Why is dllhost.exe running

You should be careful about it. Here are some of them:. It allows any DLL stored on the system to run, assuming that the trigger initiating it the required permissions. This means that whenever you see a high CPU usage for dllhost. It is probably not the host process causing the problem. But rather a loaded DLL running through the host.

You can use a program such as Process Explorer to investigate further. We basically use it for launching other applications and services. It should be left running as it is critical to several system resources. I hope you like this article and get help from it. If you still have any queries related to this article then feel free to ask them in the comments section below. Have a Great Day!

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Essentially, these COM objects plug into other applications and extend them. For example, the Windows file manager uses COM objects to create thumbnail images of images and other files when it opens a folder. The COM object handles processing images, videos, and other files to generate the thumbnails. This allows File Explorer to be extended with support for new video codecs, for example. However, this can lead to problems. If a COM object crashes, it will take down its host process.

At one point, it was common for these thumbnail-generating COM objects to crash and take down the entire Windows Explorer process with them. Download it and you can just mouse-over a dllhost. As we can see in the screenshot below, this particular dllhost. Other programs you use may also create their own COM Surrogate processes.

All the dllhost. However, it can be used by malware. For example, the Trojan. Poweliks malware uses dllhost. If you see a large number of dllhost. Is Windows Defender Good Enough? Browse All iPhone Articles Browse All Mac Articles Do I need one?

Forum Donate. Checking the legitimacy of COM Surrogate Since these processes are genuine components of Windows, they are widely used by cybercriminals. A simple way to check its legitimacy is: Open Windows Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar and clicking Task Manager. The most common are: A third-party program incorrectly registered COM objects or they did not work correctly if they were incompatible with current versions of Windows, outdated software.

If the problem occurs during drawing thumbnails in Explorer, it's because of outdated or incorrectly working codecs. Can be caused by viruses or malware, as well as damage to Windows System Files. How can you fix these errors? Update Codecs A manual method to solve this error is to update all the Codecs of Windows 7, 8 or 10 to their latest updated versions.

Reset Internet Explorer The issue can also be caused due to cached files that were corrupt. Hold the Windows Key and Press R. In the run dialog, type inetcpl. Go to the Advanced Tab and choose Reset.

Select Delete Personal Settings and hit the reset button again. Once you've done all that, reboot your PC and test it out. Resetting Internet Explorer 3.