Windows Modules Installer Worker- What is It and How to Stop It from High CPU & Disk Usage?

Are you facing high CPU or disk usage issue with ‘Windows Modules Installer Worker’ on your Windows 10 computer? Almost 50% of Windows users have experienced this problem in their life and have been frustrated by it. However, there is nothing to get frustrated as here you will get all the information about Windows Modules Installer, what it is, why it is on your PC, how it works and what problems it creates.

What is the Windows Modules Installer?

You should be aware of the fact that Windows checks for updates and then installs them on your device. But that’s not all about the process, Windows Modules Installer Worker is the program that checks for Windows updates for your device and helps to automatically check for updates and install them on your PC.

Even if you decide to remove an update or add or remove an optional Windows feature, the Windows Modules Installer process will get the job done. If you are looking for the process in Windows 10 Task Manager, the process is named Windows Modules Installer under the Normal Processes tab. The file name is displayed as TiWorker.exe on the Details tab.

Is Windows Modules Installer Worker a virus or malware?

Most of the people seemed to be concerned about this Windows Modules Installer Worker thinking of it as a virus or malware that is affecting the smooth functioning of their device. Let me tell you that there is nothing to worry about as this process is just a part of Windows and there have been no reports about any malware disguised as Windows Modules Installer Worker or TiWorker.exe process.

Still, if you are concerned about your system being affected by malware, it is always better to run a scan with a powerful antivirus to check if your system is at risk.

High CPU usage caused by Windows Modules Installer

This is the main problem that Windows users often face if they have installed Windows Modules Installer Worker on their device.

If you have ever checked Task Manager, you must have noticed that the TiWorker.exe process is taking more than 50% of CPU resources, i.e. half. Even in some worst situations, it can also lead to 100% disk error in Windows.

That was the bad news and the good news is that if you let it run, the process will eventually terminate and stop using CPU and disk resources. As soon as the process is finished, you will not see it there in the Task Manager.

However, the duration of this process depends on the speed and storage of your computer and how many updates are left to install.

The time it will take to complete the process depends on the speed of your computer’s CPU and storage, as well as the number of updates needed to install.

How to fix Windows Modules Installer consuming high CPU resources?

The Windows Module Installation service runs when your device checks for new updates, and if it finds any, it downloads and installs the updates on your PC. Normally, no problem occurs during the process; however, in case WMI Worker gets corrupted, it will cause high CPU usage issues and may also result in 100% disk usage.

Maybe you have tried restarting your device to fix your problem, but this is not the way you can solve it. However, there are other workarounds that can prevent Windows Modules Installer Worker from consuming all your CPU resources.

The first step is to try running the Windows Update troubleshooter to fix the problem with the tiworker.exe file. Follow the steps listed here to run the troubleshooter:

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ section of your Windows and then click on ‘Update & Security’.
2. Click ‘Troubleshoot’ and finally click ‘Windows Update’.
3. Click on the ‘Run the troubleshooter’ option.
4. After the troubleshooter has finished checking the problems, fix the ones it suggests.

Most people will recommend that you disable the Windows Modules Installer worker service to prevent it from consuming a lot of CPU resources. However, this will also prevent Windows from properly installing updates on your device. I know you can install updates manually, but this process will also run during a manual update. So the choice is yours, however it is always better to let the TiWorker.exe process do its work normally.

Still, if you want to disable automatic updates, here’s how to do it:

1. Open the ‘Run’ dialog simply by pressing the Windows key and R on your keyboard.
2. Type services.msc and then press ‘Ok’.
3. Find ‘Windows Modules Installer’ and double click on it.
4. Thereafter, choose the manual option from the dropdown menu; you will find it set to ‘Auto’.
5. Look for the ‘Windows Update’ option and double click on it.
6. You will see a dialog where you need to select the startup type to manual or disable any available option and then click ‘OK’.
7. Reboot your device and then check if your system is working fine.

Changing your Internet settings may also allow you to turn off Windows automatic updating on your PC. Of the two ways below, you can choose the appropriate one depending on the network you are using:

1. Click on the Start menu and then go to ‘Settings’; select ‘Network & Internet’ and from there click ‘Wi-Fi’ and then click ‘Advanced’.
2. Click the button below the ‘Set as metered connection’ option and click if the issue is resolved.

1. Press the Windows key and R at the same time on your keyboard and this will open the Run dialog box.
2. In the dialog box, type regedit and click ‘OK’; click ‘Yes’.
3. In a new window, open the ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’ folder, then click on ‘Software’ and then go to ‘Microsoft’. Click ‘Windows NT’ and then click ‘CurrentVersion’; select ‘NetworkList’ and finally right click on ‘DefaultMediaCost’ and select ‘Permissions’.
4. Click ‘Add’ and then type your username in the space given under the ‘Enter the names of objects to select’ heading.
5. Next, click ‘Check Names’ and then click ‘OK’.
6. Select the new user and select the ‘Allow’ checkbox to enable full control.
7. Click ‘OK’ and then click all windows; after that reboot your device and let the changes take place and then check if the error is fixed.

If you are dealing with the same issue and your PC still gets hot for no particular reason, then this time you need to fix TiWorker.exe file which is integrated into Windows Update.

Here are the instructions you need to follow one by one:

1. In the Windows search box, type “Troubleshooting” and then select the same option from the search results.
2. In the new window that opens, click on the ‘View All’ option located on the left side.
3. Again a new window will open where you need to search for ‘System Maintenance’ and then click on it; wait for a while and then restart your computer. This step will most likely fix the issue for you.

Updates downloaded to your device are saved to the SoftwareDistribution folder, and then those updates are installed on your computer. However, if any of the files are corrupted, Windows Updates will fail to install them and will get stuck, leading to high CPU or disk usage issue on your Windows computer.

To fix the problem with Windows Modules Installer Worker, delete the SoftwareDistribution folder as follows:

1. Press Windows + R and then type services.msc in the box and search for Windows Update and then stop this service. This is an important step if you want to remove the SoftwareDistribution folder.
2. Go to the C drive of your computer and find the SoftwareDistribution folder and then delete it.
3. This will help clean up all downloaded files and Windows Update will download them again.
4. Once you have deleted the folder, reboot your device and check for updates again.

You can also try restarting the Windows update service to fix the problem. Press Windows + R and in the Run dialog box, type services.msc to open the Windows service application.

Next, find Windows Update, right-click on it and click on the ‘Restart’ option to restart the service.

If there are disk drive errors, that can also cause high disk usage and make the system unresponsive. To check for errors, you can use the Windows CHKDSK command line utility. Open command prompt (cmd) as administrator and type the command CHKDSK c:/f/r/x and press enter. When prompted to schedule a check disk at the next reboot, click the Y key and restart Windows. The CHKDSK utility will attempt to repair driver errors if found.

Once the repair process is complete, Windows will automatically restart. Check if there are any high CPU usage issues; if yes, then try the next method.

Running the DISM command i.e. DISM /Online/Cleanup-image/RestoreHealth will help improve the system image and allow SFC to do its job. Now, run the SFC /Scan command to repair the missing system files. Restart windows and check if your system is free from high CPU usage issues.

These were some of the methods that can help you fix the high disk usage and 100% CPU usage issue with Windows module installer, TiWorker.exe in Windows 10.

Categories: Technology
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI