"Generic Host Process for Win32 Services"

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Periodically my Zone Alarm Firewall has recently started asking if I
should allow the subject program to act as a server to the internet.
I don't know what this program does. The URL's that pop up are
different with each request (even the front end of the URL). Any idea
what this might be and if it's definitely safe or unsafe to say
"yes".

TIA
Jim

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

On Thu, 26 May 2005 20:15:23 -0600, Bruce Chambers
<bchambers@h0tmail.c0m> wrote:

>Jim wrote:
>> Periodically my Zone Alarm Firewall has recently started asking if I
>> should allow the subject program to act as a server to the internet.
>> I don't know what this program does. The URL's that pop up are
>> different with each request (even the front end of the URL). Any idea
>> what this might be and if it's definitely safe or unsafe to say
>> "yes".
>>
>> TIA
>> Jim
>
>
>A Description of Svchost.exe in Windows XP
>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314056
>
> Do you have WinXP configured to automatically check for updates,
>and how often? Do you have WinXP configured to synchronize its system
>time with an atomic clock, and how often? Both of these activities, and
>others, would require Internet access. However, there's normally no need
>for the Service Host to act as a server; I'd suggest that you set
>ZoneAlarm to always block that function.

Thanks. I do have windows update automatically check for and download
updates. I have download, but not install, and so the time is
grayedout. Don't know how to find the frequency with which it checks.
And an HP checktime program that runs at startup.

The last two requests I got, at start-up the URL ended in .DNS and
later in the session it came up again with a different URL ending in
DHCP.

I'll keep the server function blocked.