[7SP1HomePre x64] IE11/Chrome runs up very high memory usage in Task Manager

Windows Update will only install the appropriate update; that is, x64 or x32. Whether a version number or publisher is listed or not, the KB numbers represent Microsoft updates. Following are the links for the KB numbers from your reply:


Well, when you replace your current computer with Windows 10, you can use the Microsoft Edge browser and won't need Adobe Acrobat Reader DC since PDFs can be opened with the browser.
 
I didn't see the Service Pack 4 for SQL Server you had mentioned earlier in the Installed Updates. I did try to install it after you told me about it. I will try again.

Yesterday morning I had told you that IE11 and Chrome were both running steady using far less memory. As the day went on IE11 began using more and more memory. Even before it reached high levels, 90%+ the pages would hang when trying to scroll with usage in the low to mid 70% range and it would also Stop Responding along with other programs such as Excel in the same range. Usage would run up over 95% and cause IE11 to recover the web page. Upon recovering usage would be down into the mid 30% and begin to creep up getting faster as the day went on until IE11 was basically useless. This morning both are running low and steady. We will see what the day brings.
 
Consider the age of your computer, TKARI. It is aging and programs are more memory intensive. Additionally, keep in mind the amount of physical RAM.

Since I've been using Windows 10 since the initial release, I haven't even launched IE. Rather, I use the Pale Moon browser and Microsoft Edge. Perhaps the suggestions for optimizing IE and Google Chrome will help until you are in a position to upgrade to a new computer with more RAM.

How to Do a Complete Internet Explorer Optimization: 11 Steps
Google Chrome Performance Tweak Guide - Make the Browser Great Again
 
In my OP I mentioned I felt that I had one or more hidden processes running. When I log on the first thing I do is open Task Manager. I see two processes Winlogon.exe and consent.exe with no other info on them. Since I log on under my user account I have to click SeeProcesses From All Users and enter my Admin password. If I click on that while these two processes are showing it will not let me enter my Admin PW until they are gone. I have tried to click on Properties for consent.exe but it will not bring up a properties window for this process. Once these two processes are gone I can enter my PW and see the processes from all users. I used to get my admin PW window right away before I started having these issues back in late August or Early September. I understand getting low on RAM will slow things down, but wouldn't this be a more gradual thing rather than all of a sudden ?
I was looking at Task Manager just now and I found two instances of WUDFHost.exe, first PID 3352, Session ID 0, User Name LOCAL SERVICE, Memory 524k. Second PID 3436, Session ID 0, User Name LOCAL SERVICE, Memory 472k. The first instance when looking at Properties shows

Created Monday, October 30, 2017 4:37:36 PM
Modified Wednesday, ‎July ‎25, ‎2012, ‏‎10:08:53 PM
Accessed Monday, ‎October ‎30, ‎2017, ‏‎4:37:46 PM

These times are odd because I shut it down at 3:30 PM every day and unplug the router cable.

The Properties for the second instance shows the exact same times and dates. This would be three days after my MS Support supervised clean reinstall which created my Windows.old file on 10/27/17.

Is it normal to have two of the same thing running under the same User Name like this ? I understand two things using different User Names like TimK and System. What is this WUFDHost.exe and what does it do ? Why are there two of them running together ?
 
Both consent.exe and wudfhost.exe are required. It is not unusual for two processes to be running nor is it unusual for an aging computer to slow down. Also consider that there has been speculation that browser updates due to the Meltdown/Spectre security vulnerability may result in slowing.

Although originally in Windows Vista, consent.exe it is part of UAC and not only in Windows 7 but also Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows 10. consent.exe - What is consent.exe?:
This file belongs to Microsoft® Windows® Operating System from Microsoft Corporation.

Consent.exe is the executable file for User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista. This process is a new security feature. UAC is also a component of Windows Server 2008.
Click to expand...

Additionally,

wudfhost.exe - What is wudfhost.exe?:
wudfhost.exe is a Windows Driver Foundation - User-mode Driver Framework Host Process from Microsoft Corporation belonging to Microsoft® Windows® Operating System. This process is associated with the User-Mode driver framework host process by Microsoft.

This background process is essential for Windows to communicate with hardware devices and is created automatically to load drivers. Hence wudfhost is needed for the relative programme to run properly and so removal is not recommended.
Click to expand...

Question: Since you are shutting down your computer, why are you unplugging the router? That really isn't necessary.
 
I unplug it as added security. I have seen things in the properties tab of various processes that show activity during late night or early AM hours. This machine is shut down and unplugged normally at 3:30 PM every day and not used on weekends. I am aware that software can wake up a machine so if it's unplugged it can't be awakened from the net at least.
Also upon looking at some of the General tabs on some processes I see dates created and accessed as well as some modified prior to the 10/27/17 clean reinstall. This was a format and reinstall supervised by MS tech support. How could there be files created, accessed or modified prior to that date. I do understand that some files installed during the reinstall were created prior to that date but should they not be able to be accessed or modified on this machine prior to the reinstall date? Some files were modified and/or accessed prior to their creation date, how is that possible ?
 
Software can "wake" a computer from "sleep" but it cannot restart a computer after you have shut it down.

As to software that has creation, accessed or modified dates prior to the reinstall, that would have been software that tech support recovered from the Windows.old folder. I don't have an answer to your question about files modified and/or accessed prior to their creation date. It might help to see an example.
 
Computers that are powered off can be turned on. I owned one and it drove me crazy until I figured out what was happening.
What Is Wake-on-LAN, and How Do I Enable It?
I saved that computer from a doctor's office where it wasn't being used. Apparently it had been set up in the BIOS to turn on at a certain time every night to get updated.
I pulled the plug out of the wall until I could figure out what was turning it on.

Also look over Windows Updates. There is a setting there "maintenance window" .
About the 7th screenshot here
PC Maintenance: Keeping your PC Updated and Running Smoothly

It isn't clear if this turns the computer on to do updates or not. (I don't have mine set to do automatic updates).
 
Good point about "wake-on-LAN", I forgot about that since I've always had it disabled. However, his computer is "shut down and unplugged".
 
I may have found the culprit. MSSE found a Trojan, Win32/Fuerboos.A!cl on 1/12/18. It had also found this same Trojan just before I started this thread. Somehow it seems to be reinstalling itself because when I found it the first time I deleted it from Quarentine as instructed by MSSE and now it's back in Quarentine again. MSSE says this is a severe threat, "This program is dangerous and executes commands from an attacker." Under Items in MSSE it says C:\Users\TimK\Downloads\RGSA.exe I have looked in that location and do not see this, possibly because it is now in Quarentine.
Back to the memory use issue, when the usage is up to 95-97% and I end the process of IE 11 that is running the highest usage drops to 24%. My question is a drop of over 70% by closing one process seems to me the process is using way too much memory for some reason. I have a hard time believing that one process should be using 70% of the memory.
 
First, RGSA.exe is not a trojan. It is a tool created by "Rocket Granny", a member of the security community and administrator of one of the forums. However, to stop Microsoft Security Essentials from complaining about it, merely go to C:\Users\TimK\Downloads\ and delete RGSA.exe.

Something to consider is all the press lately about crypto mining, especially after Criminals hijack government sites to mine cryptocurrency used to hide wealth. As indicated in 6 Easy Ways To Block Cryptocurrency Mining In Your Web Browser, a huge spike in CPU usage is a sign
:
How to find out if my PC is secretly mining cryptocurrency?

Apart from ransomware, bitcoin mining malware are rising in popularity at an exponential rate. In case the culprit is some website which is using your web browser to mine crypto coins, you can find that out easily.

The Pirate Bay users spotted the miner due to a huge spike in CPU usage when they visited the website. You can also use the same technique to see if a particular website is sweating your processor and earning money. In case most of the browser tabs are closed, and no applications are running, there are chances that you are becoming a target of such mining campaign. If you aren’t much tech-savvy, you can perform hit and trial with the suspected websites and see which one of them is spiking the CPU usage. The tech-savvy users can perform this task much efficiently with the help of resource monitoring tools.
Click to expand...

As indicated in How to Block Cryptocurrency Miners in Your Web Browser, there isn't a specific browser extension to block cryptocurrency miners. However, what isn't mentioned there is AdBlock Plus for IE (Adblock Plus - Surf the web without annoying ads!) which includes "Easy List" which does block some crypto miners.
 
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