The file, csrss.exe, appears in Task Manager as the Client Server Runtime Process. It is an essential part of Windows and you never interact with it directly as a user. It also performs some very important functions in the background, whether you are using Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10.
Under normal circumstances, the csrss.exe file is not a malware or a virus. This means that you cannot safely delete or quarantine it. However, there is an easy way to tell if you are dealing with the actual csrss.exe or an imposter. If you discover that your system has been infected with malware pretending to be csrss.exe, then the best course of action is to safely remove it.
What is the client server runtime process?
Once you open Task Manager on any Windows computer, you will find at least one instance of something called the Client Server Runtime Process. The client’s server runtime process (Csrss.exe) has been around since the early days of Windows. Prior to 1996, he was responsible for the entire graphics subsystem. That usage has changed over the years, but today it continues to be responsible for extremely critical work behind the scenes in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.
Is it safe to disable Csrss.exe?
Although csrss.exe It has limited functionality in modern versions of Windows, compared to outdated versions, it is still very critical. That means that you cannot remove, disable, delete or quarantine csrss.exe without experiencing serious consequences on your operating system.
If you remove a legitimate csrss.exe process, your operating system will likely become unstable. Generally, the computer will even shut down. Usually the computer will start up smoothly afterwards, but deleting or quarantining the file itself can result in a computer that cannot be used without professional intervention.
What causes Csrss.Exe to use excessive GPU or CPU?
Under normal circumstances, csrss.exe should only use a minuscule amount of system resources. So if you open Task Manager and see an instance of the Client Server Runtime Process that uses an excessive amount of system resources like CPU, GPU, or memory, that usually indicates that there is some kind of problem. If you are using Windows 7, you should try disabling Aero. If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10, try updating your graphics drivers or downgrade to an older driver if you updated it recently. In the vast majority of cases, the cause of csrss.exe using excessive resources is a fake or a virus.
Could Csrss.exe be a virus?
Csrss.exe itself is a legitimate file and an essential part of Windows. However, some malware and viruses infiltrate under false names. This means that it is actually possible to have malware on our computers that uses the file name csrss.exe or very slight variations of that name. So if you suspect that your computer may be infected with a csrss.exe virus or malware, it is actually quite easy to find out. This is due to the fact that legitimate copies of the csrss.exe file are only found in two different folders.
Also, if you find a client-server runtime process in your Task Manager that points to any other folder, or to a file that is not called csrss.exe, this means that you have some kind of malware or virus. New viruses and malware appear all the time, but it is well known that the Nimda virus in particular uses the file name csrss.exe. But knowing is easy.
Here’s how to tell if an instance of the Client Server Runtime process is legitimate:
- Hold down the CTRL keys + Alt + Delete and select Open task manager.
- Choose the tab Processes.
- Scroll down to the section windows processes.
- Hold down or right-click on the runtime server client process, and select the location of the open file.
- Verify that the process csrss.exe is located in your folder/ SystemRoot / System32 or / SystemRoot / SysWOW64. If the file is located elsewhere or is not named csrss.exe, it may be a malware or virus. You should pay close attention to the file name. If even one letter is different from csrss.exe, it is probably malware.
- Repeat these steps for each instance of the client server runtime process that you see in Task Manager.
What to do if you think the malware is masquerading as Csrss.exe?
If you suspect that you have malware or a virus running on your computer disguising itself as a harmless runtime process on the client’s server, the best and most convenient thing to do is to scan your computer for malware and remove it. .
One thing you can do is safely delete a csrss.exe file if it is located outside its System32 or SysWOW64 folder, although doing so will likely not remove the malware. If you choose to delete such a file, always make sure to scan the computer afterward with at least one free spyware or malware removal tool.
In some situations, you may not be able to remove the malicious csrss.exe file, or you may have malware actively preventing you from running a malware removal tool. In those cases, you will want to use a bootable antivirus tool on a flash drive or CD.