Task Host Window: what is it? Basic concepts and operating principles of the process

In the standard "Task Manager", for example, when an application crashes unexpectedly, users of Windows computer systems often encounter the existence of a running taskhost.exe process. Few know the Task Host Window service. What is it? On this account, even in the help system, nothing is explained. We'll figure out what it is.

Task Host Window: what is it?

If you translate word for word from English, this term means "task window". But, in principle, the very use of this term refers more to operating systems and is more correctly referred to as the process or the Taskhost Windows service (meaning a platform for performing some processes of the "operating system" itself, through which they are able to connect at a certain moment), and not otherwise . Note that even when looking for a description of the service on the Internet, a request like "Taskhost Window" is completely inapplicable. This is a primary error in the name of the process itself.

In principle, the service itself can be described as a component of launching additional DLLs that can not be started by the standard method in the form of opening an executable EXE file. Now a little more about what Task Host Windows is.

Principles of the service

In fact, this is a system process. Let's take a closer look at the concept of Task Host Window. What it is, it is easy to understand with the example of using dynamic libraries (although the application does not use its own task window, based on the specified translation). The fact is that in Windows not all programs run only from executable files. Some of them contain extractable program code, which is available in dynamic libraries.

For example, many plug-ins that connect to music sequencers or regular software players such as WinAmp or AIMP have exactly the format of libraries that respond when they request access to them. Yes, the simplest example: because the separate equalizer for the player without running the main program can not be started, but in the program to which it is connected, the plug-in works all the time.

On the other hand, if you understand, the developers claim that the service is responsible for running applications and libraries of 32-bit systems that differ from the executable components.

Note that the system itself has two more similar services. This is Rundll32 and Svchost. The first concerns exclusively the launch of dynamic libraries with architecture of 32 bits, the second is responsible for launching applications in general.

So it turns out that the service, expressed in the form of Taskhost Window, is the usual backup of the two processes described above.

Disconnecting

Now a couple of phrases in the end about the Task Host Window service. What can it be in terms of shutdown in the system, what consequences does it have? Yes, no. It can be safely asserted that all those who are critical of the complete disabling of this process, believing that this could disrupt the system's performance, are absolutely wrong.

Believe me, there is nothing wrong with that. As practice shows, disabling of the described service in most cases only frees up system resources and helps increase productivity in the operation of any Windows operating system.