Windows Update / SvcHost.exe 100% Cpu in task manager

Kudos on the EPIC rant :-)   I am right there with you point by point.

Regarding the matter of IE7 having issues well from the user side of things that's right it worked splendidly for providing a "clean" web browsing experience mostly free of the web page "collages" of marketing content and social networking "interactives" being streamed from 2 dozen separate marketing and user profiling "partner sites" and all their associated tracking and inteference and waste of bandwidth which was a hinderance entirely contrary to the selling interests of the conglomerate cartel of peddlers who occupy cyberspace to pick pockets. So the mastermind "script kiddies" the wunderkinds of global IT technology decided a forced upgrade of browsers would be in order to better enable the cartel of global marketing interests to hijack and subvert the user experience of web browsing so that the user is dragged kicking and screaming through a web page transformed into a shopping mall where every panhandler and peddler already has a file on every pedestrian who passes by, and even has your home address so that they can better come visit you uninvited to peddle even more of their wares.  Hey that's business right? and Microsoft is all for it because they upgrade their browsers and operating systems to present more such garbage more and more intensively to the user who needs better and faster computers and more bandwidth to better accomodate all the multimedia experience sales pitches they will be getting.  

So that is exactly why IE7 was necessary to be "upgraded" to IE8 and IE8 was a trial balloon for what came after no doubt in Windows 7 ....and which I worry I will soon be encountering there.

Keith .... Isn't that (your post Nov21, 2013) what I said in the preceding post? LOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

And sadly - I also feel that Microsoft is looking at the 'toys' created by Apple - IPAD and IPOD - all they are is money machines. Have very real practical use for the majority.

Look at the release of IE8 - it is, IMO, a clone of what is FAILING Apple. But I guess they did not realize - or if they did too late with so much money spent on development to catch on that it won't sell.

What people do with computers can be accomplished with a solid Windows XP based computer!

Remember the baby  boomers right now we are in the midst of baby boomer existence. In case 'you' reading this do not understand what that means:

Baby boomers are the Sons & Daughters of the War era Fathers and Mothers. We lived in an era of moderation - were Thankful for what little we had, WANTED to Work for what we received and were damned proud of it! But we are also a very large part of the population and for the most part - are mature in thought. With that said - We have no desire for bells and whistles -are frugal with our money - own our homes (believe in buying what we can afford and living up to the mortgage contract) living having respect and manners.

I did purchase an IPAD and the other 'Toy' similar to IPAD - returned them, as many others did, within 24 hours!

This problem I know is not new to too many of us. Yet - this is November 2013 and I would like to know how this happened AND what to do to fix it! I have built many computers since 1997. I never had this problem arise until this reinstall. Have reinstalled XP to XPSP3 several times. Let us not waste time questioning my knowledge. Same: components, Motherboard, memory, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. The only thing that is different IS - when I have completed the Windows XP install to Windows XPSP3 - tested functionality - fast as **** - reviewed 'EVENT VIEWER' - no issues, constantly checking the processor usage - low. My next step to activate Windows update to get the updates to make my system secure. Sure enough the CPU spikes to 100% - due to a service host CPU demand! I have to say - IF the meter would have a parameter to 200% - I do not doubt it would go higher than 100%. Even though I do not doubt the correctness of my process to install the OS (again I have done many times throughout the years) I decided since I have not loaded anything else - I would format the drive (Nov 19) and start all over again. I sit here now with a computer box with verified functioning components, With a properly installed OS, Motherboard drivers installed - nothing else done and I can not get windows updates. Note: the first attempt install (Nov 17) - I tried the advice on the Microsoft sites, the fix it routine, the recommended installing of a version of net framework to no avail. There is also other advice to perform a routine (don't ask - I do not desire to dig up that data) in 'safe mode' that also failed to remedy this. Frankly I rarely use advice from even the recognized experts out there but I decided whether it worked or not - as I desired a fresh install one last time to have a properly functioning computer that I built myself and gift it. I'm getting old - at a time of my life when one begins to reduce their material possessions. How is it possible that someone can do something so many times with certainty to have this issue and to read so many are dumbfounded with this?! And spare me the absurdity of checking for malware, virus, bad drivers. This computer has not had any exposure to have these issues! One can safely assume it is not an issue with hardware - even working correctly

• as many with this same issue described components that are widely different. My deduction is: Something is amiss at Microsoft update center and or Windows update I have tried both! I believe (leaving out the suggestions by some of shenanigans) too much is trying to get through - after all the updates number about 120 give or take a few. Anyway - If there is any assistance 'out there' to provide an answer to a Microsoft customer that bought Windows3.1; Windows95; Windows98; Windows Millennia; Windows Xp. Windows Vista on my Wife's computer. Windows 7 on my recent build just for music enjoyment - I would like the courtesy of receiving a solution to this issue. It seems very simple to me for someone at Microsoft to round up the most important of Security updates - place them on a disk (compressed - many of us have WinZip and large hard drives) and provide them to us with ONLY A CHARGE FOR POSTAGE - OK, OK add a dollar or two. Leave out the fixes for the fixes. You should know what we need. Buying new hardware or OS systems is out of the question WHY? Because either we can not afford it and most of all - WE OUT HERE ARE STANDING BY a Microsoft product that WE believe in! Try to do it in time for Christmas - it will do a lot for Microsoft's image . Have a Good Thanksgiving to all!

Hi Joseph,

Please do the following.

Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel and double click Automatic Updates.

Checkmark the bottom option to disable automatic updates.

Click Apply/OK and then reboot.

Does svchost still consume 100% CPU cycles?

If it does, do the following.

Go to Start, Run, copy/paste this command and click OK: services.msc

In the list of Services, can you see Background Intelligent Transfer Service ?

Here's a pix of what it looks like.

If it's not listed, please proceed as follows to register the BITS service.

Open the Windows Search tool, copy/paste the following and then click Search: qmgr.dll

Search should show that file in the following locations:

C:\WINDOWS\system32

C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386

C:\WINDOWS\system32\bits

Provided they're all present, do the following to register the service.

Go to Start, Run and copy/paste: regsvr32 qmgr.dll and click OK

Do the same with this file: regsvr32 qmgrprxy.dll

Reboot the system and then copy/paste this command into the Run field:

%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\qmgr.inf

If you're prompted to insert the Windows installation CD, ignore that and in the dialog box at the bottom, change the path to C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386

Restart the PC again and then go to Services and you should be able to see BITS in the list.

Double click it and then on the General tab, click the Start button to try and start the service manually. This is just a test to ensure that it's working correctly.

If you get Error 2: cannot find the file specified, go to Start, then Run again and copy/paste the following command and then click OK:

Reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BITS\Parameters /v ServiceDll /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d %windir%\System32\qmgr.dll

Reboot again and then try once more to start BITS. It should work properly now, but in the unlikely event that it fails again, run the following command and then hit Enter:

Reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup

Reboot once more and then do the following.

Go to this link and install the  IE8 cumulative November update:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41074

Finally, go to the Windows Update site and you should be able to download normally.

Thank you. thank you, thank you.  Struggled with this for over a month, this worked and have finally been able to get updates.