Summary
Srtasks.exe is an executable file that is part of Microsoft Windows developed by Microsoft Corporation. But some of you don’t know if it is a virus. In addition, you may don’t know how to fix the issue caused by it. Now, read this post from MiniTool Solution, you can clearly know the above questions’ answers.
What Is Srtasks.exe
What is srtasks.exe? It is the executable of a legitimate Microsoft process called System Protection Background Tasks. Windows 10’s Task Scheduler uses it for automatic creating system restore points.
What is a system restore point and how to create restore point Windows 10? This post will show you the answers.
Microsoft Windows system protection background tasks is located in C:\Windows\System32 and is unique to Windows 10 and Windows 8. However, Microsoft Windows system protection background tasks doesn’t exist on Windows 7 or another older Windows version.
Potential Security Threat
Some people reported that the antivirus suites have regarded the file as a potential virus. Sometimes, it is just a false positive. There is a malware known to camouflage as the legitimate srtasks.exe process, but the name is slightly different. The virus will show up in Task Manager as srtask.exe. You can find that it’s missing the last “s”.
You can view Microsoft Windows system protection background tasks’ location to determine if you’re infected by malware. Here is how to do that:
Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys at the same time to open Task Manager and locate the srtasks.exe process via the Processes tab.
Step 2: Then, right-click it and choose Open file location.
If the location is in Windows > System32, the Microsoft Windows system protection background tasks is definitely not a virus. If you discover the process in a different location, you’re dealing with a virus infection.
Do you suspect your PC which is running Windows is infected with a virus or malware? You can read this post. It will show you some signs of virus infection.
You have known if it is a virus. Then you maybe want to know if you should delete it. It’s not recommended to do that. Deleting the executable will not be possible with normal permissions, and it will probably prevent your OS from creating an automatic system restore points.
How to Fix High Usage Cause by Srtasks.exe?
Microsoft Windows system protection background tasks is often associated with high CPU usage and high disk activity. The issue is still fairly common. Some people have reported a CPU usage of almost 70% by this process alone. The only way to fix the issue is to disable System Restore.
Note: Keep in mind that doing so will prevent you from reverting your computer to a previous point in time.
If you decide to go through with it, you can follow the instructions below:
Step 1: Press the Windows key + R key at the same time to open the Run window. Then type systempropertiesprotection and click OK.
Step 2: Open the System Protection tab of System Properties.
Step 3: Then click the Configure button under Protection Settings and click Disable system protection.
Note: If you decide to re-enable System Restore, you can reverse engineer the steps above and set the Restore Settings to Turn on system protection.
Final Words
From this post, you can know what Microsoft windows system protection background tasks is and how to fix the issues caused by it.
Originally published at https://www.minitool.com on December 24, 2019.
