How to get rid of memory error

How to get rid of memory error

SVCHOST.EXE – Application Error (The Memory could not be read)

The instruction at “0x001a3b41” referenced memory at “0x00000000”. The memory could not be “read”.

Our concern here is the SVCHOST.EXE, the question is why this SVCHOST could not reads from the memory. Let’s study first the function of this file or application.

Let’s start knowing what is SVCHOST.EXE is. According to Microsoft, SVCHOST is the generic process hosting the Win32 services. Win32 services such as Live Updates, Firewall from Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Themes, Fax Services, Plug and Play devices, Networks and many more.

These services are in DLL files or the Dynamic Link Libraries where these libraries are functions and procedures are stored to make loading of services dynamically. Microsoft Windows are not using EXE (executables) and COM (command) files now a day. They just stored the function in a dynamic link library to call it dynamically anywhere in the windows environment. Sometimes services are use not just once but as many as an application needs the service. And that’s the rule of SVCHOST.EXE to load services stored from DLL files or from Dynamic Link Libraries.

When you are starting your computer, as Microsoft Windows operating stats up, the operating system checks entries of services on the registry to run before the windows completely loaded. There are some services available in Windows environment that is run automatically and some of them are manually run. SVCHOST.EXE rules in this case. SVCHOST.EXE will generate a process from the start-up of your windows for the services needed or automatically set to run. SVCHOST.EXE generates multiple processes and each process contains group of services and that is why you will see a multiple process of SVCHOST in your task manager. Grouping of generic process makes debugging controllable because they have the group of separate services.

There are times that you will see an SVCHOST process occupying high resources in CPU and Memory. Normally, this is because of running the Automatic Update service. Automatic Update is running at background, download new applications, bug fix and new updates from Microsoft server. But as the process of SVCHOST uses almost 100% of your CPU and memory resources, that’s not the normal process. Some worms or malwares creates and entry on the registry and modify the SVCHOST start-ups to run the malware dynamic link library so that you will just see a normal process of SVCHOST but behind that process it has malware in the generic host.

You can see what is running under the process of each generic process created by SVCHOST.

1. Open your CLI (command line interface). Click start then run, on the run dialog type cmd.exe.
2. On the command prompt type tasklist /SVC the presses enter. If you can’t see entries from SVCHOST because the screen scrolls too fast try adding pipe more in the command: tasklist /SVC | more.

Most of the problem that the SVCHOST cannot read the memory is because the memory is full or there are too many process including pending process on the queue. One of these causes is the Automatic Update.

To solve this issue, you must turn-off your automatic update. To turn it off:

1. Go to your desk top and right click on you’re My Computer icon the select properties on the pop-up menu.
2. Select Automatic Updates Tab.
3. Select Turn Off automatic updates on the option button.
4. Click Ok.