Back in 2006, when Windows Vistas was released, a new feature came into existence. Microsoft called it Service Host Superfetch. Introduced as a feature for RAM optimization, Superfetch played an important role in improving user experience. But instead of making things simpler, Superfetch eventually started causing errors.
The two main errors caused by Superfetch today is High Disk usage and High CPU usage. However, despite those errors, Superfetch still exists as an important Windows feature and it might be running right now as well. So, Why do we need such features like Service Host Superfetch?
Well, this article is all about answering that question for you. At the end of this article, you will understand why Superfetch exists, what is its importance and How can you disable Superfetch, if it is causing a problem.
What is Service Host Superfetch?
The term Service Host or Svchost.exe is a generic host process which is basically a bundle of a different process. These processes are responsible for important tasks that keep your Windows running. If you open your Task Manager right now, you might find several Service Host process running at an instance in the background.
And, since completing these tasks are really important for your Windows, these processes sometimes chuck up most of your CPU and HDD causing 100% Disk or CPU usage. Superfetch is actually one of these Service Host processes.
This process was introduced to manage systems RAM and optimize system performance. To explain simply, Superfetch observe your daily activity and optimizes your most-used apps in such a way that it loads as quickly as possible to attain optimum performance. It does so by storing and reading data directly from your RAM instead of your HDD. This enables faster booting and quick loading of programs.
However such complex features need a well-maintained system to work on, which is why it causes more problems as your PC gets old. So
How to Fix High Disk and CPU usage due to Superfetch?
Long story short, since Superfetch, is Causing High CPU and High Disk usage, Disabling it will solve the problem. You can also confirm that by opening Taskmanager.
- Simply open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+ Alt+Del and select Task Manager.
- Under Task Manager, check which process is using the maximum amount of CPU and Disk.
- Select that process and click on End Task at the bottom. This will temporarily stop that process.
Once the process is confirmed, you can Disable Superfetch by using these 3 methods.
1. Disable Superfetch using Command Prompt
- First, press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
- In Command Prompt, type net.exe stop Superfetch and press Enter.
- Once the process is complete close cmd and Restart your PC.
2. Disable Superfetch via Services.msc
Another way to disable Superfetch is by using the services .msc. To do so,
- Press Windows + R to open Run.
- Now type in, services.msc and press Enter.
- Under Service Local, search for Superfetch. You can press S narrow down the search.
- Now Right–click on Superfetch and click on Stop.
- Again Righ–click and select Properties.
- Under Properties select Startup Type to Disabled.
- Click on Apply and OK. This will disable the Superfetch process.
- Now restart your PC and see if the problem persists.
If High Disk Usage error is not caused by Superfetch but is still caused by any other Service Host process, you can disable that process via service.msc.
3. Disable Superfetch via Registry Editor
One last method in my arsenal to disable Superfetch is by using Regedit.
- First, open Run by pressingWindows+ R.
- Now type in regedit and press Enter.
- Click on Yes to confirm.
- Now navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / Session Manager /Memory Management / Perfect Parameters.
- On the right side, Right-click on EnableSuperfetch and click on Modify.
- Now change the Value Data to 0 and click on OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC.
The Bottom Line
Every process that comes under Service Host is any important Windows process to keep it running. In normal conditions, disabling these processes might affect your Windows performance greatly. But in case you ever face High Disk usage or High CPU usage due to these programs, feel free to use the above methods to get rid of the cause. And, If you ever feel like you need help, feel free to comment.
That being said, thanks a lot for reading this article. I hope the content provided was helpful to you.
