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Windows Explorer freezing, Microsoft Store background task using 100% CPU and svchosts being suspended

Anonymous
2018-12-30T22:21:31+00:00

Occasionally my Lenovo ideapad 310 running Windows 10 freezes up. Windows Explorer freezes which causes the taskbar to become unresponsive and Windows shortcuts and apps (settings, etc.) to not open. Open apps will remain working and programs such as Chrome and Office can be run from the desktop or Run. The taskbar will not minimise on fullscreen videos (which is normally how I notice it).

Restarting Windows Explorer from Task Manager will cause Windows Explorer to close but not fully start up. Only the basic taskbar (i.e. no 3rd party apps pinned) reopens but doesn't respond and my desktop is blank with no wallpaper. The only solution I have found is to restart my system. The first time this happened, it took 2 restarts and the 2nd restart took over an hour, but normally this only takes ~5 minutes when this issue has come up since.

I've spotted two other symptoms:

1: I've noticed that, when this happens, many svchost.exe's become "Suspended" in Task Manager. Unsure if this means anything though.

2: This happens every couple weeks but only during the last few times that this has happened, I have found a Microsoft Store background task to be using 100% of my CPU. Ending this task does not unfreeze Windows. This Store issue has not happened every time I get this issue however but maybe it's related.

I have tried:

System scans with my antivirus (avira) and ADWCleaner

System health checks with CrystalDiskInfo

DISM and sfc commands

As I said, this only happens sporadically but I will update this post when this happens again.

Thanks

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-12-31T10:05:37+00:00

    Hello MWiggans,

    Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

    In order to diagnose the issue, kindly follow the below methods and check if it helps.

    Method 1: Safe mode.

    Safe mode starts Windows in a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers. It can help you troubleshoot problems on your PC.

    Method 2: Clean boot.

    Perform clean boot to determine which startup application or service is causing the problem by systematically turning them on or off and restarting the computer. To do that, you may go through the article on How to perform a clean boot in Windows. 

    Clean Boot disclaimer: A clean boot starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program.

    Your computer may temporarily lose some functionality while in a clean boot environment, however, that functionality will return when you reset the computer to start normally after you have finished your troubleshooting.

    Method 3: Svchost.exe is known as "Service Host" or "Host Process for Windows Services". It’s a system process which is used by several Windows services since the release of Windows 2000 operating system. In previous Windows versions, several similar services were combined into a single svchost.exe process to reduce overall system resources consumption. But since the release of Windows 10 Creators Update, this behavior has been changed. Now in newer Windows 10 versions, the services which were grouped in previous Windows versions, are separated and run in their own Svchost process.

    There is no need to worry if too many svchost.exe process running in your Windows 10 computer. It's a feature by design, it's not any issue or problem in your computer.

    You can disable this new feature and force Windows 10 to group similar services into single svchost.exe process like previous Windows versions by modifying the Windows Registry. To do that, kindly follow the below steps:

    • Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box. Now type regedit and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor.
    • Now go to following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control.

    • In right-side pane, look for a DWORD SvcHostSplitThresholdInKB. Its value is set to 380000 by default.

    Now you need to set its value equal or greater than the amount of RAM (in KB) installed in your computer. For example, if your computer has 8 GB of RAM, you'll change the DWORD value to 8388608 or larger.

    8 GB = 8x1024 MB = 8x1024x1024 KB = 8388608 KB

    So double-click on SvcHostSplitThresholdInKB DWORD and change its value to 8388608.

    NOTE: If your computer has different amount of RAM, set the DWORD value accordingly. You can check how much RAM does your computer has, by right-clicking on Start button and selecting System option.

    • After changing the value, close Registry Editor and restart your computer to take effects.

    After reboot, check the Details tab in Task Manager and the number of svchost.exe process.

    Registry Disclaimer: The registry is a database in Windows that contains important information about system hardware, installed programs and settings, and profiles of each of the user accounts on the computer. Windows often reads and updates the information in the registry.

    Normally, software programs make registry changes automatically. You should not make unnecessary changes to the registry. Changing registry files incorrectly can cause Windows to stop working or make Windows report the wrong information.

    Please take a backup of the registry. Follow the steps given in the link below: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/322756/how-to-back-up-and-restore-the-registry-in-windows

    Additional Information: Tips to improve PC performance in Windows 10. 

    Data Loss Disclaimer: While performing these steps, there might be a risk of data loss. You may take a backup of the data before performing the steps.

    Hope it helps.

    Mala S

    Microsoft Community - Moderator

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