980 Kb and dated 8/29/02)
because you need Explorer to boot. I have had the guts to delete the
offending svchost.exe and all it did was improve my performance, but it just
comes back a few days later.

I see lots of postings on this problem -- there must be a way to get rid of
the spyware (if that's what it is)!

Zenon

"Mark Laris" > wrote in message
...
> I'm running Windows XP Pro and have all of the updates
> installed. My system is a P4, 2.8 gig CPU with 1 gig of
> ram. After I had the system running for 3 or 4 months,
> svchost.exe started taking all of the CPU. I have other
> programs running in the backgroung and these all slowed
> down considerably. Calculations that used to take 3
> hours now take days to complete because svchost is taking
> all of the CPU. I can end one of the svchost processes
> (the one taking all of the CPU) using the task manager
> and everything is fine for a few hours and then there is
> another svchost process running and taking all of the
> CPU. It seems to start out with a normal amount of CPU
> but the longer it runs, the more CPU it takes. I have a
> friend that has the same problem. How do I fix it?
>
> Mark
>