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Why does svchost access the internet?

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Summary: If automatic time update is turned on, then it may simply be svchost periodically attempting to access the internet.

Why does svchost access the internet?

This manifests a couple of ways: your firewall warns you that svchost.exe is attempting to the internet, or it attempts to dial your internet provider.

It's probably simple.

You probably have automatic time updates turned on. That runs as a svchost hosted process (What is SVCHOST?), and periodically attempts to connect to an internet service to set you clock for you. You can turn that off by right clicking the clock in your task bar, selecting Adjust Date/Time, and clicking on the Internet Time tab.

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Article 436 | Posted September 1, 2004

Recent Comments

You should be able to use sysinternals process explorer ( http://ask-leo.com/d-procexp ) to see the command lines and parameters used for each instance of svchost. With procexp running, right click on the svchost you want to look at and hit properties.

Posted by: Leo at August 26, 2005 08:03 PM

Thank god for clearing it up! It happened to me last week & not knowing what the problem & to do. Just unbelievable! It consumes & create incoming traffic activity on my internet connection. Stupid of me leaving the problem behind!

Posted by: Herbert Talabis at December 5, 2005 07:16 AM

Great info -

I think you may have some of the best info and best callers on the web.

So then it is ok for SVChost to access the internet? I currently have it blocked by my firewall (ZA).

Posted by: Victorious at January 2, 2006 01:13 AM

I accidently deleted the svchost.exe for my interent (I ended the process in Task Manager because it was hanging up). How do I go about reloading it since my internet does not work any more?

Thanks for any help that you can give me.
Steve

Posted by: Steve at September 9, 2006 01:04 PM

I have several svchost processes running, local, and system. I have ended these processes in task manager they just come back. When I ended the system svchost my system automatically starts to shut down says nt authority system will shut down and starts at 59 seconds. when I bought a new laptop before I had access to the internet I checked task manager and svchost was a running process upon 1st boot. How do I find out who is using this system, can someone provide link to obtain detailed info about this process? Also why doesn't any of the anti-spy etc software even acknowledge this process if it is indeed spying?

Posted by: setagem at October 6, 2006 11:38 AM

Because svchost is not spyware - it's a critical system component, and there are SUPPOSED to be multiple copies running. Check out this article: http://ask-leo.com/what_is_svchost_and_why_is_there_more_than_one_copy_running.html

Posted by: Leo A. Notenboom at October 6, 2006 11:59 AM

I have the same problem. When i turn my modem it appears lots of black windows and in the top there is name of the program: scvhost.exe. You say that i must click the clock in my task bar, select the function "Adjust Date/Time" and to click on the "Internet Time tab". I use the windows 2000 and i don't find the "Internet Time tab". Can you please tell where is it? Thank you very much.

Posted by: Rui Rocha at October 30, 2006 10:14 AM

i also have timed sync turned off. automatic updates turned off, automatic updates uses this process, and have also tiem sync in services.msc and in the registry disbled, however it still tries to access the internet on XP SP2, i have no malware, viruses, etc.. I've scanned ....


only time i need to allow svchost access to the internet is when i do a manual auto update thru the MS website, i only do that to see what i need to download from the download section, once that is done i deny it again. Also when i allow it access or turn the firewall off to allow all, and since auto updates is turned off and stuff, and i have processguard, it downloaded something and wanted to install a pack or something from the updates distribition folder and minad you i am spyware clean, it did this twice, I only allowed all once because i was too lazy to go back into the firwall rules and re-allow MS player access to the internet to get info. on the CDs i am ripping or just ripped to mp3..

So MS spyware is = true

Beware of this and DO NOT allow it access to the internet, unless you do autoupdates which you should not, or allow it access only when looking to see what updates one needes to download manually.. and also to re-check to make sure one has the right ones...

AGAIN THIS IS MICROSOFT SPYWARE DON't DELETE IS AS IT WILL MESS UP YOUR SYSTEM. just don't allow internet access unsupervised..

Posted by: David at May 1, 2007 04:17 AM

google pack's updater, updates using svchost.exe. so if u have the google pack installed, probably thats what is happening.

Posted by: Yogi at February 9, 2008 01:47 AM

Why?
Why?
Why?

Hohoho...
First, I have turned off my Automatic Updates, and I have trun off Automatic update for my clock, but, it still access my internet connection, and it have used 20MB per hour!!!
Please guide me, Thanks...

Posted by: Anthony at March 7, 2008 11:47 PM

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