Solved Windows host process (Rundll32) HIGH CPU usage

ONEoo7

New Member
Messages
6
Hello,

I have recently discovered that my laptop cooler was going crazy and I didn't knew why, then I started Task Manager and there it was "Windows host process (Rundll32) eating 30% of the cpu.

Notebook specs:
Cpu: Intel Core i5 3210m
Ram: 8gb ddr3 1600mhz
OS: Windows 8.1 x64 pro with the latest update

Does anyone know how to find out how and/or why is it doing that?
Thanks in advance.

I added the requested info @arachnaut
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 6700, 3.4ghz
    Motherboard
    ASRock H170M PRO4
    Memory
    32gb ddr4 2133mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA, Nvidia GTX 970 FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Xonar U7
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x21"
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel SSD 535 480GB 2.5", SATA III
    Seagate SSHD 1TB 2.5", SATA III
    PSU
    Chieftec A-90 GDP-650C, 650W GOLD
    Case
    Zalman T4 Plus
    Cooling
    Standard
    Keyboard
    Microsoft ergonomic keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Roccat Lua
    Internet Speed
    100mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome 64-bit
Can you enable the Process name and Command line to the column list - that will help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center (64-bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2600K @ 4.3 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 PRO Rev 3.0
    Memory
    16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (4 banks 4GB DIMM DDR3 8-8-8-24 5-32-12-7 1T 1.5V)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 440
    Sound Card
    Firewire Focusrite Saffire Pro 14
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG W2353V
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2 of Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS (2TB ea.);
    1 of Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 (2TB);
    1 of Hitachi Deskstar HDS722020ALA330 (2TB);
    2 of Seagate Desktop ST4000DM000-1F2168 (4TB)
    PSU
    Corsair AX850 Gold
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
    Cooling
    ThermalTake Silent 1156
    Keyboard
    Logitech K520
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Internet Speed
    7Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky
    Other Info
    Event Studio Precision 6 powered audio monitors;
    Boston Acoustics CS Sub 10 Powered Subwoofer;
    NI Kore controller;
    NI Maschine controller;
    M-Audio Axiom 61 keyboard controller; expression pedal; sustain pedal;

    ... and tons of audio software ...

    I also keep two USB 3 thumb drives (A: and B:) attached with boot recovery and security stuff that I can boot into from BIOS in case of emergency
I added another image with the info, hope it helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 6700, 3.4ghz
    Motherboard
    ASRock H170M PRO4
    Memory
    32gb ddr4 2133mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA, Nvidia GTX 970 FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Xonar U7
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x21"
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel SSD 535 480GB 2.5", SATA III
    Seagate SSHD 1TB 2.5", SATA III
    PSU
    Chieftec A-90 GDP-650C, 650W GOLD
    Case
    Zalman T4 Plus
    Cooling
    Standard
    Keyboard
    Microsoft ergonomic keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Roccat Lua
    Internet Speed
    100mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome 64-bit
AEINV.DLL

Is part of the Customer 'Application Experience Program'.

Maybe you should opt-out of that?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center (64-bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2600K @ 4.3 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 PRO Rev 3.0
    Memory
    16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (4 banks 4GB DIMM DDR3 8-8-8-24 5-32-12-7 1T 1.5V)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 440
    Sound Card
    Firewire Focusrite Saffire Pro 14
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG W2353V
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2 of Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS (2TB ea.);
    1 of Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 (2TB);
    1 of Hitachi Deskstar HDS722020ALA330 (2TB);
    2 of Seagate Desktop ST4000DM000-1F2168 (4TB)
    PSU
    Corsair AX850 Gold
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
    Cooling
    ThermalTake Silent 1156
    Keyboard
    Logitech K520
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Internet Speed
    7Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky
    Other Info
    Event Studio Precision 6 powered audio monitors;
    Boston Acoustics CS Sub 10 Powered Subwoofer;
    NI Kore controller;
    NI Maschine controller;
    M-Audio Axiom 61 keyboard controller; expression pedal; sustain pedal;

    ... and tons of audio software ...

    I also keep two USB 3 thumb drives (A: and B:) attached with boot recovery and security stuff that I can boot into from BIOS in case of emergency
Don't know how that option got checked, I would never opt in customer experience programs.
Found it here:
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Action Center\Change Action Center settings
I changed it, and I will set the thread as solved if the problem disappears.

Thanks again for the help :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 6700, 3.4ghz
    Motherboard
    ASRock H170M PRO4
    Memory
    32gb ddr4 2133mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA, Nvidia GTX 970 FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Xonar U7
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x21"
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel SSD 535 480GB 2.5", SATA III
    Seagate SSHD 1TB 2.5", SATA III
    PSU
    Chieftec A-90 GDP-650C, 650W GOLD
    Case
    Zalman T4 Plus
    Cooling
    Standard
    Keyboard
    Microsoft ergonomic keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Roccat Lua
    Internet Speed
    100mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome 64-bit
It could be something else, please post your results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center (64-bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-2600K @ 4.3 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 PRO Rev 3.0
    Memory
    16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (4 banks 4GB DIMM DDR3 8-8-8-24 5-32-12-7 1T 1.5V)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 440
    Sound Card
    Firewire Focusrite Saffire Pro 14
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG W2353V
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2 of Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS (2TB ea.);
    1 of Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 (2TB);
    1 of Hitachi Deskstar HDS722020ALA330 (2TB);
    2 of Seagate Desktop ST4000DM000-1F2168 (4TB)
    PSU
    Corsair AX850 Gold
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
    Cooling
    ThermalTake Silent 1156
    Keyboard
    Logitech K520
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Internet Speed
    7Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky
    Other Info
    Event Studio Precision 6 powered audio monitors;
    Boston Acoustics CS Sub 10 Powered Subwoofer;
    NI Kore controller;
    NI Maschine controller;
    M-Audio Axiom 61 keyboard controller; expression pedal; sustain pedal;

    ... and tons of audio software ...

    I also keep two USB 3 thumb drives (A: and B:) attached with boot recovery and security stuff that I can boot into from BIOS in case of emergency
The results are good. I've basically used the same software in the same way and the problem never appeared again. After I changed that option I had to do a reboot, btw.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 6700, 3.4ghz
    Motherboard
    ASRock H170M PRO4
    Memory
    32gb ddr4 2133mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA, Nvidia GTX 970 FTW
    Sound Card
    Asus Xonar U7
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x21"
    Screen Resolution
    2x1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel SSD 535 480GB 2.5", SATA III
    Seagate SSHD 1TB 2.5", SATA III
    PSU
    Chieftec A-90 GDP-650C, 650W GOLD
    Case
    Zalman T4 Plus
    Cooling
    Standard
    Keyboard
    Microsoft ergonomic keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Roccat Lua
    Internet Speed
    100mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome 64-bit
Hi there! Having the similar issue.

After about 5-7 minutes of idle, windows host process appears eating 15% of my CPU (i7-3770). Don't know whether the issue did appear on my previous CPU (i3-3220) - I just started noticing on new CPU that the cooler began produce much noise when my PC is idle.

In my case the process is "rundll32.exe aepdu.dll,AePduRunUpdate". Sorry, but I cannot attach the screenshot, because as soon as I press PrtScr, the process disappears.

Having Windows 8.1 Pro Russian.

Also don't know if the solution of @ONEoo7 helps, but I can't find "Action center" in my localized version of windows. I have only "Windows Update center" ("Центр обновления Windows"), "Support center" ("Центр поддержки"), "Sync center" ("Центр синхронизации"). Can anyone attach a screenshot of a mentioned "Action center" so I could find it visually? Maybe it will help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Russian
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8Z77-V LX
    Memory
    2x4Gb DDR3 1600Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 650 (Gigabyte, 1Gb)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24'' DELL (16:9), 17'' Samsung (4:3)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD Samsung 840 Pro series 128Gb, 1TB HDD Western Digital Blue
    Cooling
    Zalman, Cooler Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech G100
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton Internet Security
rundll32.exe is usually used by bloatwares. Try disabling Startup Programs. My highest usage is 97.8% because of Cinema 4D, but never reached 10%+ with rundll32.exe.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Home Single Language (x64)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo S210 Touch
    CPU
    Intel Core i3 3217U 1.80 GHz Quad Core ~1.8 GHz
    Motherboard
    Stock (Lenovo)
    Memory
    4.00 GB (3.88 GB Usable)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Sound
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Only 1 (ST500LT012-9WS142)
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avira Antivir
I have this issue too. I solved it by performing these steps:
1. On windows 8.1 go to Charms -> Search. Enter "Schedule tasks"
2. In the Task Scheduler window in the left hand pane expand "Task Scheduler Library" and go to Microsoft > Windows > Application Experience
3. There should be 4 entries. The offender that causes the high CPU usage is "ProgramDataUpdater". You could disable it as some have recommended, however I opted to configure the task to kill it self if it runs for more than 1 minute:
a. Right click on "ProgramDataUpdater" and go to properties.
b. Go to the Settings tab. Ensure that the box next to "Stop the task if it runs longer than." is ticked (checked).
c. In the drop down selection box, simply type in "1 minute" (or other time limit). Then click OK.
I did this a few days ago and haven't experienced this issue since. I'm thinking about pushing it to 2 minutes to see what happens.

At least this way if you install another Microsoft program that uses the application experience the issue won't come back. It will always kill itself if something goes wrong.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Pro 3 i5 256gb
    Memory
    8gb
    Browser
    IE 11
I have this issue too. I solved it by performing these steps:
1. On windows 8.1 go to Charms -> Search. Enter "Schedule tasks"
2. In the Task Scheduler window in the left hand pane expand "Task Scheduler Library" and go to Microsoft > Windows > Application Experience
3. There should be 4 entries. The offender that causes the high CPU usage is "ProgramDataUpdater". You could disable it as some have recommended, however I opted to configure the task to kill it self if it runs for more than 1 minute:
a. Right click on "ProgramDataUpdater" and go to properties.
b. Go to the Settings tab. Ensure that the box next to "Stop the task if it runs longer than." is ticked (checked).
c. In the drop down selection box, simply type in "1 minute" (or other time limit). Then click OK.
I did this a few days ago and haven't experienced this issue since. I'm thinking about pushing it to 2 minutes to see what happens.

At least this way if you install another Microsoft program that uses the application experience the issue won't come back. It will always kill itself if something goes wrong.

Your directions were spot on. I just got a new laptop and the CPU was constantly around 30% and and the amount of heat was high and the computer was quite warm. It would drop to less then 5% occasionally but would always return to over 30%. The fan was constantly on "overdrive". The minute I did all the changes outlined above the CPU returned to normal. Good job!

THANK YOU!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
I have this issue too. I solved it by performing these steps:
1. On windows 8.1 go to Charms -> Search. Enter "Schedule tasks"
2. In the Task Scheduler window in the left hand pane expand "Task Scheduler Library" and go to Microsoft > Windows > Application Experience
3. There should be 4 entries. The offender that causes the high CPU usage is "ProgramDataUpdater". You could disable it as some have recommended, however I opted to configure the task to kill it self if it runs for more than 1 minute:
a. Right click on "ProgramDataUpdater" and go to properties.
b. Go to the Settings tab. Ensure that the box next to "Stop the task if it runs longer than." is ticked (checked).
c. In the drop down selection box, simply type in "1 minute" (or other time limit). Then click OK.
I did this a few days ago and haven't experienced this issue since. I'm thinking about pushing it to 2 minutes to see what happens.

At least this way if you install another Microsoft program that uses the application experience the issue won't come back. It will always kill itself if something goes wrong.

Hi. I came by your post searching the Internet for help since I am having a similar problem. My system is running on Windows 8.1 (64-bit). In my case the process that is using a lot of CPU (25-28%) is Host Process for Windows Tasks. I've tried your method but in the Task Scheduler Library I don't see "Microsoft > Windows > Application Experience".
What I have there as Running Tasks is : Cache Task, MsCtfMonitor, System Sound Service and System Task. What can I do stop this Host Process for Windows Tasks from using like 1/4 from my CPU? Thank you.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    i7-4700HQ
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVisdia GeForce GTX 770M
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    ZA
Thanks for this thread, was driving me mad as well, though for some reason no matter what I searched in charms it wouldn't find anything, even searching Task scheduler found nothing??
Eventually found it in control panel>administrative tools>task scheduler.

Another odd thing, I was initially getting aeinv.dll consuming cycles [one core driven to 100%] but when I checked control panel>action centre>change action centre settings>customer experience improvement program [is that the right place??] it was already set to No.
Then I installed a program which got aepdu.dll on the hop, but I never saw aeinv.dll again and still haven't even after disabling aepdu.dll
aeinv.dll would always kick in after about 4 mins of inactivity or 10 mins after a restart.

Yet another odd thing, I have left aepdu.dll running for over an hour and it never gives up, same with aeinv.dll....I mean....what the hell MS!!
No wonder laptops are blowing up and killing batteries!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    CPU
    3960x
    Motherboard
    Asus R4BE
    Memory
    32gb [4 x 8gb] Trident X
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 980
Hi guys,
I had also the problem but I solved with another way, so if you still have it my solution will probably help you :)
So it’s real easy, the problem could be cause if you us Ccleaner (or any other program) and disabled lot of startup application. People think that if they disable startup application there system will run faster but sometime the opposite arrive. So enable everything you disabled and let only the application you now and you’ve installed like games or application update (if you don’t care of the updates of cores).
If you enable at least the windows section (without internet explorer section and etc.…) the problem should be solved after restarting your computer.
So let me know if I helped or if you need anything else and good luck :)

Sorry for my bad English, I normally speak French.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
I have tried all the procedure as posted above but not able to solve the problem yet. please help.

sorry I have posted in wrong forum but please help if u can
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64 bit
Oh wow, had totally forgotten about this forum and this thread until a prompt email showed up advising of a new post in this thread! :eek:
I would have to spend some time backtracking on all this :confused:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    CPU
    3960x
    Motherboard
    Asus R4BE
    Memory
    32gb [4 x 8gb] Trident X
    Graphics Card(s)
    gtx 980
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