Microsoft Quietly Fixes Windows XP Resource Hog Problem

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft indicated this week that it has fixed a Windows XP resource-hog problem associated with the system's SVCHOST.EXE processes. Windows XP users affected by this problem typically found that the operating system was using up system resources for 15 minutes to an hour after startup, making it difficult to use the machine during that period. The Microsoft Update team had vowed last month to spend the holiday break tackling the issue, which has plagued some users for years. The fix involved stopping the system from perpetually checking Internet Explorer updates. Microsoft indicated that the fix was rolled out on Tuesday."

Comments

Over a decade

[C18H27NO3]

Windows XP has been out for 12 years and they just started to look into the problem last month?

Re:Over a decade

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only that, it really sounds like a couple people just did it on their vacation time because it personally annoyed them. Microsoft was not interested in actually putting it on a schedule to be fixed.

It's funny how that sounds precisely like the bug tracker of any Linux distro.

Re:Over a decade

[DogDude]

Windows XP has been out for 12 years and they just started to look into the problem last month?

Or you can look at it in another way: "They fixed a bug on a 12 year old OS?! Awesome!"

Re:Over a decade

[0123456]

It's funny how that sounds precisely like the bug tracker of any Linux distro.

I didn't pay $100 for Linux.

Re:Over a decade

[oscrivellodds]

The difference here is that the linux distros are free and MS charges big bucks for their OS's. When you pay for a product you expect it to work properly- well, maybe YOU don't, but I do.

Re:Over a decade

[ApplePy]

I didn't pay $100 for Linux.

Even then the bugs in Linux still get fixed faster.

But yeah, when volunteers are giving their own time to build me a killer operating system, I'm not going to harass them about a schedule. I give them thanks and positive vibes and sometimes donations. I think we all expect more from paid developers... but we don't always get it.

Re:Over a decade

[Anonymous Coward]

> Unfortunately I don't waste mod points for AC's

Dear Asshole,

Mod points are supposed to be used to increase or decrease the visibility of a post for the readership. They are NOT intended to be used as a reward or punishment for an individual.

HTH.

Re:Over a decade

[Winamp]

The fact that people have to worry about their karma and being modded down for speaking the truth about the state of the Linux desktop and things that fans really don't want to hear (but must), speaks volumes about why old problems still exist with Linux and polish isn't a priority.

Re:Over a decade

[mrbcs]

Troll. I have been running xp machines WITHOUT ANY UPDATES for years and have not had any issues. First thing I do, shut off the updates and the damn firewall from hell.

Yes I have anti-virus and NO, I've never had a problem.

Router/ Firewall and a hosts file and don't be a moron and the thing will work forever.

I have tons of software and games that my little kids are gonna get a chance to use because I can keep these machines running.

I will probably be running XP machines for another 12 years or longer.

Microsoft support means nothing to me.

Re:Over a decade

[ApplePy]

Just the other day I tried adjusting the time of the Magic Lamp effect in its properties dialog under KDE.

How many desktop effects does Windows have for you to play with and customize?

  If we start to talk about the Unity desktop (which represents a de facto Linux experience to many),

Everyone knows Unity is crap. So is Windows 8. And mostly for the same reasons -- hubris, and a few clowns thinking they're going to change the fundamental paradigm behind the way millions of people use their computers.

Well, except for the people who like Unity... some folks like choices. How many choices do you get with Windows?

What you need to understand is that Linux is not a monolithic thing. Linux as a whole is not tainted because one release of one distro sucks -- because Linux is not a whole anything.

The declining quality of the Linux desktop should be taken very seriously.

That's a rather subjective and vague statement.

As someone who has used Linux desktops almost exclusively for over 12 years now, I have to say I'm quite pleased with the improvements over that time. Well, except for Gnome 3.

Anyway, if Windows floats your boat, great. I hope MS makes Windows for a long time, and that most folks continue to use it, so us Linux geeks can continue to feel smug about it. :)

Re: Over a decade

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I paid for it in negative time. Time I got back not futzing around with a different update mechanism for every app, all of which want to run simultaneously on reboot. Time not spent being bombarded with scareware ads from the various 'protection' rackets 'required' to run Windows smoothly. Time not spent tracking down and installing drivers for various bits of random hardware, because it just works out of the box. Time not spent rebooting for every update or every file that needed replacing while it was in use. Time not spent figuring out which 'analytic and debug log' needed to be activated to find out how to fix a problem. Time not spent waiting for Event Viewer to load slower than a flight sim. Time not

Re:Over a decade

[kthreadd]

You've never had a problem, or you think you've never had a problem? Your machine may be completely owned and just waiting in standby in some bonnet, that doesn't mean that you know about it and has been directly affected by it.

Let me get this straight...

[EdIII]

The performance issue was a constant check for updates.. for another program notorious for performance issues....

This is why I really wish that Microsoft was *truly* forced to allow IE to be ripped out of their operating system completely.

At this point, just give it up guys. You had over 10 years trying to make a browser. Let it go....

EOL installation media

[jones_supa]

What I'd really like Microsoft to do for XP (and other versions of Windows) is when the product reaches end of life, create a new installation medium which includes all the updates. If anyone wants to do legacy installations of the OS in future for special purposes, that could be quite handy.

Everytime I posted about this sort of problem

[oscrivellodds]

in the past the astroturfers and other MS fans said I was full of crap because I said my computer took 10 minutes to boot to a useable state. Screw all of you. I stand by my past assertions that MS OS's are crap- they always have been and always will be.

When are they going to figure out what causes my Win 7 to take 10 minutes to boot to a useable state? Maybe in 2025...

CO2

[tonywestonuk]

I wonder, how much Co2 has been released into the atmosphere, with this bug present on millions of computers, over decades, causing PC's to eat more electricity than they should.

Re:yes

[Anonymous Coward]

Bye bye Windows 8 hello xp

Maybe they need to be forced to roll out a similar fix for win 7 as that has the same bug in it .

Probably the same in 8 , 8.1 , & 9 ..

Re:yes

[hairyfeet]

Personally I find it ironic as hell that they FINALLY fix this problem...with less than 4 months left before EOL. They did the same thing IIRC with Win2K and reminds me of Mozilla with their "There is NO memory leak, it "works for me", the problem is you"...denial right up until they quietly fixed the memory leak they had said didn't exist. I know I submitted my first "SVCHOST hangs system in XP" bug report back when I was running the RTM of XP X64 and XP in a dual boot back in...wow that was 2005, how time flies.

I'm just glad I got my customers all switched to Win 7 ages ago so I won't have to play "race to the finish" with XP. There is a couple dual boots but the customers haven't booted into XP in ages so no worries there, I can just remove those next time they come in for work.