Dealing With Svchost.exe Application Error

What is the "Svchost.exe Application Error??

Svchost.exe is a Windows core file that handles processes run by DLL files. An application installed on the system can affect the svchost.exe file, make the system unstable, and use up all the resources. As this is one of the core Windows system files, lots of viruses and Trojans try to overwrite or replace this file.

Operating Systems affected with svchost.exe are:

  • Windows NT
  • All version of Windows 2000
  • All versions of Windows 2003
  • All versions of Windows XP

Error appearing on the screen

svchost.exe ? Application Error

The instruction at 0x009a6f9a? referenced memory at ?0x00000000".

The memory could not be ?written?.

Click OK to terminate the program.

Click Cancel to debug.

Memory locations can change based on the application.

What should I do to fix the svchost.exe application error?

Svchost.exe is part of the Windows core system files and it runs all the hosting services of Windows. The hosting services include the DLL files associated with programs and the operating system. This is the reason why you will find multiple occurrences of svchost.dll in the Windows processes. The Svchost.exe error will occur when –

  1. Windows Update runs and updates the Windows files
  2. A virus or a Trojan attacks the system

Windows Update ? ?Windows update? updates the important files of your system including core files like svchost.exe. Once the system is updated it restarts, this is when the system starts to freeze and upon starting any program returns the above mentioned error.

You can check for CPU usage of svchost.exe in the Task Manager. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the Taskbar and then click the Task Manager.
  2. Under the Processes tab, look for Svchost.exe (You will find multiple instances of it).
  3. Check the CPU usage for the svchost.exe file, if it is 100%, then the file is affected.

How to resolve 100% CPU usage by the svchost.exe process

To resolve this issue, you can follow the below mentioned steps.

Run System Restore – System restore keeps snapshots of the registry and system files on a regular basis. Once initiated, it puts back the registry to when the system was working fine. You can follow these steps to run it:

  1. Click Start and then All Programs.
  2. Go to Accessories and then System Tools.
  3. Click System Restore.
  4. Click Next and choose a restore point before the Windows Update.
  5. Click Next. This will restart the system.

System restore will apply the settings as per the chosen restore point.? You must choose the restore point that was created before the Windows Update. If this doesn?t solve the problem you can try the next step.

You can disable the Windows Update on your system by performing the following steps:

  1. Right-click My Computer and then click Properties.
  2. Under System Properties dialog box, click Automatic Updates tab.
  3. Click Turn off Automatic Updates, and then click OK.
  4. Restart the system.
  5. Use only the Windows Update website to install the updates manually.
  6. After you finish installing the updates manually, you can turn on Automatic Updates.

This will solve the problem with ?Windows Update?. If this does not solve the problem then you can try the next step.

Virus or Trojan ? If all the above steps do not solve the Svchost.exe error, then you can check your system for any virus or Trojan attacks. Win32/Conficker worm is one example of a virus that injects itself into the authentic svchost.exe file and takes control of all the processes. You can run a system scan using a reliable and up-to-date Antivirus tool.