Any Windows Updates that were released that severely slow computer?

[Punkrulz]

Here at my client, we've been noticing some extremely weird issues that have been slowing down the computers. Unfortunately there is no clear process as to what's slowing them down. Whatever has been downloaded, I believe it is affecting both the memory, and the page file usage. The one thing that I have noticed personally:

1) SVCHost.exe is the culprit affecting the memory. It is hogging the memory and not letting go, especially with the computers that only have 256mb of memory. Running tasklist /svc reveals that it's the SVCHost that contains all misc. processes, including Audio, as well as the Windows Update process.

2) I noticed on a few computers that were acting really slowly, the memory was increasing by 1/3 of a MB every second... so every 3 seconds another mb of memory would be in use and not let go. I watched SVCHost get up to 136mb of memory usage until I had to shut it down. This has been going on for about 2 weeks now.

 

[Cilix]

I would try to disable some unnecessary services to start off with. That will reduce the memory consumption of the svchost.exe SYSTEM process.

 

[Punkrulz]

Well the SVCHost that typically causes the problem contains the following services (at least on my laptop):

AudioSrv, Browser, CryptSvc, Dhcp, ERSvc, EventSystem, helpsvc, HidServ, lanmanserver, lanmanworkstation, Netman, Nla, RasMan, Schedule, seclogon, SENS, SharedAccess, ShellHWDetection, srservice, TapiSrv, Themes, TrkWks, w32time, winmgmt, wscsvc, wuauserv

On the computers that are suffering from the problem, it's the same svchost that contains most of the items listed above. Are they ALL just services? How do you find out what service controls what? For example, in the list I provided two of them are lanman etc... but I don't see a lanman service anything.

Also, is there a way to find out particularly what service is causing the problem? It would be nice to isolate the problem, I could be wrong, this might not be automatic updates, it could be something else that's causing the problem.

 

[_kC_]

sounds like the machine has "microsoft update" installed

you should revert back to "windows update"

to do this, go to to windows/microsoft update site, and on the left hand side, press "change options"
then scroll to the bottom of the main window and tick the option to remove microsoft update..

reboot.. voila

 

[Punkrulz]

Thanks KC, but there's a little bit of a problem...

I just walked over and began attempting this on one of the computers that is having the problem. Low and behold, this computer doesn't have Microsoft Update installed!!!

Any other ideas? I'm going to keep trying this on computers that have the problem, because I know I have been installing MS Update on a lot of them... but what about the computers that don't have it installed?

 

[_kC_]

there is a patch by microsoft that fixes a svchost 100% problem, basically automatic updates hogging ram/cpu
i dont have the link to it, but i do have the patch on my machine in work, i can ftp in and upload it for ya (i got the day off ill)

link to the kb is
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914810

name of the patch is WindowsXP-KB914810-v2-x86-ENU.exe

if you cant find it lemme know & ill email you a link..

try running services.msc and disable/stop automatic updates first.. just to make sure that the problem is to do with that.

 

[Punkrulz]

If you can email the link that'd be great. Microsoft nor Google have anything in regards to the patch. The KB you had sent me only has a link on how to contact Microsoft in order to obtain the patch.

I'm going to try and hop on a station that's experiencing this problem and see what happens when disabling automatic update. I'll reboot after the change, but unfortunately I need something that's immediate, instead of just "waiting" to see if the problem crops up.

 

[_kC_]

http://www.musiclab.myzen.co.uk/WindowsXP-KB914810-v2-x86-ENU.exe

 

[Punkrulz]

Thanks KC. I downloaded the patch and so far have applied it on two computers... one of them being the chief of police! We'll see how it adjusts things!

 

[Punkrulz]

One thing I noticed, and this is my fault because I didn't read the KB article to the fullest extent... the article describes problems with systems when the Detection Frequency of updates is high, IE every 2 hours the machine checks. About a month or two ago, I had set in GP the detection frequency to be every 1 hour...

Yeah, apparently that was a big mistake. I have changed the setting back to 22 hours since reading that, and made sure the policy was enforced... so I guess pending on how the machines take to the changes, we should be good!