WMI Provider Host High CPU Usage

Hey, please revert back to my query few days back. The problem still persists.

The process name: "Service Host: Network Service" is causing a lot of issues lately.

I'm gonna throw my hat in here and say this is probably a Windows issue at least to some extent and it seems to be caused by the device guard conflicting with drivers. For me it seems to happen mainly with network drivers which causes my CPU usage to spike periodically. Now I say this is most likely probably a windows issue because this is happening on 3 different PCs that I have. My CPU usage doesn't spike as hard as yours though, but I do see that management programs like Armory Crate, and Synapse cause even more issues. I'm in no way a Microsoft developer but it seems from my educated observations that it comes down to like I said Device Guard and drivers and or how they are accessed.

At this point I gave up, one driver that was causing the most issue for me was the driver my VPN uses for split tunneling so I removed that, and it helped but its till happening for other drivers I can't delete. Seems like a wait and see situation.

Hi, Gaurav Sood11

Welcome to the Microsoft Community

Thank you for contacting us regarding the WMI Provider Host causing high CPU usage. I understand how annoying it can be when a computer's performance is affected and the complexity of trying to resolve such issues.

In this regard, you may consider the following suggestions:

To manage errors in NVIDIA containers, you can try the following:

• Reinstall the graphics driver using the DDU: Download the DDU and turn off automatic updates, then reinstall the graphics driver.
• Installing older Nvidia drivers: New driver updates can sometimes cause high CPU utilization. If you notice high CPU utilization after updating the GPU driver, it is best to revert to an older version. This requires uninstalling the existing GPU driver and then manually downloading and reinstalling the older driver.
• Disable Nvidia In-Game Overlay and uninstall GeForce Experience. GeForce Experience is not necessary and consumes a lot of resources. Uninstalling it will help reduce CPU usage.

To manage errors in the Windows Security Health Service, you can try the following methods:

1. Run System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Service and Management (DISM) to repair system files:

• Search for 'Command Prompt' in the Start menu and select 'Run as administrator.'
• At the command prompt, type the following commands and press Enter to run the commands (please wait until you receive a prompt for the first command to be executed before executing the next one):

     sfc /scannow 
  
  
  
     DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 
  

• Allow the commands to finish running before closing the Command Prompt window. This may take five to ten minutes.

2. Reinstall Windows Security using PowerShell, you can follow these steps.

• Press the Windows Key + X to open the Power User Menu.
• Select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

     Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Windows.SecHealthUI* | Reset-AppxPackage 
  

• Once the command executes, you can exit the PowerShell console.
• This command resets the Windows Security app. Please note that you should run PowerShell as an administrator to execute this command.

Regarding the concern you mentioned about going back to Windows 10 to continue using it, I think it's perfectly viable. Windows 10 is really no less than an excellent OS that is stable and runs smoothly. If you want to go back to Windows 10, the following points might be worth knowing in advance and paying attention to:

• If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you won't be able to smoothly downgrade to Windows 10 for more than 10 days, which will require you to manually reinstall.
• Make sure your hardware has drivers for Windows 10 (go to your graphics card and motherboard manufacturer's website to confirm), which ensures that your hardware will be invoked properly and run stably after installation.
• Back up your important files and data, like games and apps that you need to manually download and install again.

I hope the above information can help you, if you need further help, or there is anything else I can help you with, please feel free to point it out in your reply.

Best Regards,

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hey, so I was travelling and was away from home past 3 months. As I got back, I first unistalled Armoury Crate which was a constant feature on the errors in WMI event log. It showed good results and I faced no problems for a week or so before which the WMI again soared high - important to note, it didn't absolutely choke the PC and I could still get work done and WMI usage was at max 60-75% as compared to earlier where it was 90-95% at peak, so overall uninstalling Armoury Crate through it's uninstaller did help.

After I found it giving trouble again, I made a sheet to be clear on what all programs are actually hindering the performance based on errors in event log of WMI Activity. Attaching the screenshot.

The above stated two solutions I have just carried out, would like to see WMI not being an issue the next time I get to work, hopefully.

In the final instruction: the command carried out in Powershell for reset of Windows Security; it didn't show anything after I pressed enter, please do check if I have carried it out properly.

Please let me know more ways to relieve the load off the system and WMI errors based on the programs/processes listed in the sheet - for example today even the process named "System" was soaring high up to 30-40% with the WMI Provider. Thanks in advance :)

Hi, Gaurav Sood11

Welcome to the Microsoft Community

Thank you for contacting us regarding the WMI Provider Host causing high CPU usage. I understand how annoying it can be when a computer's performance is affected and the complexity of trying to resolve such issues.

In this regard, you may consider the following suggestions:

To manage errors in NVIDIA containers, you can try the following:

• Reinstall the graphics driver using the DDU: Download the DDU and turn off automatic updates, then reinstall the graphics driver.
• Installing older Nvidia drivers: New driver updates can sometimes cause high CPU utilization. If you notice high CPU utilization after updating the GPU driver, it is best to revert to an older version. This requires uninstalling the existing GPU driver and then manually downloading and reinstalling the older driver.
• Disable Nvidia In-Game Overlay and uninstall GeForce Experience. GeForce Experience is not necessary and consumes a lot of resources. Uninstalling it will help reduce CPU usage.

To manage errors in the Windows Security Health Service, you can try the following methods:

1. Run System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Service and Management (DISM) to repair system files:

• Search for 'Command Prompt' in the Start menu and select 'Run as administrator.'
• At the command prompt, type the following commands and press Enter to run the commands (please wait until you receive a prompt for the first command to be executed before executing the next one):

     sfc /scannow 
  
     DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 
  

• Allow the commands to finish running before closing the Command Prompt window. This may take five to ten minutes.

2. Reinstall Windows Security using PowerShell, you can follow these steps.

• Press the Windows Key + X to open the Power User Menu.
• Select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

     Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Windows.SecHealthUI* | Reset-AppxPackage 
  

• Once the command executes, you can exit the PowerShell console.
• This command resets the Windows Security app. Please note that you should run PowerShell as an administrator to execute this command.

Regarding the concern you mentioned about going back to Windows 10 to continue using it, I think it's perfectly viable. Windows 10 is really no less than an excellent OS that is stable and runs smoothly. If you want to go back to Windows 10, the following points might be worth knowing in advance and paying attention to:

• If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you won't be able to smoothly downgrade to Windows 10 for more than 10 days, which will require you to manually reinstall.
• Make sure your hardware has drivers for Windows 10 (go to your graphics card and motherboard manufacturer's website to confirm), which ensures that your hardware will be invoked properly and run stably after installation.
• Back up your important files and data, like games and apps that you need to manually download and install again.

I hope the above information can help you, if you need further help, or there is anything else I can help you with, please feel free to point it out in your reply.

Best Regards,

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist