What is svchost and what does it do?

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

Day before yesterday McAfee updated my virus/firewall software. Ever since then when closing down or restarting my computer, I get an error message that says "svchost cannot be written to memory. Click the OK button to close it and continue ".

I've contacted McAfee and they used "GoToAssist" to check my computer and the tech uninstalled the program and reinstalled it and said it was fixed. That worked for about 1 day, and now I'm getting the error message again. It is very difficult to get thru to McAfee tech support and I'd rather not go through that again if I can avoid it.

Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks in advance,
Mickey918

 

I googled "what is svchost" for you. Hope it is what you want.


http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/svchost.exe.html

 

Hi Mickey918, Have you tried closing your McAfee "Automatic Updates" down to see if that helps.

As explained in the link by born2golf, if you open Task Manager > Processes > you will see SVCHost.exe in action in several places. eg. I have 7 showing in mine out of a total 31 Processes. Neil.

 

I don't know if this applies to you :



Document ID: TS100969Printer-Friendly View
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ALERT: 5958 DAT Update Issue (For Home Users Only)


Introduction
Some McAfee customers have encountered issues when using Windows XP Service Pack 3, after receiving an updated virus signature file, made available on Wednesday, April 21st (DAT 5958). Issues may include repeat restarts, a missing taskbar, or loss of internet connectivity after updating your DAT file.

Using one of the procedures below may be your fastest path to resolution. However, McAfee is also ready to assist you by telephone if these procedures do not resolve your issue, or if you would prefer to work with a "˜live’ Support agent.

This article provides two methods for resolving the DAT file issue:

A downloadable automation tool

A list of manual steps

NOTE: If you are not experiencing any of the above issues McAfee recommends you manually update.
To manually update:

Right-click on the M icon in your taskbar
Select either Updates or Check for Updates.
After the update completes, you will receive a message that your product has been updated, or that you are already up-to-date. No further action on your part is required.

To check your DAT version
The affected DAT version is 5958. Use the steps below to check your DAT version.

Double-click the M icon in your taskbar.
Click Navigation.
Click About. The DAT version is located in the VirusScan section.







Double-click the M icon in your taskbar.
Click About. The DAT version is located in the VirusScan section.



Use the Automated Solution Tool
IMPORTANT: if you are using a wireless keyboard and can't get into Safe Mode, you will need to use a keyboard that connects with a cable.

From a working computer, download http://download.nai.com/products/mcafee-avert/tools/SDAT5958_EM.exe and save it to a removable media (eg: CDROM, floppy disk).
Start the affected computer in Safe Mode (When booting, press F8 and choose Safe Mode).
Take the media with the new file and insert it into the affected computer.
Open My Computer and double-click the removable media you saved SDAT5958_EM.EXE to.
Double-click the SDAT5958_EM.EXE tool.
Click Next to begin the Wizard, then click Finish when prompted.
Restart the computer normally.
After the computer restarts, right-click the M icon and manually check for an update to get the new DAT files.




Using Manual Restoration Steps
Home users can use the following steps to restore SVCHOST.EXE on computers affected by DAT 5958.

NOTE: If you used the automated tool successfully, you do not need to perform the steps in this procedure.



Start your computer in Safe Mode (When starting press F8 and pick Safe Mode).
Open My Computer.
Navigate to C:\Program Files\McAfee\VirusScan\DAT\5958.0.
Delete the files inside the 5958.0 folder (if there are any).
Press the CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC keys at the same time to open Task Manager.
Click File, New Task (Run...).
Type cmd and press ENTER.
In the command prompt window type:

copy %systemroot%\system32\dllcache\svchost.exe %systemroot%\system32\


Press ENTER.
After the copy is completed, restart the computer.
After the computer restarts, right-click the M icon and manually check for an update to get the new DAT files.

If you are still unable to restore your system using the steps above, run System File Checker:

Press the CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC keys at the same time to open Task Manager.
Click File, New Task (Run...).
Type sfc /scannow, and click OK.
System File Checker will scan the system and attempt to repair the missing file. If System File Checker is unable to locate a replacement file, it may prompt you to insert your Windows XP disk. Insert the disk to complete the repair process.

Getting Phone Support
If you are uncomfortable running these steps, or would prefer assistance, McAfee is offering free support to resolve this issue. Call our US support lines at (866) 622-3911 and select Option 1. For local numbers in other countries, use TS100975 Customer Service Contact Numbers.

 

Thanks Alicia, sounds like McAfee have a similar problem to that which occurred a few months ago with Avast. Just follow there instructions and alls well. Neil.