What is ‘winservices.exe’; Troubleshoot winservice.exe error?

Winservice.exe is an executable file that belongs to the SCM_Service process, a Windows System Software by NETGEAR software developer. Winservice.exe is a background process that initiates various tasks. However, it is not essential for it to perpetually run in the background on Windows.

So, if you are encountering any errors related to Winservice.exe, or this process is consuming excessive CPU and memory usage, then you need to address it seriously. This is because it could either indicate malware or suggest that your system is being used for crypto coin mining.

Executable file errors can often be caused by corruption. In this case, you can either delete that process or apply methods to recover the file. In this article, we will try both things to get this issue resolved.

1. Run the DISM and SFC commands

The first solution you can start with is resorting the Winservice.exe. Since it is an executable file, it can be restored by running the SFC and DISM commands. SFC or System File Checker is a command line troubleshooting utility that is used to restore corrupted executable files. Meanwhile, the DISM or Deployment Image Servicing and Management is used to repair the Windows component, including the system files. Basically, both utilities can be used to recover the Winservice.exe file if it is corrupted.

To run the DISM and SFC commands, follow the steps:

1. Press the Win key and type Command Prompt in the search box.
2. Right-click the Command Prompt to open it with the administrator.
   
3. Once it is opened with the administrator, enter the following command and wait for it to be executed completely.

   sfc /scannow

4. Once done, now enter the following DISM command to repair the Windows images.

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   

5. This can take up to several minutes, so be patient.
6. Once done, restart your computer and check if the error is still popping up.

2. Delete the Wincludes folder

Since this file is located in the Wincludes folder, we can try deleting this folder because it is not necessary for you to keep this folder or this process running on your computer. To do so, follow the steps:

1. Open the File Explorer, and navigate to ‘C:\Program Files.
2. Here locate the Wincludes folder, right-click on it, and delete it.
   
3. Once the folder is removed, restart your computer to check if the error is resolved or not.

3. Remove the Winservice.exe entry using the Autoruns

If deleting the Wincludes folder did not work for you, you can try removing the Winservice.exe entry using the Autoruns application. Autoruns is a troubleshooting application that allows users to configure programs and services that run at the startup. So in this step, we will try removing the Winservice.exe entry.

1. Download the Autoruns via the link.
2. Once it is downloaded, now you need to extract the folder using the archive utility such as WinRar or 7 Zip.
   
3. Once the folder is extracted, navigate into the folder and run the Autoruns application.
   
4. Then, go to the Services tab from the top.
5. Here find the Winservice.exe and right-click on it and select Delete.
   
6. Click OK to confirm.
7. Once done, restart your computer to check if the problem is resolved.

3. Use the Free Fixer to remove the coin mining

If the Winservice.exe is causing high CPU or memory usage. In this case, we recommend you scan your computer, as it is possible that your computer is being used for mining crypto coins. To scan the computer, we recommend the Free Fixer application, which will use to detect the mining. To do so, follow the steps:

Before following the steps, it is strongly recommended to create a restore point because this application can delete a legitimate file or settings that might damage your computer.

1. Download the Free Fixer application using the link.
2. Once it is downloaded, run the installer and follow the simple on-screen instructions to install the Free Fixer.
3. Once it is installed, open the application and click Start Scan.
   
4. Wait for it to scan your computer, then click Fix and click Delete or Repair.
   

5. Run the Offline Windows Defender Scanner

You can also try running the Windows Defender Offline scanner if the Winservice.exe is causing an accessive amount of CPU and memory usage. To do so, simply follow the instructions:

1. Head to the Windows setting using the combination of Win + I keys.
2. Go to Privacy & Security from the left pane.
   
3. Click Windows Security, then click Virus & threat protection.
4. Then, click Scan options to view more options.
   
5. Here select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (Offline scan) and click Scan Now. This will scan your system in the Windows recovery environment, so your PC will restart when it is finished.
   
6. Once done, check if the problem is resolved or not.

6. Use a System Restore utility

System restore is a utility that allows users to back up the system files, so when something bad happens, the users can restore the backup by using the restore point. System Restore creates a restore point and saves the current state into it. So if you have a restore point created before you encounter this issue, you can use it to go back to the previous state of the Windows. To use a restore point, follow the steps:

1. Open the Start Menu and type rstrui.
   
2. Hit Enter to run the command.
3. Then, click Next.
   
4. Select a restore point and click Next.
   
5. Once done, click Finish to restore the Windows version. This can take up to several minutes.
6. Once your PC is restarted, check if you are encountering the issue or not.
   

In this article, we have converted all the possible solutions that can fix the winservices.exe error. However, if the issue persists, you can try resetting the computer by using the steps composed in the article.