Device Census Stopped Working Problem

Anonymous
2018-06-22T23:16:47+00:00

I have recently noticed when viewing my reliability monitor that every day around the same time 3 am - 4 am, windows shows that a program called "devicecensus.exe" has stopped working and notes it as a "critical event". My question is should I be worried about this and if so what are the potential fixes? Also is this application an integral part of Windows and if I delete it from System32 will it have an effect on my PC in any shape or form?

Thanks in advance for the responses and here are some of the error details if it helps:

Problem signature

Problem Event Name: APPCRASH

Application Name: devicecensus.exe

Application Version: 10.0.17134.1

Application Timestamp: 79a09a4b

Fault Module Name: WaaSAssessment.dll

Fault Module Version: 10.0.17134.1

Fault Module Timestamp: b7ab6594

Exception Code: c0000005

Exception Offset: 0000000000008ee5

OS Version: 10.0.17134.2.0.0.256.48

Locale ID: 1033

Additional Information 1: 91f2

Additional Information 2: 91f294f44a03f9fda838805399465eda

Additional Information 3: ada5

Additional Information 4: ada50e612b0ea4dc151ec1a740a42603

Files that help describe the problem

WERInternalMetadata.xml

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-08-17T16:24:16+00:00

    I have two computers on my home network running Windows 10 Pro version 1803.

    Both of these machines are configured to receive Feature Updates utilizing a significant delay:  the Semi-Annual Channel plus an extra 30-day deferral.  As a result, they didn't receive the version 1803 update until 9 August 2018.  Initially everything seemed to be working perfectly, but then the aforementioned devicecensus.exe error appeared in the Reliability Monitor on a daily basis.

    Based upon recommendations found earlier in this thread, I initiated the built-in Disk Cleanup utility on one of the machines and focused my attention on Windows Updates as well as Previous Windows Installations.  Unfortunately, this method didn't alleviate the problem.

    Finally, when "Patch Tuesday" arrived earlier this week (on 14 August 2018) both computers were updated by KB4343909 to build 17134.228.  One of the computers has only rebooted once since then (due to the update itself), and the other is actually used daily and then shutdown every night.  But in the two days since the update was installed, the devicecensus.exe error has completely disappeared.  Hopefully, this signals the end of it!

    Well then, I'd say you have no further worries. At least not about devicecensus, and related to your report.

    From your report, it seems that your error was corrected via update, without the intervention(s) supplied

    by "Fleet Command", earlier. That is great! Now, all the remaining devicecensus sufferers should be drying

    up as their reliability graphs claw their way back to previous levels.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-08-04T21:31:28+00:00

    I can't believe it! I seem to have managed to fix this pesky problem on two systems in 23 hours! 😁

    1. On a desktop computer, the problem was gone after stopping the Windows Update service, deleting the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution folder, and restarting.
    2. On a laptop, I strongly believe the problem was definitely gone after I had run Disk Cleanup with the Windows Update Cleanup checkbox selected and the system was shutdown at least once.

    Someone, please verify this solution.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-06-24T02:16:50+00:00

    Sadly removing eset did not solve the problem :( I still got the error at 4:55 am.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-06-23T00:22:41+00:00

    You're welcome.

    If removing ESET does fix the issue you could contact ESET about the problem.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-06-22T23:24:35+00:00

    Is ESET Internet installed as that was reported as the issue with a similar error in the following topic:

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...

    The devicecensus.exe is a component of windows and as such left as is.

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