How do I fix 100% CPU usage with explore.exe on my Vista computer?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on resolving 100% CPU usage caused by explore.exe on a Vista Home Premium x64 system, specifically a Pavilion dv5-1137la. The user identified that the high CPU usage is linked to the thread "SHLWAPI.dll!PathIsRootW+0xcc," which is invoked by dllhost.exe. Despite running antivirus scans with AVG, Spybot S&D, and Windows Defender, no malware was found. The user seeks further assistance in managing the dllhost.exe process, which is essential for COM Surrogate functionality, while addressing the persistent CPU spike issue.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Windows Vista operating system architecture
  • Familiarity with Process Explorer and Process Monitor tools
  • Knowledge of COM Surrogate and its role in Windows
  • Basic troubleshooting skills for high CPU usage issues
NEXT STEPS
  • Investigate the role of dllhost.exe in COM Surrogate and its impact on system performance
  • Learn how to optimize shlwapi.dll usage to reduce CPU load
  • Research potential fixes for explore.exe-related CPU spikes in Windows Vista
  • Explore alternative methods to manage or limit dllhost.exe processes
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for system administrators, technical support personnel, and users experiencing high CPU usage issues on Windows Vista systems, particularly those dealing with explore.exe and dllhost.exe interactions.

Blue--Z
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CPU 100% with explore.exe!

After hunting down a solution for days now, I have finally narrowed the problem down using Process Explorer and Process Monitor, Anti-virus softwares and all that jazz. Now I have found a dead-end, and need help.

System:
Vista Home Premium x64 for Pavilion dv5-1137la, bought 3 months ago. 320GB, 4096MB, AMD turion X2 Dual-Core

Problem:
CPU spikes to 100% constantly, keeps around 70-90% all the time, making the computer very slow and overheating it.

Troubleshooting so far:
- Full virus scan with AVG, Spybot S&D and Windows Defender -> found nothing
- Process Explorer shows the culprit as explore.exe, which uses most of the CPU
-> opening the process shows that all CPU is used by a thread "SHLWAPI.dll!PathIsRootW+0xcc"
-> stacking this thread shows various .dll processes such as "SHLWAPI.dll!PathIsRootW+0x195" and "DpoFeedb.dll+0x4932
"
-> locating this process takes me to "shlwapi.dll " located under C:\Windows\System32
- Used Process Monitor to detect which program is using up the shlwapi.dll through explore.exe, and found dllhost.exe to be the culprit
- checked that dllhost.exe is not a malware. It is located in C:Windows\system32 as well.

Now what?
I have narrowed down the problem: almost all of the CPU is used by dllhost.exe through shlwapi.dll through explore.exe.
Now what? Knowing this is not really helping. So far I understand dellhost.exe is important for internet through COM Surrogate. But it shouldn't be the case that CPU remains constantly near 100%, when no other software is taking up the CPU.

Can I kill the shlwapi.dll process, and rename/delete the file? Will this affect the performance of my computer? What now?

Thank you for your help!
 
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Hi,

Thank you for your reply. I have read the thread you gave me before, but unfortunately it wasn't the solution for me. I did what the guy in the thread did, but the problem persisted, and that is exactly because the problem is the dllhost.exe using the shlwapi.exe.

Thanks anyhow. :) Any other suggestions?
 

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