svchost.exe

[SAS]

I've completed an adaware scan and a spy bot scan, both returned no issues. But is this normal to have 5 svchost.exe programs running?

 

[tris-]

i have 5 running on my PC too.

 

[wyrd_fish]

7 here

and i scan regularly, might do some more though as this seems a lot

5 isn't un common

 

[anattic]

svchost.exe is a kind of wrapper M$ uses to launch services contained within DLLs, partly I think to avoid unnecessary code-duplication, and partly I suspect to hide a load of tasks that we shouldn't really be worrying our pretty little heads about:

Detailed Blurb here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314056/EN-US/

If you're running XP, you can see what each instance of svchost.exe is doing with the tasklist /svc command.

Edit: some malware does use svchost.exe to hide in, so run the usual scanners as normal.

 

[Athan]

If you're running XP, you can see what each instance of svchost.exe is doing with the tasklist /svc command.

NB: XP Pro only, although copying tasklist.exe from a Pro install to Home does work.

-Ath

 

[SAS]

Cheers guys