SkyDrive Sync Engine Host

Im having the same problems on my Surface Pro 2 (Win8.1); 20-30% CPU usage by both the skydrive sync engine process and the search index process, along with constant 100% disk usage.

I tried the troubleshooter, which resets skydrive, and resolves the problem but only until restarting windows. Go to the desktop/task manager and the processes are there both thrashing again.

I've also found that the disk usage is actually skydrive creating log files in the AppData\Microsoft\Windows\SkyDrive\Log folder; it seems to be creating event log files constantly.

Any ideas? It must be something messed up with the skydrive client, and needs a fix from microsoft. Its killing my surface battery, unless I remember to go and kill the process almost everytime I turn it on.

I had no idea that tool existed.  Ran it, and rebooted (to install the one automatic update that had been downloaded), and it is much better. The SkyDrive Sync Engine Host process still runs and consumes CPU, but it hovers around 3-5% instead of 50%, and drops back to zero after a couple minutes.  Much better.

Thank you very much for this info.

I'm glad that helped you.

Otherwise, yeah, that 3-5% at the beginning is due to some reinitialization of the service ("checking for changes), but it should (as in your case and mine) drop to zero once all the files are synchronized.

Finally got it solved by:

• Running Microsoft Skydrive Troubleshotter (direct link), and choosing "Reset SkyDrive".

Hope that may help other people, since it was really easy and quick for a fix.

I had no idea that tool existed.  Ran it, and rebooted (to install the one automatic update that had been downloaded), and it is much better. The SkyDrive Sync Engine Host process still runs and consumes CPU, but it hovers around 3-5% instead of 50%, and drops back to zero after a couple minutes.  Much better.

Thank you very much for this info.

Had the same problem.

Tried to no avail:

• Restart the PC, kill and restart SkyDrive, etc.
• RaCoutu solution at the end of page1 on this thread

Finally got it solved by:

• Running Microsoft Skydrive Troubleshotter (direct link), and choosing "Reset SkyDrive".

Hope that may help other people, since it was really easy and quick for a fix.

I haven't seen issues with Search Indexer, though the Anti-Malware Executable thing does seem to spike up at the most inopportune times.  (Downloading the latest Windows Updates, actually, when I turned off real-time scanning in Windows Defender, a process it was telling me would take hours to complete suddenly finished in a couple minutes.)  But this is usually after I've already terminated the SkyDrive Sync Engine process, so it's probably unrelated.

I have two Windows 8.1 devices that sync with my SkyDrive account. (Side note: I wonder when they'll update this to say "OneDrive" instead?)  One is an Asus laptop, and one is a Surface 1 RT tablet.  I never have issues on my tablet.  I use OneNote on my tablet constantly, and very rarely on my laptop.  I do use Word 2013 on my laptop often (and less frequently on my tablet) to edit documents on SkyDrive; but the documents I edit aren't actually in my account, but shared from another account. 

Since my tablet is an RT, the executable is likely different (compiled for ARM instead of x86), and I realize the comparison isn't an entirely fair test.