Helpsvc.exe memory HOG ????

[Dale Lee]

I have a compact laptop running Windows XP Professional.

It seems the the HelpSvc.exe starts executing randomly
and take up 95 to 98 % of CPU.

What is this executable, and why would it start running
in this manner ?

Help,
Dale Lee

[Ivan Sheng [MSFT]]

Dear Dale,

As I understand, the HelpSvc.exe process randomly occupies lots of CPU
resource in Windows XP. If I have misunderstood, please let me know.

HelpSvc.exe is one of the Help and Support Center components in Windows XP.
When you start one of the following tools, this process will be started.

Help and Support Center
System Information (Msinfo32.exe)
System File Checker

For more information about Help and Support Center, please refer to the
following Knowledge Base article:

Q283372 Description of Help and Support Center
<http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q283/3/72.asp>

Regarding this issue, I have the following suggestions:

Suggestion 1:
------------------
You can simply end this process in Task Manager. It is important to note if
you have recently made alterations to your computer before this problem
occurred,
or if the Help and Support Center ever worked correctly. If you have
recently made alterations to your computer before this problem occurred,
try to undo
the changes you made or uninstall the hardware or software that could have
caused the issue. You can use the System Restore to undo the changes. After
you do so, test to determine if the issue is resolved.


Suggestion 2:
-------------------
On the other hand, you may use an antivirus program to scan your computer
to see if this issue is caused by a virus.


Suggestion 3:
-------------------
According to my research, sometimes the PCHealth component is automatically
loaded during the startup process. Please use the following steps to
disable
the startup programs to see if this issue reoccurs:

1. Run the System Configuration Utility by clicking on Start, click Run and
type MSCONFIG.EXE in the Open Box, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, clear the Load Startup
Items check box, click OK and restart the computer.

If the problem disappear, it shows this issue is caused by programs which
start up automatically.

If anything is unclear, please feel free to send me an email. I am looking
forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Ivan Sheng, MCSD,MCSE4,2000,MCDBA,CCNA,ASE
Microsoft Online Support Engineer

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

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