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i have 3 instances of this file:

2 are named svchost.exe, 1 each in the c:/i386 and c:/windows/system32 directories
1 named SVCHOST.EXE-2D5FBD18.pf in c:/windows/prefetch

is the one in the prefetch directory a security risk? i cant imagine anything kosher having such a double-dotted name. but im afraid to just delete it

HELP!!!

google it "svchost.exe" will tell you what its function is.

1. Open command prompt
2. Type --> tasklist /svc

Here you will see all the processor that is running, and what services these processors are using. If you think some services should not be running then you can kill these services by:

1. right click My computer--> click Manage
2. Select services on the bottom of the menu.
3. Services.

And here you can manually stop the services that are just eating your memory and processors. But be sure to know what these services do. It is not too risky, coz you can always start these services again if anything.