dasHost.exe is used to connect wireless and wired devices to the computer, such as a printer or mouse. You’ll likely run into it only when browsing through Task Manager; it’s listed along with other running services. It’s also visible in the System32 folder. Usually, this file is 100 percent clean of threats and causes no problems. However, if you see multiple dasHost.exe files running or one or more of them are hogging an excessive portion of the CPU or memory, you need to investigate further to see if it’s a virus.
Is dasHost.exe a Virus?
There’s really only one true dasHost.exe file that your computer needs in order to successfully pair devices, so any others you find aren’t necessary, and can be safely removed manually or with a malware cleaning tool. Here are three ways to know if dasHost.exe is malware pretending to be real, or if it’s the actual file that Windows needs:
Check the File Location
dasHost.exe is used legitimately by Windows in this folder only: This means if dasHost.exe is located there, and you have no other instances of it on your computer, chances are it’s completely benign and there’s nothing you need to worry about. However, if you find a file by that same name elsewhere, like on the Desktop or in your Downloads folder, or in any other important-looking Windows folder, it means that Windows isn’t using it as a real service. Here’s how to see where dasHost.exe is truly located: So long as the folder that opens is C:\Windows\System32, you’re fine leaving the file there, since Windows is using it like it should. However, if the folder is anything other than System32, skip down to the bottom of this page to learn how to delete the dasHost.exe virus.
Check the File Size
Something else you can check to validate whether dasHost.exe is real is the file size. The answer isn’t as straightforward as the folder method, but it can be helpful to verify any suspicions that your dasHost.exe is potentially harmful. If dasHost.exe isn’t in the correct folder, check how much space the EXE file is taking up on the hard drive. It should be less than 200 KB, so if it’s much more than that, and especially if it’s several megabytes, and it’s not in the right folder, you can be absolutely sure that it needs to be deleted immediately.
Check the Spelling
It’s common for viruses to pretend to be real by slightly changing the name of the executable file. The file might be in the System32 folder, but since it’s not spelled correctly, it can still exist undetected right next to the real one. Here are just a few examples of how the dasHost.exe lookalike might appear:
dassHost.exedasH0st.exedasHosts.exedsHost.exe
Why Is dasHost.exe Using So Much Memory?
Under normal conditions when you aren’t actively pairing a device, dasHost.exe shouldn’t use more than 10 MB of RAM. If Device Association Framework Provider Host is consuming a lot more memory or there are drastic spikes in the CPU usage showing heavy use by this process, the first thing you should do is look into updating the drivers. Use a driver updater tool or check the device manufacturer’s website for an update. Also look in Device Manager to see if there are any devices listed as unknown that a driver installation or Windows Update release could fix. If there aren’t any driver updates, and you’re still not sure why dasHost.exe is using so many system resources, you’re left checking your computer for malware which could be utilizing the process without your knowledge or masquerading as the real dasHost.exe file.
Can You Disable dasHost.exe?
The Device Association Framework Provider Host service can’t be disabled, which is good considering it’s required for device pairing to work. However, you can shut it down temporarily to see if that helps with any problems you’re having with it. It’s possible that a virus is holding the file hostage, and shutting it down will let you deal with it properly. Or, maybe there are some lingering tasks using dasHost.exe that are making it appear in Task Manager to be using up all your system resources. Here’s how to shut down dasHost.exe: Device Association Framework Provider Host will start automatically again when Windows starts back up. Although it isn’t shut down permanently, the “refresh” it performed might be all it needed to return the system resources it was using or unhinge itself from the virus. If you get an error, right-click Device Association Framework Provider Host again but this time select Go to details, and then right-click dasHost.exe from the Details tab, and select End process tree.
How to Remove a dasHost.exe Virus
Whether dasHost.exe is using all your memory, it’s located in a folder other than C:\Windows\System32, or you’re just paranoid that the real dasHost.exe file is infected, you can scan your computer to check for and remove any infections. Here are four ways to do this: If you can’t delete dasHost.exe manually, it might be locked in place by another process. Use Process Explorer to isolate it from its parent programs and try again. To do that, double-click dasHost.exe (it might be embedded in an svchost.exe entry) from the list of processes and select Kill Process from the Image tab.
