Service TrustedInstaller.EXE permanently active taking up to 50% CPU resources

Hey M. Herbst,

Here's a little insight on TrustedInstaller service.

TrustedInstaller is used by a service called “Windows Module Installer” which is used to install Windows 7 system modules. The system modules include Windows Update and Automatic Updates which automatically scans your system to check for any new updates and hotfixes available. So when scheduled Windows Update is performing its update scan or check on your system, the TrustedInstaller.exe process increases the CPU usage.

The simplest resolution for the TrustedInstaller high CPU usage problem is to wait for a while for the TrustedInstaller.exe to complete its job. Once it finishes running the tasks, the CPU usage rate will return to normal.

However, if you want to stop TrustedInstaller.exe from taking up all your CPU resource, here’s a suggestion that may help.

Disable Windows from automatically updating.

Here’s how:

Turn automatic updating on or off

After disabling automatic updates, depending on your preference, you can change the way Windows notify you about updates.

Refer this article: Change how Windows installs or notifies you about updates

Regards,

Shinmila H - Microsoft Support

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Hi Martin,

Try these additional steps.

Method 1: Clear Problem History

The following fix is intended for situations where trustedinstaller.exe causes problems due to the Problem Reports and Solutions history maintained in Windows 7.

Refer the steps to clear the history from: How do I clear the problem report history from my computer?

More information about problem reports: See all problem reports for this computer

Method 2: Stop the Windows Module Installer That Runs Trustedinstaller.exe

a.    Click onStart, in the Start Search box, type “msconfig” without the quotes and then press Enter.

b.    Click Continue whenUser Account Control prompt is displayed.

c.    In the System Configuration window that is displayed, open the Services tab.

d.    Locate and clear the Windows Module Installer check box.

e.    ClickOK save your changes and exit the dialog box.

f.     Next, open Services window by typing “services.msc” without the quotes in the start search field.

g.    Double-Click on Windows Module Installer.

h.    Change the Startup type of Windows Module Installer to Manual.

i.     Click Apply.

j.     If the services status is running, click on Stop button.

k.    Click OK.

Method 2 is for test purpose. If there is no improvement after following method 2, revert the changes done. Keep us posted on the issue.

Regards,

Shinmila H - Microsoft Support

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

How did you find that it was XenCenter using TrustedInstaller.exe ?

I googled "XenCenter," it seems to be a database program.  Databases can contain very large amounts of data.  Activating Windows Update for the first time in a few years can also make your computer deal with very large amounts of data.

In all the cases in this thread, the problem with CPU cores being clogged at 100% for hours (or days) is related to programs that are trying to deal with very large amounts of data.

But when someone comes onto the forum to complain that one of their cores is running 100%, it is rare as hens teeth that they also mention that their microprocessor is a Core-2-Duo from 2008 or a Pentium-D from 2006.

Check out these pages from Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Intel\_Pentium\_D\_microprocessors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Intel\_Core\_2\_microprocessors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Intel\_Core\_i3\_microprocessors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Intel\_Core\_i5\_microprocessors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Intel\_Core\_i7\_microprocessors

Specifically, check out the list of "Instruction Sets" that each of these families include.

An example from Pentium-D:

MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3

An example from Core_2:

MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1

A first generation i3:

MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2

The most recent i3 desktop processor:

MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, FMA3

The most recent i7 desktop processor:

MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, F16C, (BMI1)(Bit Manipulation Instructions1)+BMI2

These instruction sets are created exactly for speeding up the manipulation of different types of data.  The Intel gods see where the bottlenecks are and create new instruction sets aimed exactly at speeding the processing that people are doing on their computers.

And when an instruction is created that can perform a calculation in one clock cycle that used to take 10 clock cycles, it's pretty much equal to the processor block going 10 times faster.  And that means introducing another instruction set can be equivalent to, for instance, a 2.5 GHz core-2-duo going 25 GHz.

That'll get your Windows Update updating faster.

And on a tangent, the modern processors are not only saving your electric bill by cutting the processing down to a fraction of the original time, but the individual clock cycles are also more energy efficient in the newer processors -- as Intel decreases the manufacturing process from 65 nm down to 14 nm -- which increases their electricity savings and reduces their heat output even more.

It's the instruction sets that allow newer processors to edit a video file in 3 minutes instead of 3 hours, and to update a database or do Windows Update in a similarly slashed percentage of time.

So, a new computer is one answer to the problem.

I am not a Microsoft apologist, and I know it's hard for people to understand what's happening when their hardware is still working fine but the software or operating system has gone berserk.  And it's somewhat neglectful of Microsoft, whom essentially have a monopoly on the world's operating systems (or at least for people that come onto this forum) to render everyone's hardware obsolete with their Updates without providing any software alternatives.

But it's an old story.  I remember when I installed a McAfee update in my Pentium III sometime in 2001, and it ground to a halt.  I uninstalled McAfee and the computer started working again.  I reinstalled McAfee (because I paid for it), and the computer ground to a halt again.  (I later found some free antivirus that was easier on the resources.)  I emailed McAfee to request a refund for the remainder of my subscription since I couldn't use it anymore, but they said that my 90 day guarantee had expired.  And I never went back to them.

I love Firefox. I love it even more because of the two dozen add-ons I've installed.  But the core-2-duo spends more and more time sitting at 100% usage (and that's both cores), and the lesson is that this computer will become obsolete within another year or so, even though the hardware still has life left on it.

One logical possibility would be to write and maintain software for the billion computers out there that don't have i-cores, yet.  You would think that there's a market niche.  But there are a few forces that require us to respond to the problem by upgrading our hardware, instead. 

• Certainly, the existence of modern hardware and its capabilities allow the creation of software megaliths, just because modern hardware can handle it.  "If you build the power, they will program."  Take a look at some youtubes about Altium and Solidworks, to see some of the incredible things happening in computer aided design.  This ain't your father's cad-cam.  I'm not suggesting comprehending and absorbing, but only to take a look at the wizz-bangs happenings on these peoples' computer monitors.
• Data generation and file sizes are also increasing because of video.
• At least for Windows, the domestic spying and "backdoors" being built into the latest versions of Windows are another major communication system, and communications programs take lots of resources.
• As the Doobie Brothers once sang, it's "just alright with me" if the beloved and benevolent military-industrial complex probe all aspects of our lives.  But we need our antivirus programs to keep the smaller operators from stealing our personal information.  Some of the 100%-CPU-usage complaints would go away if we weren't forced to have antivirus software running in the background of our computers, and we'd all feel a lot lighter without them.

One might make an argument that the individual user naturally tends to process more and more data as time goes by.  Not necessarily because of video, and your mileage may vary, but you will certainly handle more bits as time progresses.  And then there's the story about programs running in the background, like McAfee that volunteer to be first to tell you that your computer isn't good enough anymore.  I got 14 icons in my System Tray, and 17 programs checked in my MSConfig > Startup tab.  I go through there annually to see what I can get rid of, so there's not much more freeing up of resources I can accomplish.  I regularly max out the computer by opening too many browser windows.  It's not sustainable to expect this core-2-duo to be sufficient for my needs too much longer.

You can take steps to delay your hardware updates, such as hoping that avast! antivirus will protect your computer even though XP hasn't had security updates since April of 2014.

Or see if you can max the RAM, which will at least help stability. 

Or see if you can find the fastest processor to upgrade to, but it's probably not worth it.  You can speed your processing power 25% by getting the fastest compatible microprocessor your computer will accept, but if you can speed your computing power hundreds of times more by getting a new motherboard and everything, then is it worth the energy to just replace the processor?  Trying to preserve hardware and keep the center of your computing environment unchanged is ultimately a losing battle.

The day your computer needs hours or days to accomplish a task, then it's trying to tell you something.  It's part of the technological environment.  And the thing that needs updating most is the instruction sets, and that means getting a more-recent CPU, likely more recent than will fit into your present computer.

How i fixed this:

A) Disable Auto Updates from WindowsUpdate. Don't let it scan or anything.

B) Make TrustedInstaller and WindowsUpdate's startup "manual"

How to:

1. WindowsKey + R. Type "msconfig" and press [Enter].
2. Go to Services tab
3. Find and Uncheck Windows Module Installer
4. Click [OK].
5. WindowsKey + R. Type “services.msc” and press [Enter].
6. Find and Double-Click on Windows Module Installer.
7. Change the Startup type of Windows Module Installer to Manual from Automatic. Click [OK].
8. Right-Click on Windows Module Installer and click Stop.
9. Find Windows Update and do the same.

C) If the CPU is still at 50+ % open TaskManager (ctrl+shift+Esc). Go to the Performance Tab.

Open the Resource Monitor. Click the CPU tab. Order the list by CPU usage both in the Processes and Services lists.

If TrustedInstaller or svchost or WindowsUpdate are still using too much CPU... force stop them by right-clicking then "end process" or if they are in the service tab click on "stop".

Note: If you force stop SvcHost your PC will freeze for a moment, Themes may flicker. Do not touch anything. Wait for it to restart itself. Once the Desktop is back to normal, you should see that the CPU is at 0%

I recommend this only as a Last Resort. I've been having this issue re-appear on almost every update or re-install of Windows7. I've had enough of it and this is what i did every time to stop it. It's a risky move but it has not damaged anything on my PC so far. (except for the themes. But performance > looks in my opinion).

PS: You might want to Manually prompt Windows Update to scan for updates every month or so. Just in case.