svchost.exe Vista 64-bit, 140MB+

[metroplex]

I have over a dozen svchost.exe processes running on Vista 64-bit Business SP-2. One of them is consistently 140+ MB in size, while the next largest are 33MB and 20MB respectively.

I looked over the numerous resources regarding the disabling of certain services, but it remains unchanged. What gives? Why is it so bloated? Any ideas on how to reduce this bloat?

 

[frythecpuofbender]

Install XP or wait for Windows 7. Getting Vista to perform with <300MB is next to impossible. XP with little tweaking needs 99MB. I hope 7 can be tweaked as well.

 

[metroplex]

My other Vista PC"s (Dell laptops) don't have this same problem. I wonder if it is a 64-bit issue.

 

[Nothinman]

Use tasklist /svc to see what all is running inside of that svchost process.

 

[Billb2]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Use tasklist /svc to see what all is running inside of that svchost process.

Or Process Explorer.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: frythecpuofbender
Install XP or wait for Windows 7. Getting Vista to perform with <300MB is next to impossible. XP with little tweaking needs 99MB. I hope 7 can be tweaked as well.

Give me a break - this has nothing to do with your inaccurate opinion of Vista.

Vista isn't supposed to use less than a certain amount of memory. It caches as long as there are items to cache and then deallocates them when the space is requested for an active running program. Additionally, with 64bit, all the code in native 64bit therefore has the added overhead of 8 byte pointers.

That said, svchost.exe probably shouldn't be using that much memory. In addition to the 2 aforementioned methods, have you noticed any unusual network activity? You might try to do a 'netstat -a' from the command line and see if there are any unusual connections open to your system.

-Kevin

 

[metroplex]

I ran tasklist /svc and found the PID for the svchost that is using up over 100MB:

AudioEndpointBuilder, EMDMgmt, hidserv,
Netman, PcaSvc, SysMain, UxSms,
WdiSystemHost, WPDBusEnum, wudfsvc

 

[Majic 7]

It runs at about 129 on my system and has for over a year now. I got all worried about it and checked networking because it would be the worst possibility and found nothing. I find the same things running under services and 412 PID so I guess it is the way it is supposed to work. I don't have much installed except for a few games so everything is still pretty much stock. Everything else is still on the XP machine, works and no reason to change.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: metroplex
I ran tasklist /svc and found the PID for the svchost that is using up over 100MB:

AudioEndpointBuilder, EMDMgmt, hidserv,
Netman, PcaSvc, SysMain, UxSms,
WdiSystemHost, WPDBusEnum, wudfsvc

None of those look suspicious to me. You just happen to have a lot of things running which fall under the svchost.exe process it seems.

 

[Majic 7]

Did the MS update since I last posted, some security updates and the malware thing. It changed the PID number to 464 and my running processes dropped from 54 to 50. I have Process Explorer and checked all processes before, mainly because there were so many, and they were all legit. Svchost dropped to 103 also, maybe the restart did that. Might change after it runs awhile. The processes is weird, 50 is what they were at a few months ago before I added AdAware and something else. Driver update, maybe.

 

[metroplex]

I can't explain it either. My Dell studio 1537 laptop has the same services running and uses only 33MB. I guess Ethan said it best: http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comics/20090713.jpg

 

[XZeroII]

How much RAM do you have? Unless you have 512mb, quit whinning. RAM is there to be used. Let it be used.

 

[Majic 7]

It handles super-fetch. I guess that is why it is so busy.

 

[alcoholbob]

Windows 7 RC uses about the same amount of RAM as Vista so its about time to get used to more RAM usage.

 

[Rhonda the Sly]

Does anybody notice 'sysmain' in that list? Prepare for your minds to be blown...

sysmain = superfetch
EMDMgmt = readyboost
UxSms = DWM Session Manager

Is the resource usage a problem? If not ignore it or use something else. My largest svchost (the same bucket as yours, I assume but I'm too lazy to check) is 191MB.

 

[metroplex]

I have 4GB of DDR3-1333 in this rig. My concern isn't RAM usage, but why it is hogging up so much RAM when my other laptops with Vista 32-bit only use a max of about 30MB for the largest svchost.exe (Studio 1537, 4GB but has 32-bit Vista Home Premium, Inspiron 15 w/ 32-bit Vista Home Basic and 3GB). This particular computer has Vista 64-bit Business w/ 4GB.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: metroplex
I have 4GB of DDR3-1333 in this rig. My concern isn't RAM usage, but why it is hogging up so much RAM when my other laptops with Vista 32-bit only use a max of about 30MB for the largest svchost.exe (Studio 1537, 4GB but has 32-bit Vista Home Premium, Inspiron 15 w/ 32-bit Vista Home Basic and 3GB). This particular computer has Vista 64-bit Business w/ 4GB.

Additionally, with 64bit, all the code in native 64bit therefore has the added overhead of 8 byte pointers.

From my post above is one major reason.

 

[metroplex]

Thanks. So bottom line is that the 64-bit Vista will consume a bit more memory?

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: metroplex
Thanks. So bottom line is that the 64-bit Vista will consume a bit more memory?

No problem!

Yes, because one of the ideas with 64bit computing is that a person running a 64bit OS will generally have a little more memory to spare

-Kevin

 

[Nothinman]

Thanks. So bottom line is that the 64-bit Vista will consume a bit more memory?

Yea, pointers will always be 64-bit instead of 32-bit but other things can cause more memory usage too depending on the compiler settings.