TrustedInstaller.exe takes a lot of CPU

cpu-usagewindows-server-2008

Does anyone know how to fix issue with TrustedInstaller.exe when it takes a lot of CPU?

Operating system: Windows 2008 x64

Windows' Modules Installer service is set to Manual.

Best Answer

Windows Server 2008 will run TrustedInstaller.exe shortly after rebooting after installing the monthly Windows Updates.

The program will take up ~75-100% of a CPU core for up to 30 minutes or more, as it is running the malicious software removal scanning code.

While this is running on a single-core machine, certain programs or services will not work properly, such as SQL Server -- most single-core SQL Server installations will not take connections while the above is running.

So, plan accordingly. After your first reboot, expect a CPU hog.

If you're running on Amazon EC2, it may be wise to make sure to boot up as a dual-core server after installing updates, and then back down to a single-core once TrustedInstaller is done hogging a core.

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