Task Host Windows: what is this process and should I disable it? Task Host Window: what is it? Basic concepts and principles of the process Delete permanently task host windows 7.

Many Windows users very often have the following problem - every time before shutting down Windows 7/8/10, the system asks to disable Task Host Windows. We will talk about what the Task Host Windows program is and what it is for. You will find out why it slows down the PC shutdown. We will detail how to fix or remove taskhost.exe virus issue.

What is Task Host Windows?

Many people wonder what kind of process this is - after all, it loads the system and prevents you from turning off the PC. Let's break it down and describe the Host Process for Windows Tasks!

Task Host Windows (taskhost.exe process) is the process responsible for the existence and normal functioning of libraries. These libraries contain a huge number of system commands that are necessary for the stable operation of most programs and Windows 7/8/10 itself. Disabling taskhost.exe will cause other programs and processes to become unstable.

The taskhost.exe file is a system file located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder and has an approximate weight of ~50 KB. Many people try to call this program a virus, but it is an absolutely safe system process from Microsoft Windows. There is also a grain of truth about viruses - today many viruses disguise themselves as system processes and can be detected by a good antivirus. We will talk about this below.

How to disable Task Host Windows?

As a rule, the Windows system starts to slow down when it is turned off, not because of the Task Host program itself (the full name of the Host process for Windows tasks), but from controlled programs that have not yet closed. There can be from one to ten such background programs, so the closing time is different.

If you do not want to see any messages when shutting down, then turning off this program is not difficult and anyone can do it:

go to "Control Panel" - "Administration" - "Task Scheduler";
open tab "View" and see if there is a check mark on "Show hidden icons";
Next, follow the branch on the left: "Task Scheduler Library" - "Microsoft" - "Windows" - "RAC";
In the center you will see RAC Task. Right click on it and select Disable.

In most cases, this helps, the process will bother you more.

How to remove taskhost.exe virus?

Another thing is when, during operation, the process abruptly begins to load the system. Here, most likely, you are dealing with a virus that disguises itself as the taskhost.exe process. Taskhost virus changes system settings and monitors other programs. How to determine if you are dealing with a virus:

taskhost.exe is located in the C:\My Documents\… folder branch. or C:\Program Files\…;
the process file has a larger weight than the declared one (~50 Kb), on average, virus files weigh from 150 to 400 Kb;
during operation, you see a sharp load from this process on the system (you can view this in the task manager);
when the process ends, it automatically starts again;
the computer slows down a lot.

It is possible and necessary to clean the computer from this virus. Such viruses are called spyware, they disguise themselves as normal system processes. Let's start removing the malicious taskhost.exe:

End the taskhost.exe process in Task Manager. Select exactly the virus process. It is NOT in the System32 folder. View the location of the malware.
Delete all files from the folder.
Check the autoload with the cleaner.
Check your system with antivirus. In 98% of cases, the virus is a regular Trojan. Kaspersky and Doctor Web handle it well.

Sometimes taskhost.exe and other EXE system errors can be related to problems in the Windows registry. Several programs can use the taskhost.exe file, but when those programs are uninstalled or changed, sometimes "orphaned" (invalid) EXE registry entries are left behind.

Basically, this means that while the actual path to the file may have been changed, its incorrect former location is still recorded in the Windows registry. When Windows tries looking up these incorrect file references (file locations on your PC), taskhost.exe errors can occur. In addition, malware infection may have corrupted the registry entries associated with Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit . Thus, these invalid EXE registry entries need to be repaired in order to fix the root of the problem.

Manually editing the Windows registry to remove invalid taskhost.exe keys is not recommended unless you are PC service professional. Mistakes made while editing the registry can render your PC unusable and cause irreparable damage to your operating system. In fact, even a single comma in the wrong place can prevent your computer from booting up!

Because of this risk, we highly recommend using a trusted registry cleaner such as %%product%% (Developed by Microsoft Gold Certified Partner) to scan and repair any taskhost.exe-related registry problems. Using a registry cleaner automates the process of finding invalid registry entries, missing file references (like the one causing your taskhost.exe error), and broken links within the registry. A backup copy is automatically created before each scan, allowing you to undo any changes with a single click and protecting you from possible damage to your computer. The best part is that fixing registry errors can drastically improve system speed and performance.

Warning: Unless you are an advanced PC user, we do NOT recommend manually editing the Windows Registry. Incorrect use of the Registry Editor can lead to serious problems and require you to reinstall Windows. We do not guarantee that problems resulting from misuse of Registry Editor can be corrected. You use the Registry Editor at your own risk.

To manually repair your Windows registry, first you need to create a backup by exporting a portion of the registry related to taskhost.exe (eg. Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit):

Click on the button To begin.
Enter " command" v search bar... DO NOT PRESS YET ENTER!
Holding keys CTRL-Shift on the keyboard, press ENTER.
An access dialog will be displayed.
Click Yes.
The black box opens with a blinking cursor.
Enter " regedit" and press ENTER.
In the Registry Editor, select the taskhost.exe-related key (eg. Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit) you want to back up.
On the menu File select Export.
Listed Save to select the folder where you want to save the Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit key backup.
In field File name enter a name for the backup file, such as "Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit Backup".
Make sure the field Export range value selected Selected branch.
Click Save.
The file will be saved with .reg extension.
You now have a backup of your taskhost.exe-related registry entry.

The next steps for manually editing the registry will not be covered in this article, as they are likely to damage your system. If you would like more information on editing the registry manually, please see the links below.

Starting with Windows XP, and then Vista, 7 and 8, many users are faced with the functioning of the inexplicable taskhost.exe process. Most users have no idea what taskhost.exe process is currently running. In addition, sometimes the load on the central processor can reach almost 100%. But is it possible to disable the program, and how to do it so as not to harm the entire system, we will now find out.

taskhost.exe process: what is it?

Finding a detailed description of the process itself is not so easy, not to mention the principles of operation of this system service, run on behalf of a user in a local session with the LOCAL SERVICE, SYSTEM attribute, or an attribute that displays the username.

No, this is not a user process in the sense that it is launched by a user, this is a system service, but it starts at each specific user login under their accounts.

So, the user observes in the "Task Manager" the running active process taskhost.exe. What is it from the point of view of the system itself? According to Microsoft's brief description, this service is responsible for running 32-bit applications in a form other than standard .exe executable files. The process itself is similar to the svchost.exe and rundll.32.exe services, since it is able to simultaneously launch user processes and local session services with the extraction of executable codes and commands located in dynamic libraries of the .dll format. It is not clear, however, why it was necessary to create a duplicate service, but, as they say, Windows developers know better.

Why is the taskhost.exe process loading the processor?

In theory, if you look at it, the process itself is indeed a system one, although it starts in every user session. Based on the foregoing, it is easy to guess that the excessive load on the processor may be due to the fact that this service alone calls all registered processes from dynamic libraries (and does not “hanging” in the process tree in the form of several services like svchost.exe). In addition, do not forget that the rundll32.exe service also accesses the libraries, but, apparently, it is the taskhost.exe process that has priority. What does this mean for the system? Yes, only that very often there is an unforeseen conflict between processes that seek to be the first to load this or that library.

In addition, many experts attribute the increased consumption of system resources to the fact that the process itself contains the activated RacSysprepGeneralize function, located in the dynamic library RasEngn.dll, which belongs to the standard Windows Task Scheduler.

Is it possible to disable the taskhost.exe service?

Now a few words about whether it is possible to do without this annoying process in the system. Yes, you can. However, you will not be able to disable the service by force in the Task Manager. Rather, it is possible to complete the process, but, as practice shows, after a while it will “resurrect” again.

Methods for shutting down a process

First of all, you can try to disable the "Task Scheduler" itself. But this does not always help, since the above RacSysprepGeneralize function will still work.

To get rid of it, you need to enter the "Task Scheduler Menu" section, called from the "Control Panel" with a sequential selection of the "Administration" and "Task Scheduler" sections, and then repeat the sequential transition through the "Microsoft" sections, then "Windows" and "RAC". Now in the "View" menu you will need to specify the display of hidden icons, and then use the right click on the RACTask or RACAgent service (for Windows 7 and Vista, respectively). In the submenu that appears, select the "Disable" command, and then end the taskhost.exe process again in the "Task Manager".

If it's a virus

Not always, however, such a service can be classified as a system component. In some situations, another suspicious service (or two or more with the same or non-system attributes) taskhost.exe may also be present in the process tree. What is it in this case?

A common computer virus that will need to be deleted or cured with the original file using stationary anti-virus software or using anti-virus utilities that are loaded even before the OS starts. But, as a rule, such situations are extremely rare.

Outcome

So we looked at the taskhost.exe process, how to remove it or get rid of malicious threats. In general, the first way to disable the components of the "Task Scheduler" is the most common, and without any intervention in the system registry or in the operation of the "OS" as a whole. As practice shows, disabling this service does not affect the system, but it frees up additional resources.

However, as is already clear, the above steps to disable the taskhost.exe process must be performed only when accessing a computer terminal with administrator rights. Otherwise, this action will not take place.

Roughly speaking, the user will not only be unable to disable the relevant services, but in some cases will not even be able to enter the “Control Panel” to make any changes, because sometimes access can be blocked so that the “Control Panel” tab in the menu “ Start” is not even displayed, not to mention that it cannot be called from the command line, no matter how hard you try.

Since you are a user of the Windows operating system (and it does not matter whether it is the seventh version, the eighth or the latest windows 10), there is a high probability that you have encountered such a problem as a long shutdown of the computer when turning off all its processes - completely shutting down the computer.

In this article, you will learn what the Task Host process is, what is needed for its correct operation, whether it is a virus or a windows executable file, and how to delete it in case of a malfunction.

Task Host Windows - what is it?

First, let's take a look at what this process is all about. Task Host Windows (signed as “taskhost.exe” in the task manager) is a program of the windows operating system that is responsible for the correct operation of the executor libraries. Through this process, all programs installed on your computer get access to DLL libraries. From here we can make a logical conclusion that in the event of a long freeze of the computer when it is turned off, it is often not the Task Host Windows (THW) process itself that is to blame, but some program that currently uses “taskhost.exe” for its own purposes.

Important: without finding out the exact cause of the slowdown of your desktop computer or laptop running Windows, deleting "taskhost.exe" is prohibited, this action will result in damage to system files and unstable operation of the system as a whole.

How does the program work?

Since Microsoft Corporation does not disclose detailed descriptions of its programs, little is known about Task Host Windows, however, we can say with full confidence that "taskhost.exe" is a system file that was introduced by the operating system itself for stable and fast launch of all installed programs. In fact, these are all the same infamous "svchost.exe" and "rundll32.exe" (albeit in a better execution), which works right after you try to run any program on your device.

Important: the subroutine file is located in the System32 folder "C:\Windows\System32" and weighs only 50Kb. That is why it is so often confused with a virus file and is deleted without even trying to figure out the problem.

As mentioned above, little is known about this process, so not everyone can give an exact answer why this program sometimes loads your processor up to 100%. However, after analyzing the work of THW, one can make some guess that the process settings are made in such a way that the programs associated with it start without freezes and as quickly as possible, which is why the processor is used at full power at this moment.

Why can shutdown slow down?

Since Task Host is a smart program and it starts automatically every time you turn off or restart your computer, it checks all running programs, files and background processes in order to avoid incorrect termination of their work and loss of melons. From here it comes up if a program is running (for example, Microsoft Word), and you are trying to turn off your PC, then the Task Host will not allow you to do this until it checks the performance of this program and offers to save unsaved information.

How to disable Task Host Windows?

As described above, disabling this process is a highly undesirable measure. However, if this process behaves too suspiciously, then it can be temporarily disabled in order to later check the System32 system folder for virus programs with an antivirus program.

And so, the first step is to open the Start menu and launch the Taskbar. There, select the "Administration" item and launch the "Task Scheduler" application.

Important: in the view tab, you must check the box next to "Show hidden tasks".

After that, the RAC Task task will open, in the properties of which you must select to disable this program.

That's all, now you will not see the annoying taskhost.exe program window, which is responsible for closing applications when the computer is turned off.

is taskhost.exe a virus?

If, after shutting down the process, your system still experiences some difficulties when shutting down, you may be dealing with a virus that very successfully disguised itself as the taskhost.exe executable file.

Here are a few signs of a virus that has replaced the original process file:

The taskhost.exe file is located in C:\Windows\System32. If, after checking, it was found in any other place - a virus.

The original file weighs 50 Kb. (no more, no less).

As soon as this process starts to work, then there is a sharp increase in the CPU load by 100%, and this happens all the time, and not once when starting any program.

After a process is forcibly terminated (manually), it starts again (automatically each time).

If at least one of the signs is suitable, then most likely your computer has a VIRUS.

The next paragraph will tell you how to delete a virus-infected file?

How to delete?

Removing a virus file is quite simple. To do this, use the key combination "Ctrl + Shift + Esc" to call the task manager and in the "Processes" tab find the taskhost.exe process and right-click on it to call the context menu, where and click on "End Process". Then open the folder with the file (C:\Windows\System32) and delete this executable file via RMB.

The last step will be to scan your system with any antivirus installed on your computer.

Conclusion

In this article, we have analyzed the main reasons for a long shutdown of the computer when shutting down the OS. And also found out what measures need to be taken to solve this problem.

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