[SOLVED] MASSIVE Problems with SVCHOST in Clean Windows 7 Install (x86 AND x64)

[Appletax]

Edit: my solution to this problem

In the past few weeks I have reloaded Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit versions) on 3 very different laptops and all of them have had the horrific SVCHOST memory leak / high CPU usage issue.

W - T - F ??

I tried many different ways to fix the issue

• Reinstalled Windows 7 using recovery partition
• Installed "clean" Windows 7 SP1
• Installed "clean" Windows 7 and then installed SP1
• Ran Windows All-in-One Repair's Windows Update repair
• Ran Microsoft FixIt repair for Windows Update
• Installed latest Windows Update Agent and then offline updates using Autopatcher
• Ran sfc /scannow command

Only one method worked on one laptop: installed latest Windows Update Agent, do offline updates, turn on automatic updates and then restart the computer and let it do its thing until it tells me Windows Updates are ready to install.

Can't run Windows 10 on them thanks to crappy driver support from the hardware manufacturers. Windows says the PC is 100% compatible but then I get performance issues, blue screens, error messages, etc.

At this point I only recommend installing Windows 10 if you have a Core i series CPU along with an NVIDIA or Intel GPU or iGPU.

This is a COLOSSAL problem. WHY, WHY, WHY???????

I have to do offline updates and disable automatic updates for Windows 7 to not have the SVCHOST problem.

 

[mr m]

Haha, so it's not just me!

I had 3 Win 7 PC's with the same symptoms as you this past week. Two had bottom end Intel processors (Celeron and Atom) and one had a top end AMD. I went crazy trying to find out why. The AMD was way more responsive than the two Intels.

I too traced the high CPU usage to the update process. I couldn't manually search for updates. It would just sit there searching for an hour and never find an update. I finally just kept them powered on, disabled sleep mode, enable auto updates, rebooted when asked and let them continue to auto update at their leisure. After around 36 hours they were done. Once all the updates eventually completed the problem was gone.

I guess MS servers are getting hammered with everyone jumping on the Win 10 bandwagon and we're not used to fighting for bandwidth.

 

[ZenTree]

There was an optional update a while back which fixed this or a similar issue. There is a thread somewhere on nibble for it but the fix is KB3050265.

 

[Appletax]

I did a clean install again of Win 7 SP1 x86, updated the Windows Update Engine, enabled automatic updates and they worked right away. If only that happened every time

EDIT: Did another update with no issue and then another and now it's stuck searching for updates. SCVHOST is capped at 50% CPU and 740MB RAM.

 

[Appletax]

There was an optional update a while back which fixed this or a similar issue. There is a thread somewhere on nibble for it but the fix is KB3050265.

This is not an update but rather a Windows Update Standalone Installer. I run it and it searches for updates. SVCHOST still sucking up the RAM and CPU and no progress.

Microsoft is a dirty, dirty, rotten &(@13`13!!!#%&*A(!&#(

 

[FremontPC]

Looks like there's a 7-2015 update available, don't know if it would fix it, may cause the process to start over, but take a look:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3065987

How much ram is in the 64 bit systems?

 

[stro]

Here is the original thread.

https://www.technibble.com/forums/threads/windows-update-svchost-memory-leak.63982/

Basically once you get all the updates in, the problem goes away. But that first round of updates can take all day and half the night to go in, especially if the machine has less than 4gb of ram.

 

[FremontPC]

Also, if Intel Rapid Storage Technology is installed, remove it if you're not using software raid. I've had it cause all sorts of weird problems.

 

[FremontPC]

This is not an update but rather a Windows Update Standalone Installer.

How are you coming along with this?

 

[MichaelBits]

You could avoid that entirely if you just imaged the installs with updates already included. Then just install from the image.

Several threads around here that detail how. It also allows you to do a full win 7 install and ready to go in under 30min.

 

[Appletax]

See my solution thread: https://www.technibble.com/forums/threads/solution-to-windows-7-svchost-exe-nightmare.65574/

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

In the many other threads about this, I've noticed it when reloading under-spec'd rigs....<4 gigs of RAM. Which Win7 has no business being put on such a low RAM machine. 4 gigs or less..that was standard back in the WinXP days.

>4 gigs....especially our standard 8 gig minimum...never see this issue.

 

[Appletax]

In the many other threads about this, I've noticed it when reloading under-spec'd rigs....<4 gigs of RAM. Which Win7 has no business being put on such a low RAM machine. 4 gigs or less..that was standard back in the WinXP days.

>4 gigs....especially our standard 8 gig minimum...never see this issue.

I think Windows 7 belongs on a 2GB system when the user lightly browses the web (doesn't have lots of open tabs) and uses the computer for media consumption (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, etc.) and does not game. I'm upgrading the one laptop to 3GB of RAM because the owner plays Farmville 2 on it, which consumes all 2GB of RAM and thrashes the hard drive.

One laptop that had the issue has 4GB of RAM. Sometimes SVCHOST would use about 1.2 GB of RAM and 100% CPU, and other times it capped itself at under 800MB of RAM and 50% CPU.

SVCHOST never used all the RAM up except maybe when it got up to 1.2GB on a 2GB system.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I think Windows 7 belongs on a 2GB system when the user lightly browses the web (doesn't have lots of open tabs) and uses the computer for media consumption (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, etc.) and does not game. I'm upgrading the one laptop to 3GB of RAM because the owner plays Farmville 2 on it, which consumes all 2GB of RAM and thrashes the hard drive.

SVCHOST never used all the RAM up except maybe when it got up to 1.2GB on a 2GB system.

Over the years you'll find that just eeking the minimum system requirements leads to poor performance. 2 gigs was average back in the WinXP days. Vista raised the bar for minimum memory for real world usage (not bare minimum according to what's the side of the box). RAM is cheap, dirt cheap. I would refuse to sell/support anything below 4 gigs to any client. Even just 4 gigs I strongly suggest to allow an upgrade to 8. Even just for web usage...the difference is night and day 'tween 4 and 8 gigs. Media playing too...such a huge difference in smoothness. Below 4 gigs...I can go mow my lawn with toenail clippers faster than the painful wait for some poor 2 gig system to do anything.

Even fresh building a system....some residential client comes in with some under-spec'd rig with just 2 gigs.....we'll put more RAM in it, ends up saving the client money, the rig will get built and updated a heck of a lot quicker. The big savings in "less hourly time" paying us...versus a few bucks for added RAM to get it done a lot faster...client saves money.