Microsoft posts two major Vista fix packs for download

Microsoft posted the final versions of the two Vista fix packs for download.

The Vista performance fix pack, KB 938979, (both 32- and 64-bit versions) is downloadable here.

The reliability fix pack, KB 938194, (32- and 64-bit flavors), can be downloaded here.

The two fix packs include a number of the updates that Microsoft is expected to deliver in the first full-fledged Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 release, a public beta of which is expected real soon now. SP1 is expected to include a number of security, performance and reliability fixes that Microsoft has been delivering since it shipped Vista, all in one single package.

Delete print jobs jamming print queue in Win2k, Windows NT

The printer spooler service, SPOOLSS.EXE (SPOOLSV in Windows 2000), manages jobs sent to printers connected to Windows NT and Windows 2000 machines. (If you're printing to a remote or networked printer, the Spooler service on the machine which the remote printer is attached to will handle the job.)

On occasion, a print job may refuse to work correctly and may jam up the print queue. Worse, it may be impossible to delete the print job through conventional means, i.e., by right-clicking on the job and selecting Cancel, or by selecting Cancel All Documents from the Printer menu. If this happens, it usually means the job itself is corrupt and must be deleted manually.

If you're trying to delete a specific stuck print job, take note of the job's approximate time and date. Then do the following:

1. Close all open Printers folders.
2. Stop the Spooler service. In Windows 2000, this is done through the Services icon in Administrative Tools (found in the Control Panel); in Windows NT 4.0, it's done through the Services icon in the Control Panel. You can also stop the Spooler by typing NET STOP SPOOLER at a command prompt. If you're using TCP/IP Printing Services, you'll need to stop that service as well.
3. Open the %Winroot%System32SpoolPrinters directory (same in both operating systems). Make sure Explorer is set to view hidden and system files.
4. Delete all *.SPL and *.SHD files in that directory that match the time/date stamp of the job you're trying to kill. If you're trying to purge everything, delete all files with those extensions.
5. Close the Printers folder and restart the stopped services. You can restart the Spooler from the command line by typing NET START SPOOLER.

If you have too many "dead" spool files in the directory, you may also get this error whenever you try to print:

An application error has occurred and an application error log is being generated.
SPOOLSS.EXE (SPOOLSV.EXE in Win2K)
Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address:

This indicates that the directory may be overloaded with printer spooler files and needs to be cleaned. Also check into the system's TEMP directories and remove any *.TMP files. These can also be an obstacle; some printer drivers use the TEMP directory for rasterization of print jobs.

How do I fix this high CPU usage svchost virus or whatever it is?

Svchost, or more correctly "Service Host" is a program that is designed to run other programs and "hosts" many of the system services in Windows XP. Several copies of Svchost run more than one service, which is why when you kill an instance of svchost several things on your machine might stop working.

So why is one of the Svchosts taking all your CPU?

And what can you do about it?

The bug appears to be related to the Windows Update service - the service that you're supposed to keep running at all times so that updates will be automatically downloaded to your machine.

A quick way to tell if this is happening to you is to download Process Explorer and right click on the svchost instance that's taking 100% of your CPU and then click on the Services tab:

You can see that this copy of svchost on my machine is running not only The Windows Update service, but is actually running 29 services all totalled. So if you were to kill this instance of svchost you'd be killing all of those services and many features and functionality of your system would fail.

One Temporary Solution

One approach to this problem is to stop and then disable the Windows Automatic Update service. If you have it open in Process Explorer, as shown above, with Automatic Updates selected in the list then just click the Stop button. If your CPU usage then drops to more normal levels, you've identified the problem.

To prevent the Automatic Update service from starting again, right click on My Computer and click on Manage . Expand Services and Applications, and then underneath that click on Services. In the resulting list on the right, locate Automatic Updates :

Right click on Automatic Updates and click on Properties. Change the Startup type to Disabled:

(You can also click Stop here if you didn't stop the service earlier.)

Click OK and Automatic Update service should be disabled.

IMPORTANT: since you won't be getting updates automatically, you should now plan on visiting the Windows Update web site periodically to make sure you keep your Windows up to date. As we'll see shortly, this will also become important to resolve this problem "for real

A Permanent Solution?

There isn't a permanent solution. Not yet anyway.

There are rumors that Microsoft actually has a fix, but that you need to call up and ask for it rather than getting it through normal channels. It is not convinced that this fix is actually for this specific problem that so many people are experiencing.

There are also rumors that Microsoft will be making the actual fix available in a future automatic update. Ironic, since it's automatic update that you may have turned off in order to work around the problem. That's why recommend making certain you regularly visit Windows Update and take the latest fixes to keep your system up to date, not only for this issue but for any other issues that may crop up over time.

Also, remember, once the problem is fixed be sure to re-enable the Automatic Updates feature. It remains an important part of keeping your system safe and up to date.

Update!

23-May-2007

This automatic update waiting to be installed on my machine this morning:

This is the update that's been frequently referenced as a resolution for this problem.

The interim fix involves applying two patches, in order:

First download and install the fix from KB 927891.

Second download and install this update to the Windows Update Client.