# windows question (svchost trouble)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 25, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032 "2003-12-25T19:25:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032/1 "2003-12-25T19:25:22Z")

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I got a _new to me_ computer with windows 2000. When I’ve been online (MSN0 for just a few minuites, I’ll get a message saying **svchost.exe has generated errors and will be shut down.**  
I have not been able to restart it.  
Once I get this message, I cannot cut and past, I cannot click on most links, and some of my non-internet programs don’t work right.  
I only get this message when I’m online.  
The person who gave me the computer may not be avalabe to help me.  
Can anyone help me? What can I do?

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**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032/2 "2003-12-25T19:59:55Z")

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I googled on the error you were getting

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**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032/3 "2003-12-25T20:02:17Z")

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And this is what I found:

[google results](http://www.google.com/search?q=%22svchost.exe+has+generated+errors+and+will+be+shut+down&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

It looks like a virus for both those cases. Doesn’t mean you are infected for certain, but you should run a virus scan.

Also, get a personal firewall. It wouldn’t have stopped you getting infected, but it might have warned you that you were transmitting suspicious traffic.

good luck.

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**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032/4 "2003-12-26T06:28:24Z")

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can’t click on the goggle results, (doh!) I’ll google it too.  
Virus scan every day, it detects and cures the same two virusus  
hmmm

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**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032/5 "2003-12-26T17:36:42Z")

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Are your virus signatures up to date? Try HouseCall from [www.trendmicro.com](http://www.trendmicro.com)

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-svchost-trouble/221032/6 "2003-12-26T17:41:32Z")

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Boot into safe mode (not sure how to do it on Win 2000, but on 98 you hold left-shift as it boots, on XP you hold F8), and run your virus scan from there. Might prevent a virus from otherwise interfering with the scan.