Service TrustedInstaller.EXE permanently active taking up to 50% CPU resources

I have Windows Update set to 'Check for Updates .. let me chose whether to download and install'.

Hence my bewilderment on makecab & trustedinstaller activities which are often and acute.

I run Windows Update in automatic scan mode with manual update, but; I still get this TrustedInstaller.exe running when I am Not running Windows Update and when it's status says no updates available. This mean (to me) that others can also run TrustedInstaller. How can we tell who's using the installer (parent/owner etc) and what it's installing????

can i delete system32

I don't have experience with Windows Vista, but:

• That doesn't stop me from having an opinion
• My condolences

>This file has prevented me from using the CD/DVD drive on the computer.

Do we know that for sure?

> I recently recovered the hard drive

That sounds like a more likely culprit.

Sounds like something is wrong with the drivers for the optical drive.  Recommend going into the Device Manager, see if the optical drive is recognized, see if it has a driver properly associated with it (if there's a yellow exclamation mark next to it, then it has driver-problems).

The important thing is if the optical drive is listed in the Device Manager, regardless of whether the driver is properly installed or not.  At least, then Windows recognizes that the optical drive is in there, and that it is in fact an optical drive.  Then, all it needs is drivers installed.

If the optical drive is listed with all the other components, and if it has no exclamation mark or anything, then Windows thinks it's installed correctly.  The next step then is to click "Uninstall."  Then, click "Install," and "let Windows search on the Internet for a driver."  That will effectively be getting rid of the present driver (if there is one in your computer, it is obviously faulty), and will install a new driver, freshly.

If your computer is real old, Searching on the Internet for a new Driver could be a slow process.  I think Searching on the Internet for a new Driver uses the Windows Update system, which has been having big problems lately.  But searching for and installing a new driver should be easier than some of the awful Windows Updates.

If the Device Manager indicates that the optical drive presently has no driver, then there's nothing to uninstall, just use the Device Manager to "let Windows search on the Internet for a driver."

The biggest problem would be if the Device Manager doesn't recognize the optical drive at all.  For instance, it might list an "Unrecognized Device" and put a big yellow exclamation point next to that item.  If that's what's showing, then I might try disconnecting the power plug from the optical drive, plugging it back in, refreshing the Device Manager ("refresh" is one of the buttons in the Device Manager's menu, or maybe it's called "Search for Changes.")  Then see if the Device Manager recognizes the optical drive.

If the device isn't working, the "Uninstall-and-[re-]Install" process is a fairly painless operation.  Sometimes, "Disable and Enable" is sufficient, but sometimes I have to Uninstall and Reinstall my laptop's wifi a few times per years to get it running again.

And finally, if the optical drive isn't listed in the Device Manager and there's no Unrecognized Device listed either, then that means the optical drive is not announcing itself when the computer powers up.  I would try re-seating both connectors on the back of the optical drive to see if that helps.  And check the other end of the cables where they plug into the motherboard; maybe they loosened up there.  While disconnected, inspect the connectors on the cables and on the optical drive for damage.  If you find a loose connector, then it would be a good idea to re-seat all the connectors you can get your hands on, because if one loosened up, it might be happening to others, too.  Be gentle.

After opening the case, before you stick your hand into the computer, touch the metal chassis to equalize

any static charge between you and the computer.  Then you can stick your hand inside.  If you rub your shoes on the rug, then touch the chassis again to re-equalize any static charge.  Personally, I like to have the AC power cable connected when I work in a computer so the Ground is still connected.  Killer AC is enclosed with the power supply, where you won't be going, and it hardly ever finds it's way into the rest of the computer.  Even the fans run on 12V, which you won't feel unless you touch it with your tongue.

Better to disconnect a connector by pulling on its body rather than pulling on its wires.  Or else you risk pulling wires out of the connector, and then you'll need a new cable (which isn't the worse thing in the world, but it will slow you down).

If the optical drive refuses to be recognized after checking the connectors, then it sounds like the optical drive is dead, unless you have reason to believe that one of its cables have failed, but that doesn't usually happen just sitting there inside a closed computer case.  More likely for electronic inside the drive to belly-up.  Recommend shopping on Newegg.com, and get a new 2-layer DVD-writer.  Shouldn't cost more than $25. Sort the listing of thousands of available optical drives by "Best Ratings," then shop for a drive with high customer ratings, and read the reviews.

Regarding TrustedInstaller: if your computer is an older model (such as core-2-duo or earlier), the computer might have to sit there for hours or days before TrustedInstaller is finished doing whatever it's does.  Just leave it on overnight(s) until it's done.  If it's taking a long time to complete, it's usually doing something associated with Windows Updates, and if you've been reading, you know that Microsoft's Windows Update system has become a disaster.  Even brand-spanking-new i7 computers asking to check Windows Updates won't get responses from Microsoft for a few hours.  It's part of Microsoft's strategy for forcing people to upgrade to Windows 10, which somehow avoids those delays.