Svchost.exe is a Windows system file that is needed during startup. Some viruses and trojan horses also use "svchost.exe" to disguise themselves (search for "svchost.exe" for details). A legitimate copy of svchost.exe will not access a network. There could be more than one instance of svchost.exe running but CPU time should be minimal, i.e. total CPU time should be less than a few seconds after several hours of running time. If you use a firewall that can block outbound traffic e.g. ZoneAlarm you can tell which programs are using your bandwidth.

Russell Wallace wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I'm running Windows XP Home on a DSL connection, and something's chewing
> up network bandwidth at a rate of most of a gigabyte/day, which is going
> to overrun my monthly bandwidth allowance, and I'm going nuts trying to
> find what's doing it.
>
> Thus far I've exonerated (by closing/disabling them and noting the
> bandwidth drain continues) Windows Automatic Updates, Firefox,
> Thunderbird, Trillian, Folding@home, Quicktime and Acrobat Updater.
>
> I have up to date firewall and antivirus protection. I'm reluctant to
> test the former in this way for obvious reasons; I'm not sure how to
> temporarily disable Avast antivirus without completely uninstalling it.
>
> Task Manager, Processes display is truly bizarre; the one thing that's
> listed as performing lots of I/O is svchost.exe, which is listed as 26
> gigabytes read and counting (much more than network I/O since last
> reboot last night), and nothing else is listed as having used anywhere
> near enough to account for it.
>
> I can't find any hints on Google. Anyone have any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --
> "Always look on the bright side of life."
> To reply by email, replace no.spam with my last name.

On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:52:02 +0100, Russell Wallace
wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I'm running Windows XP Home on a DSL connection, and something's chewing
>up network bandwidth at a rate of most of a gigabyte/day, which is going
>to overrun my monthly bandwidth allowance, and I'm going nuts trying to
>find what's doing it.
>
>Thus far I've exonerated (by closing/disabling them and noting the
>bandwidth drain continues) Windows Automatic Updates, Firefox,
>Thunderbird, Trillian, Folding@home, Quicktime and Acrobat Updater.
>
>I have up to date firewall and antivirus protection. I'm reluctant to
>test the former in this way for obvious reasons; I'm not sure how to
>temporarily disable Avast antivirus without completely uninstalling it.



Have you checked for spyware?

Tried different settings on your firewall?


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Steve Hayes wrote:
> Have you checked for spyware?

Yep, Adaware and Spybot both found nothing but cookies.

> Tried different settings on your firewall?

Yep, I use Zone Alarm, which allows selective blocking by program, and
I've tried blocking _every_ program except the ones I've exonerated by
testing with them disabled, and the ones where Zone Alarm says "warning,
you are likely to banjax things if you block a critical Windows service"
or words to that effect, and still no go.

--
"Always look on the bright side of life."
To reply by email, replace no.spam with my last name.

http://manageengine.adventnet.com/pr...FQdEFQodd3c7Rw

On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:52:02 +0100, Russell Wallace wrote:

-|Hi all,
-|
-|I'm running Windows XP Home on a DSL connection, and something's chewing
-|up network bandwidth at a rate of most of a gigabyte/day, which is going
-|to overrun my monthly bandwidth allowance, and I'm going nuts trying to
-|find what's doing it.
-|
-|Thus far I've exonerated (by closing/disabling them and noting the
-|bandwidth drain continues) Windows Automatic Updates, Firefox,
-|Thunderbird, Trillian, Folding@home, Quicktime and Acrobat Updater.
-|
-|I have up to date firewall and antivirus protection. I'm reluctant to
-|test the former in this way for obvious reasons; I'm not sure how to
-|temporarily disable Avast antivirus without completely uninstalling it.
-|
-|Task Manager, Processes display is truly bizarre; the one thing that's
-|listed as performing lots of I/O is svchost.exe, which is listed as 26
-|gigabytes read and counting (much more than network I/O since last
-|reboot last night), and nothing else is listed as having used anywhere
-|near enough to account for it.
-|
-|I can't find any hints on Google. Anyone have any ideas?
-|
-|Thanks,

Update: I concluded whatever it was, was being fronted by svchost.exe,
so I started killing running instances of this to test the hypothesis;
and when I'd killed two of four, the bandwidth drain stopped and yet
everything else still seems to be working; so I hope that solves the
problem.

--
"Always look on the bright side of life."
To reply by email, replace no.spam with my last name.