Why Does Microsoft Windows Search Protocol Host Stop Working in Windows 7?

[mathman]

"Microsoft Windows Search Protocol Host has stopped working"

I keep getting the above error message (dozens of times a day). I just recently switched to Windows 7. Before that I was on Windows XP.

I did a little search and discovered that this is a chronic problem on Windows Vista. Does anyone know of a solution? What causes it and should I worry about it?

As far as I can tell it is essentially a nuisance - it doesn't appear to interfere with anything I am doing.

 

[JaredJames]

If memory serves, it is to do with the file indexing service.

You can disable it without consequence through the services menu in the control panel (switch to classic view).

(It supposedly slows down searches but I never noticed.)

Recommend you look up how to disable the indexing service for 7.

 

[KrisOhn]

If memory serves, it is to do with the file indexing service.

You can disable it without consequence through the services menu in the control panel (switch to classic view).

(It supposedly slows down searches but I never noticed.)

Recommend you look up how to disable the indexing service for 7.

Yea, I believe it has to do with indexing also, and the reason you never noticed a difference is because the Windows indexer sucks something fierce. I recommend using this: everything.exe. It indexes everything in your computer perfectly and it searches unbelievably fast. I've been thinking it uses a binary tree algorithm as a search algorithm, but I'm not sure if even one of those is fast enough.

 

[mathman]

Current status: By doing a system restore to a few days ago the problem went away. However, I needed to update Avast, that was OK, but it asked for a restart. After restart the problem returns. I even tried a fresh copy of Avast, but the problem still returns after restart.

Is everything.exe a Windows system program or do I need to get it?

 

[JaredJames]

Never heard of it.

Why is it every time people have problems I hear / read Avast?

 

[mathman]

Never heard of it.

Why is it every time people have problems I hear / read Avast?

I can't answer for the general public. However, my problem, as best as I can determine, appears to be a result of Avast update followed by restart. Each time I do this, the problem recurs and I need to do a system restore.

This is a problem that occurs on Windows 7. Previously I have worked with Windows XP and I never encountered this.