-----Original Message-----
Thanks for the answer. I've found a little more info in
the meantime. Tell me what you think of this:
After looking back at TM, I found that svchost.exe
(listed as a local service) was eating up all the
memory. I ended the process and the problem was gone.
Do you know what this process is? Is it legit?
I searched for the file of that name in Windows
Explorer. I found two instances, one that is svchost.exe
and looks like it was installed with windows. The other
was modified two weeks ago. It is called svchost.exe-
6354oft30.pf. The random looking numbers and letters
aren't exactly accurate. Anyway, this particular file is
found in Windows/prefetch/ and is accompanied by a number
of similarly named files, all referencing different
executables.
.
svchost.exe should only be found in the system32 folder.
Prefetch is in the windows folder,it is very possiable
that you have a virus.Do you have an anti-virus program
that is current and updated?
Svchost (1) Svchost.exe
Microsoft) Service Host - Generic Host Process for Win32
Services. Windows 2000/XP/2003 only. SVCHOST is a
generic process which acts as a host for processes that
run from DLLs rather than EXEs. At startup SVCHOST
checks the Services portion of the Registry to construct
a list of DLL-based services that it needs to load, and
then loads them. There can be many instances of SVCHOST
running, as there will be one instance of SVCHOST for
every DLL-based service or grouping of services (the
grouping of services is determined by the programmers who
wrote the services in question). Under Windows XP
Professional and Windows 2003 you can find out what DLL-
based services SVCHOST is running by typing Tasklist /SVC
at a Command/MS-DOS Prompt (this command is not available
in Windows XP Home), while under Windows 2000 you need to
use the TLIST -s command from a Command Prompt (MS-DOS
Prompt).
Recommendation :
An integral part of the operating system, leave alone -
multiple instances of SVCHOST is a normal occurrence. If
you experience SVCHOST errors, the problem is most likely
not with SVCHOST but with the DLLs it is hosting.
Svchost (2) SVCHOST.EXE
(???) Many viruses masquerade themselves as SVCHOST to
escape detection. Some have names that are similar, such
as SCCHOST, while others actually drop a program file
called SVCHOST in the Windows or Windows System directory.
Recommendation :
The first recommendation is a simple one : always have a
good antivirus product which is regularly updated
(automatically preferably) and always renew your updates
subscription when it expires. To detect if you have a
virus that calls itself SVCHOST, first see if it shows up
in The Ultimate Troubleshooter - if it does, then it is
almost certain you have a virus. Secondly, if you have
Windows 95/98/ME rather than WinNT4/2000/XP, then it is
almost certain you have a virus. Thirdly, go to "Control
Panel \ Administrative Tools \ Services" and look for any
of the following services - if you find any of them, then
you probably have a virus :
System Important Message service
