What is the role of Svchost.exe on the Windows system?
Svchost.exe is used by your Windows computer to access the registry and check the services to load during system startup. Almost all Windows services required by logon, installer, network, Internet, and spooler are loaded with the help of the svchost.exe file. Any problems with this file may lead to errors with many other exe files, such as iexplore.exe, msimn.exe, and msiexec.exe. Problems with the file may also generate application errors on your system.
In this article, we will discuss how to fix the scvhost.exe application error and other various exe errors generated due to virus infection.
Fix Application Error
Microsoft releases regular security updates that are installed automatically on your computer by the Automatic Updates feature, which is enabled by default on your computer. The Svchost.exe Application error usually appears due to a problem with a recent update. When the error occurs, you may receive the following error message:
"svchost.exe- Application Error
The instruction at"0x7c918fea" referenced memory at "0x00000010." The memory could not be "read."
Click on OK to terminate the program.
Click on Cancel to debug.
Closing the error message might freeze your computer. To fix this error, perform the following tasks.
- Open Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, and then select Services.
- In the System Properties dialog box, open the Automatic Updates tab.
- Next, select the Turn Off Automatic Updates option.
- Select Apply and then OK to accept your changes and exit the System Properties dialog box.
- Restart your PC.
- Ensure that you are connected to the Internet and then select the Windows Update command from Start > All Programs to manually update Windows.
- After the update is complete, enable the automatic updates again from System Properties > Automatic Updates.
This should rectify your application error. However, if the error keeps reappearing, then you must turn off automatic updates permanently and manually perform Windows updates at regular intervals.
Fix Errors Caused By Virus Infection
Some of the errors related to exe files such as svchost.exe and msiexec.exe are:
"Windows cannot find File.exe. Make sure you typed the name correctly."
"Windows cannot find File.exe. This program is needed for opening files of type "Program Name." The specific path does not exist. Check the path and try again."
"Windows cannot find 'Program Name'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click Start, and then click Search."
"File.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log is being created."
Viruses, such as SirCam, Pretty Park, and W32/Swen.A@MM (Swen) modify registry settings and change file associations in such a way that you are unable to run any exe file on your computer. Viruses may also copy numerous malicious files to your computer that may further increase the number of errors on the system.
To fix virus-related exe errors, you must scan your PC for viruses and remove them. For this, update the antivirus currently installed on your PC and run a complete computer scan. We recommend that on an infected computer you run the antivirus scan at least twice to ensure no virus-related file or registry entry is left behind on the system.
Many antivirus software manufacturers also develop tools that help you in dealing with specific viruses. You can search for and download these virus removal tools from the Web and run them on your system to get rid of the troublesome viruses. Virus removal tools are basically programmed to search for and permanently remove the files and registry entries that specific viruses add to your system.
It is also recommended that you follow up the antivirus removal tool scan with a reliable registry cleaner utility, such as RegServe. Tools such as this use advanced algorithms to perform a deep scan of the registry and weed out any unwanted, invalid, or malicious entry from it.
To sum up, we can say that to keep your PC free from errors such as svchost.exe error and msiexec.exe error, you must always keep your PC updated with latest Windows updates and your antivirus software updated with the latest virus definition. If the errors are generated due to problems with the automatic update feature in Windows XP, then you must turn off the automatic feature and perform a manual update of your PC at regular intervals.