Should I block it?

No, this file is 100% safe to run.

Additional versions

6.3.9600.16384 (winblue_rtm.130821-1623)	8.46%
6.3.9600.16384 (winblue_rtm.130821-1623)	0.45%
6.3.9600.16384 (winblue_rtm.130821-1623)	13.36%
6.3.9431.0 (winmain_bluemp.130615-1214)	1.11%
6.3.9431.0 (winmain_bluemp.130615-1214)	0.22%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	0.67%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	1.34%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	5.12%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	0.45%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	32.74%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	3.12%
6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)	26.28%
6.2.9200.16384 (win8_rtm.120725-1247)	3.12%
6.2.9200.16384 (win8_rtm.120725-1247)	2.45%
6.2.8400.0 (winmain_win8rc.120518-1423)	1.11%

Relationships

PE file structure

Show functions

Import table

api-ms-win-core-apiquery-l1-1-0.dll

ApiSetQueryApiSetPresence

api-ms-win-core-com-l1-1-0.dll

CoInitializeSecurity, CoCreateInstance, CoEnableCallCancellation, CoDisableCallCancellation, CoCancelCall, CoUninitialize, CoInitializeEx

api-ms-win-core-com-l1-1-1.dll

CoInitializeSecurity, CoCancelCall, CoDisableCallCancellation, CoEnableCallCancellation, CoCreateInstance, CoUninitialize, CoInitializeEx

api-ms-win-core-debug-l1-1-1.dll

IsDebuggerPresent, OutputDebugStringA

api-ms-win-core-delayload-l1-1-1.dll

ResolveDelayLoadedAPI, DelayLoadFailureHook

api-ms-win-core-errorhandling-l1-1-1.dll

GetLastError, SetUnhandledExceptionFilter, UnhandledExceptionFilter, SetLastError

api-ms-win-core-handle-l1-1-0.dll

CloseHandle

api-ms-win-core-heap-l1-2-0.dll

GetProcessHeap, HeapDestroy, HeapAlloc, HeapSize, HeapReAlloc, HeapFree, HeapCreate

api-ms-win-core-heap-obsolete-l1-1-0.dll

LocalFree

api-ms-win-core-interlocked-l1-2-0.dll

InterlockedDecrement, InterlockedIncrement, InterlockedCompareExchange, InterlockedExchange

api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-l1-1-1.dll

LoadStringW, GetModuleHandleW, GetModuleHandleA

api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-l1-2-0.dll

GetModuleHandleW, LoadStringW, GetModuleHandleA

api-ms-win-core-processthreads-l1-1-1.dll

TerminateProcess, GetExitCodeThread, GetStartupInfoW, SetProcessShutdownParameters, GetCurrentProcess, GetCurrentThread, CreateThread, GetCurrentThreadId, SetThreadPriority, GetCurrentProcessId, GetThreadPriority

api-ms-win-core-processthreads-l1-1-2.dll

GetThreadPriority, TerminateProcess, GetCurrentProcess, GetExitCodeThread, GetCurrentThreadId, GetCurrentProcessId, SetProcessShutdownParameters, CreateThread, GetStartupInfoW, GetCurrentThread, SetThreadPriority

api-ms-win-core-profile-l1-1-0.dll

QueryPerformanceCounter

api-ms-win-core-registry-l1-1-0.dll

RegGetValueW

api-ms-win-core-string-l1-1-0.dll

WideCharToMultiByte

api-ms-win-core-synch-l1-2-0.dll

EnterCriticalSection, ResetEvent, ReleaseSRWLockExclusive, AcquireSRWLockExclusive, WaitForSingleObject, InitializeSRWLock, SetEvent, InitializeCriticalSection, DeleteCriticalSection, LeaveCriticalSection, Sleep, InitOnceExecuteOnce, CreateEventW

api-ms-win-core-sysinfo-l1-2-0.dll

GetTickCount, GetSystemTimeAsFileTime

api-ms-win-core-sysinfo-l1-2-1.dll

GetTickCount, GetSystemTimeAsFileTime

api-ms-win-core-threadpool-legacy-l1-1-0.dll

CreateTimerQueueTimer, DeleteTimerQueueTimer

api-ms-win-eventing-classicprovider-l1-1-0.dll

GetTraceEnableLevel, UnregisterTraceGuids, GetTraceLoggerHandle, GetTraceEnableFlags, TraceMessage, RegisterTraceGuidsW

api-ms-win-security-base-l1-2-0.dll

FreeSid, InitializeAcl, GetLengthSid, AllocateAndInitializeSid, GetSecurityDescriptorSacl, GetSecurityDescriptorDacl, GetSecurityDescriptorGroup, GetSecurityDescriptorOwner, GetSecurityDescriptorControl, SetSecurityDescriptorOwner, IsValidSid, InitializeSecurityDescriptor, MakeAbsoluteSD, GetSidSubAuthority, InitializeSid, GetSidLengthRequired, SetSecurityDescriptorGroup, SetSecurityDescriptorDacl, AddAce, GetAclInformation, CopySid

msvcrt.dll

DllMain

ntdll.dll

DbgPrintEx, EtwTraceMessage, NtSetInformationProcess, RtlUnhandledExceptionFilter

rpcrt4.dll

RpcAsyncCompleteCall, RpcAsyncInitializeHandle, RpcStringBindingComposeW, RpcBindingSetAuthInfoExW, RpcBindingFromStringBindingW, NdrAsyncClientCall, NdrClientCall2, RpcAsyncCancelCall, RpcBindingFree, RpcStringFreeW

taskhostex.exe

Host Process for Windows Tasks by Microsoft Corporation (Signed)

Remove taskhostex.exe

Version:	6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)
MD5:	456913a14eafd876abdc1fc11da856fa
SHA1:	e0a659fe97ecc9ec40f47a1fdaffec6502f1d79b
SHA256:	0f12ef00687954b9408a0805f2ec8e5db6a76f35a2e1cd0de50d4889df32e964

This is a Windows system installed file with Windows File Protection (WFP) enabled.

What is taskhostex.exe?

Host Process for Windows Tasks (TASKHOST) is a generic process which acts as a host for processes that run from DLLs rather than EXEs. At startup TASKHOST checks the Services portion of the Registry to construct a list of DLL-based services that it needs to load, and then loads them.

Overview

taskhostex.exe executes as a process with the local user's privileges. The file is digitally signed by Microsoft Corporation. This version is installed on Windows 8 and is compiled as a 64 bit program.

Details

File name:	taskhostex.exe
Publisher:	Microsoft Corporation
Product name:	Host Process for Windows Tasks
Description:	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Typical file path:	C:\Windows\System32\taskhostex.exe
Original name:	taskhostex.exe.mui
File version:	6.2.9200.16420 (win8_gdr.120919-1813)
Product version:	6.2.9200.16420
Size:	70.5 KB (72,192 bytes)
Certificate
Issued to:	Microsoft Corporation
Authority (CA):	Microsoft Corporation
Expiration date:	Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Digital DNA
PE subsystem:	Windows GUI
File packed:	No
Code language:	Microsoft Visual C++
.NET CLR:	No

More details

Resource utilization

(Note: statistics below are averages based on a minimum sample size of 200 unique participants)

Averages

CPU
Total CPU:	0.00207282%	0.028634%
Kernel CPU:	0.00120976%	0.013761%
User CPU:	0.00086306%	0.014873%
Kernel CPU time:	339,073 ms/min	100,923,805ms/min
CPU cycles:	1,214,779/sec	17,470,203/sec
Context switches:	22/sec	284/sec
Memory
Private memory:	8.96 MB	21.59 MB
Private (maximum):	17.49 MB
Private (minimum):	8.28 MB
Non-paged memory:	8.96 MB	21.59 MB
Virtual memory:	483.78 MB	140.96 MB
Virtual memory (peak):	679.74 MB	169.69 MB
Working set:	12.66 MB	18.61 MB
Working set (peak):	21.36 MB	37.95 MB
Page faults:	125,864/min	2,039/min
I/O
I/O read transfer:	18.41 KB/sec	1.02 MB/min
I/O read operations:	1/sec	343/min
I/O write transfer:	116.83 KB/sec	274.99 KB/min
I/O write operations:	4/sec	227/min
I/O other transfer:	320 Bytes/sec	448.09 KB/min
I/O other operations:	68/sec	1,671/min
Resource allocations
Threads:	11	12
Handles:	296	600
GUI GDI count:	15	103
GUI GDI peak:	19	142
GUI USER count:	17	49
GUI USER peak:	21	71

Process properties

Integrety level:	Medium
Platform:	64-bit
Command lines:	taskhostex.exe taskhostex.exe idle taskhostex.exe regular
Owner:	User
Parent process:	services.exe (by Microsoft)

Threads

Averages

ntdll.dll
Total CPU:	0.04593604%	0.272967%
Kernel CPU:	0.01566791%	0.107585%
User CPU:	0.03026814%	0.165382%
CPU cycles:	1,072,429/sec	5,741,424/sec
Context switches:	1/sec	79/sec
Memory:	1.74 MB	1.16 MB
MSCTF.dll
Total CPU:	0.00045344%
Kernel CPU:	0.00032829%
User CPU:	0.00012514%
CPU cycles:	13,104/sec
Memory:	1.08 MB
WINMM.dll
Total CPU:	0.00043180%
Kernel CPU:	0.00030224%
User CPU:	0.00012956%
CPU cycles:	9,590/sec
Memory:	128 KB
ESENT.dll
Total CPU:	0.00034077%
Kernel CPU:	0.00025727%
User CPU:	0.00008350%
CPU cycles:	10,211/sec
Memory:	2.75 MB
PlaySndSrv.dll
Total CPU:	0.00009222%
Kernel CPU:	0.00007914%
User CPU:	0.00001309%
CPU cycles:	2,279/sec
Memory:	96 KB
taskhostex.exe (main module)
Total CPU:	0.00008400%
Kernel CPU:	0.00006346%
User CPU:	0.00002055%
CPU cycles:	1,694/sec
Memory:	84 KB
MsCtfMonitor.dll
Total CPU:	0.00007750%
Kernel CPU:	0.00005311%
User CPU:	0.00002438%
CPU cycles:	2,254/sec
Memory:	44 KB
msched.dll
Total CPU:	0.00007437%
Kernel CPU:	0.00000000%
User CPU:	0.00007437%
CPU cycles:	1,744/sec
Memory:	156 KB

Common loaded modules

These are modules that are typiclaly loaded within the context of this process.

shell32.dll (by Microsoft)

Distribution by Windows OS

OS version	distribution
Windows 8.1	27.00%
Windows 8	22.00%
Windows 8 Pro	14.50%
Windows 8.1 Pro	11.50%
Windows 8.1 Single Language	5.50%
Windows 8 Single Language	5.50%
Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center	3.00%
Windows 8 Enterprise	2.50%
Windows 8.1 Pro Preview	2.00%
Windows 8 Enterprise N	1.50%
Windows 8 Pro with Media Center	1.50%
Windows 8.1 Enterprise	1.00%
Windows 8.1 N	0.50%
Windows 8.1 Enterprise Evaluation	0.50%
Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation	0.50%
Windows 8 Pro N	0.50%
Windows 8.1 Single Language Preview	0.50%

Distribution by country

United States installs about 40.70% of Host Process for Windows Tasks.

Distribution by PC manufacturer

PC Manufacturer	distribution
Hewlett-Packard	14.50%
ASUS	14.50%
Lenovo	14.50%
Dell	12.98%
Acer	12.60%
Toshiba	12.21%
Sony	7.63%
Intel	4.58%
GIGABYTE	2.67%
Samsung	1.53%
Alienware	0.76%
Medion	0.76%
American Megatrends	0.76%

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