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Microsoft Skype (32 bit) high CPU usage - despite not having Skype installed!

I've got a fairly fresh and verymuch up-to-date Windows 10 64-bit installation. When I go into certain apps (Kodi for one, and until I deleted the config files for a refresh, the parental control facility), my fans go mad and on checking the Task Manager I find CPU usage extremely high.

The guilty process is "Microsoft Skype (32 bit)" which is strange as I don't have Skype set to start when the PC boots. Just to be sure, I've just uninstalled Skype... and the process is *still* in Task Manager! It is currently sat at zero CPU usage, though I notice that the associated "Skypehost" service has disappeared since I uninstalled (it was "suspended" when it was there).

So - why do I have Skype on my system when I've uninstalled it? And why does it periodically go CPU mad when it's not even being used (by me, at least)?

I have read somewhere that Skype is now a part of Windows since the last big update. Would this have something to do with it?

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Hi Iain,

Thank you for being part of Microsoft Community.

I would request you to place the computer in clean boot and check if it helps.

To help troubleshoot error messages and other issues, you can start Windows 10 by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This kind of startup is known as a "clean boot." A clean boot helps eliminate software conflicts.

 

How to perform a clean boot in Windows

 

Note: Check the title “How to reset the computer to start as usual after clean boot troubleshooting” for reverting to normal mode.

 

Note: This also applies to Windows 10.

Do get back to us for any issues pertaining in the future. We will be happy to help.

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Thanks, Jessen - I should have thought of that myself. I'll give it a try and see if it makes any difference. I just had Skype go mad again after I watched a YouTube video...

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Hi Iain,

Thank you for the update.

Yes, please try those steps and revert if the issue persists.

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Ran under clean boot for a while and the issue doesn't seem to arise. Which leads to the question - what is triggering "Skype (32 bit)" to load? As I said, I've not got Skype installed so I don't see how the file could (should) be present on my system, let along firing up randomly and sucking CPU.

Is it built into Windows now? And if not, what core Windows apps is it a part of? Given that it's signed by Microsoft, it can't be part of any third party applications, surely?

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Hi Iain,

Thank you for the update.

Nice to know that the issue does not persist.

Maybe some third party software was conflicting. No it's not built into Windows. You have to download it separately.

 

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Same issue here. Seems to have started after the latest updates (KB3124200). I also wonder what is causing this...

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After a couple of reboots (definitely a couple, not just one), it's no longer happening. I guess some vestiges of Skype were hanging around from when I uninstalled it.

Next step is to re-install and see if the problem re-occurs.

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I uninstalled Skype, rebooted a couple of time and now (touch wood) it's not happening. Surprised it took 2-3 reboots to flush out files from an application I'd removed!

My next step is to re-install Skype (I do use it, so I'd rather have it on there) and see if the problem comes back.

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Interesting...

I opened the "Messages" app that is built into Windows, and saw 1 conversation I had back in November.

After having deleted that conversation, the problem no longer occurs.

Seems like a bug in the Messages app then...

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Curioius. I've never used the messaging app so hopefully that issue won't occur as and when I reinstall Skype!

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Last updated April 15, 2024 Views 24,574 Applies to: