What Is dasHost.exe 10 service
enables pairing between the system and wired or wireless devices. This service is new for Windows 10
The dasHost.exe (Device Association Framework Provider Host) file is a file provided by Microsoft and used in Windows operating systems. Under normal circumstances, the file should not be moved or deleted because its necessary for certain operations.
DasHost.exe is used to connect wireless and wired devices to the Windows operating system, such as a printer or mouse. Youll likely run into it only when browsing through Task Manager; it's listed along with other running services. It's also visible in the System32 folder.
Usually, dasHost.exe is 100 percent clean of threats and causes no problems. However, if you see multiple dasHost.exe files running or one or more of them are hogging an excessive portion of the CPU or memory, you need to investigate further to see if dasHost.exe is a virus.
Is dasHost.exe a Virus?
Theres really only one true dasHost.exe file that your computer needs in order to successfully pair devices, so any others you find aren't necessary, and can be safely removed manually or with a malware cleaning tool.
How do you know if dasHost.exe is malware pretending to be real or if its the actual file that Windows needs?
Check the File Location
DasHost.exe is used legitimately by Windows in this folder only:
C:\Windows\System32
This means that if the dasHost.exe file is located there and you have no other instances of it on your computer, chances are its completely benign and there's nothing you need to worry about.
However, if you find dasHost.exe elsewhere like on your desktop, in your download folder, or in any other important-looking Windows folder, it means that Windows isnt using it as a real service.
The dasHost.exe file is used in Windows 10 and Windows 8
exclusively. If you see dasHost.exe in Windows 7 or an older version of Windows, it's most definitely a virus, or at least a file that isn't important for Windows to operate normally. It's possible it's legitimately used by a third-party program that just so happens to go by the same name, but that's highly unlikely.
Heres how to see where dasHost.exe is truly located:
Open Task Manager.
Ctrl+Shift+Esc is one quick way,
or you can right-click the Start button to open it from the Power User Menu.
Go into the
Details tab.
Right-click
dasHost.exe.
Select
Open file location.
If you have more than one dasHost.exe file running, repeat these steps for each one. Multiple Device Association Framework Provider Host instances just means that a separate process has been opened for each device that Windows is paired to.
So long as the folder that opens is
C:\Windows\System32, youre fine leaving the file there since Windows is using it like its should. However, if the folder is anything other than
System32, skip down to the bottom of this page to learn how to delete the dasHost.exe virus.
Is the File Size Way Off?
Something else you can check to validate whether dasHost.exe is real is the file size. The answer isnt as straightforward as the folder method but it can be helpful to verify any suspicions that your dasHost.exe is potentially harmful.
If dasHost.exe isnt in the correct folder, check how much space the EXE file is taking up on the hard drive. It should be less than 100 KB, so if its much more than that, and especially if its several megabytes,
and its not in the right folder, you can be absolutely sure that it needs to be deleted immediately.
Is It Spelled Correctly?
It's common for viruses to pretend to be real by slightly changing the name of the executable file. The file might be in the System32 folder but since it's not spelled correctly, it can still exist undetected right next to the real one.
Here are just a few examples of how the dasHost.exe lookalike might be appear:
- dassHost.exe
- dasH0st.exe
- dasHosts.exe
- dsHost.exe
Why Is dasHost.exe Using So Much Memory?
Under normal conditions when you arent actively pairing a device, dasHost.exe shouldnt use more than 10 MB of RAM. If Device Association Framework Provider Host is consuming a lot more memory or there are drastic spikes in the CPU usage showing heavy use by this process, the first thing you should do is look into updating the drivers.
Use a driver updater tool or check the device manufacturers website for an update. Also look in Device Manager to see if there are any devices listed as unknown that a driver installation or Windows Update release could fix.
How to Update Drivers in Windows
If there arent any driver updates and youre still not sure why dasHost.exe is using so many system resources, youre left checking your computer for malware which could be utilizing the process without your knowledge or masquerading as the real dasHost.exe file.
Can You Disable dasHost.exe?
The Device Association Framework Provider Host service cant be disabled, which is good considering its required in order to pair devices with your computer. However, you can shut it down temporarily to see if that helps with any problems youre having with it.
Its possible that a virus is holding the the file hostage, and shutting it down will let you deal with it properly. Or, maybe there are some lingering tasks using dasHost.exe that are making it appear in Task Manager to be using up all your system resources.
Heres how to shut down dasHost.exe:
Open Task Manager.
Locate from the
Processes tab the dasHost.exe task thats slowing down your computer or behaving erratically.
Its called
Device Association Framework Provider Host.
Right-click the task and go to
End task.
If you get an error, right-click
Device Association Framework Provider Host again but this time select
Go to details,
and then right-click
dasHost.exe from the
Details tab, and select
End process tree.
Restart your computer.
Device Association Framework Provider Host will start automatically again when Windows starts back up. Although it isn't shut down permanently, the "refresh" it performed might be all it needed to return the system resources it was using or unhinge itself from the virus.
How to Remove a dasHost.exe Virus
Whether dasHost.exe is using all your memory, its located in a folder other than
C:\Windows\System32, or youre just paranoid that the real dasHost.exe file is infected, you can scan your computer to check for and remove any infections.
How to Properly Scan Your Computer for Malware
- Try deleting the file manually. Do this by either following the Task Manager steps above or using the Everything search tool to find the real location of dasHost.exe, and then right-click to find the Delete option.
If you cant delete dasHost.exe manually, it might be locked in place by another process. Use Process Explorer to isolate it from its parent programs and try again. To do that, double-click dasHost.exe (it might be embedded in an svchost.exe entry) from the list of processes and select Kill Process from the Image tab.
- Install Malwarebytes or some other on-demand virus scanner tool to run a full system scan of your entire computer. Delete anything it finds.
- Use a full antivirus program if Malwarebytes or another malware scanner didnt successfully delete the dasHost.exe virus. We have a list of our favorite Windows AV programs here.
- Boot your computer to a free bootable antivirus program if none of the in-Windows programs above worked. These tools work great if the file is locked or restricted by the virus because all file locks are lifted when Windows isnt running.
:
https://www.lifewire.com/dashost-exe-4587413