Is your Windows 10 computer running slow even after you have restarted it and no apps are running? Are you experiencing a 100% CPU usage and disk usage when checking the Task Manager? There’s a chance that this could be caused by the high CPU usage by Service Host: Local System process. This is actually not a single process but a group of processes which include the Windows Auto Update, User Manager, Group Policy Client process and other system processes. Normally, this process won’t use up much of your computer resources but sometimes though this problem can occur which is what we will be fixing today.
How To Fix The High CPU Usage By Service Host Local System
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps for this particular problem it’s best to restart your computer. This will refresh the windows 10 system and usually remove any corrupted temporary data that could be causing the problem.
Try to disable Superfetch
Superfetch only works when your computer is using a mechanical hard drive and not an SSD. What this does is that it helps speed things up by checking which applications you use the most and loading its files to RAM so that it can be accessed quickly. Sometimes a bug in the Windows program can cause Superfetch to use a ridiculous amount of system resources which is why you will need to disable this feature. Take note that you should only do this if you are actually experiencing this problem as this feature is important in speeding up your computer operation.
- Press Windows Logo key + R to open a Run
- Type services.msc into the Run dialog and press Enter.
- Scroll down the list of services on your computer and locate the service named Superfetch.
- Double-click on Superfetch to edit its settings.
- Click Stop to stop the service.
- Set the Startup type for Superfetch to Disabled.
- Click on Apply and then on OK
Restart your computer then check if the high CPU usage by Service Host: Local System process still occurs.
Fix the memory leak in the Non-Paged Pool
The non-paged pool is a memory which resides in physical memory – it is never paged out. It is used by the kernel and also by device drivers installed on your computer to store data. The amount of memory given to the nonpaged pool varies, and is determined by various factors. Sometimes a lot of memory is taken by the non-paged pool which in turn can cause this problem. To fix this just follow the steps listed below.
- Press Windows Logo key + R to open a Run
- Type regedit into the Run dialog and press Enter.
- In the left pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > ControlSet001
- Click on Services then scroll down under services and choose Ndu.
- Locate and double-click on the registry value titled Start to modify it.
- Change its Value data to 4.This will disable it and plug the memory leak in the non-paged pool.
- Click on OK.
- Close the Registry Editor.
Restart your computer then check if the high CPU usage by Service Host: Local System process still occurs.
Run the System File Checker
Sometimes this problem can be caused by corrupted system files. If this is what’s causing the problem you will need to scan your computer for these corrupted system files and repair them.
- Open the Start menu and type ‘cmd’. Right click on the Command Prompt icon and click on “Run as Administrator”.
- In the command prompt, type: sfc /scannow and press Enter.
- Once the scan has completed and issuccessful, you’ll see the response “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.”
- Enter the command: dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
Restart your computer then check if the high CPU usage by Service Host: Local System process still occurs.
Perform a Clean Boot
A clean boot of your system starts Windows using a minimal set of driver and programs. This will allow you to check if the problem is caused by a corrupted driver or program file.
- Log in to the computer as an Administrator account.
- Press “Windows” + “R” to open up the “RUN” prompt.
- Type in “msconfig” and press “Enter“
- Click on the “Services” option and uncheck the “Hide all Microsoft Services” button.
- Click on the “Disable All” option and then on “OK“.
- Click on the “Startup” tab and click on the “Open Task Manager” option.
- Click on the “Startup” button in the task manager.
- Click on any application in the list that has “Enabled” written next to it and select the “Disable” option.
- Repeat this process for all applications in the list and restart your computer.
- Now your computer has been booted in the “Clean Boot” state.
- Check to see if the issue goes away.
- If the error isn’t encountered anymore, start enabling the services one by one and identify the service by enabling which the error comes back.
- You can reinstall the service or keep it disabled.
Terminate the SCVhost
The SVChost is a system process used to host multiple instances of Windows. It can sometimes cause this particular problem which is why you should try killing this process.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Del to bring up the Windows Task Manager.
- Click on More details to expand the manager. This reveals all the running process.
- Search through the process for “Service Host: Local System”. This process hosts Windows Update and the Update Orchestrator Service. Select on this task and click End task.
- When the confirmation dialog shows up, check Abandon unsaved data and shut down and click the Shut down
Check if the high CPU usage by Service Host: Local System process still occurs.