dasHost.exe (Device Vendor Host Association Framework) is a file provided by Microsoft and used in Windows operating systems. Under normal circumstances, the file should not be moved or deleted as it is required for certain operations within the system.
dasHost.exe It is used to connect wired and wireless devices to the Windows operating system, such as a printer or a mouse. You are likely to find it only when you navigate through the Task Manager; it is bundled with other running services. It is also visible in the System32 folder.
Typically, dasHost.exe is 100% threat free and does not cause problems. However, if you see multiple dasHost.exe files running or one or more of them are hogging an excessive chunk of CPU or memory, then you should do more research to see if dasHost.exe is a virus and remove it accordingly.
Is dasHost.exe a virus?
There is really only one true dasHost.exe file that your computer needs to successfully pair devices, so any other you find is not necessary and you can safely remove it manually or with a malware cleanup tool.
How do you know if dasHost.exe is malware that pretends to be real or if it is the real file that Windows needs?
Check the location of the file within the system
Windows legitimately uses DasHost.exe only in this folder that we put below:
C: Windows System32
This means that if the dasHost.exe file is there and you have no other instances of it on your computer, it may be completely benign and there is nothing you need to worry about.
However, if you find dasHost.exe somewhere else like on the desktop, in the download folder, or in any other important-looking Windows folder, it means that Windows is not using it as a real service and it may be malware.
The file dasHost.exe It is used exclusively in Windows 8 and Windows 10. If you see dasHost.exe in Windows 7 or an earlier version of Windows, it is definitely a virus, or at least a file that is not important for Windows to function normally. It is possible that it is legitimately used by a third-party program that happens to have the same name, but this is highly unlikely, so you should focus on finding a way to justify its existence or eliminate it.
Here’s how to see where dasHost.exe really is:
- Open the Task Manager. Ctrl + Shift + Esc it’s a quick way, or you can right-click the Start button to open it from the power user menu.
- Go to the tab Details.
- Right click on dasHost.exe.
- Choose Open file location.
If you have more than one dasHost.exe file running, repeat these steps for each one. Multiple Device Association Framework Provider Host Instances just means that a separate process has been opened for each device that Windows is paired with.
As long as the folder that is opened is C: Windows System32, you can leave the file there, as Windows is using it as it should. However, if the folder is not System32, go to the bottom of this page to learn how to remove dasHost.exe virus.
You can also check the file size
Another thing you can check to validate if dasHost.exe is real is the size of the file in the aforementioned folder. The answer is not as straightforward as the folder method, but it can be very helpful in checking for any suspicions that dasHost.exe is potentially harmful to your system.
If dasHost.exe is not in the correct folder, check how much space the EXE file occupies on your hard drive. Must be less than 100 KB, so if it is much more than that, and especially if it is several megabytes, and it is not in the correct folder, you can be absolutely sure that it has to be removed immediately.
Is it spelled correctly?
It is common for viruses to pretend to be real by slightly renaming the executable file. The file may be in the folder System32, but since it’s not spelled correctly, it can still exist undetected right next to the real one.
These are just a few examples of what the look might look like dasHost.exe in your system:
- dassHost.exe
- dasH0st.exe
- dasHosts.exe
- dsHost.exe
Why is dasHost.exe using so much memory?
Under normal conditions, when you are not actively pairing a device, dasHost.exe should not use more than 10 MB RAM. If Device Association Framework Provider Host is consuming much more memory or there are drastic spikes in CPU usage showing heavy usage of this process, the first thing you need to do is update the drivers.
You can either use a driver update tool or check your device manufacturer’s website for an update. It also looks in Device Manager to see if there are any devices listed as unknown that a driver installation or version of Windows Update could fix.
If there are no driver updates and you are still not sure why dasHost.exe is using so many system resources, then you have to check your computer for malware that could be using the process without your knowledge or posing as the real dasHost .exe.
Can you disable dasHost.exe?
The host service of the device association framework provider cannot be disabled, which is good considering that it is very necessary to pair devices with your computer. However, you can temporarily turn it off to see if that helps with any issues you have with it.
A virus is likely holding the file hostage, and turning it off will allow you to handle it properly. Or maybe there are some persistent tasks using dasHost.exe that make it appear that in Task Manager it is consuming all system resources.
Here’s how to close dasHost.exe:
- Open the Task Manager.
- Look in the tab Processes dasHost.exe task that slows down your computer or behaves erratically. Is named Device Association Framework Provider Host.
- Right click on the task and go to Finish homework. If you get an error, right-click on the Host of the device association framework provider again, but this time choose Go to details, and then right-click dasHost.exe in the tab Details and select End process tree.
- Then restart your computer.
Device Association Framework Provider Host will restart automatically when Windows starts the backup. Although it does not shut down permanently, the “update” you performed might be all that is necessary to restore the system resources you were using or get rid of the virus.
How to remove a dasHost.exe virus?
Whether dasHost.exe is using all memory, it is located in a folder other than C: Windows System32, or you are just paranoid that the actual dasHost.exe file is infected, you can scan your computer for and remove any infections.
- Try to delete the file manually. Do this by following the Task Manager steps above or using the Everything search tool to find the actual location of dasHost.exe, and then right-click to find the option Remove. If you can’t remove dasHost.exe manually, another process might block it instead. Then use Process Explorer to isolate it from your main programs and try again. To do this, double-click dasHost.exe (it may be embedded in a svchost.exe entry) from the process list and select Delete process in the tab Image.
- Install Malwarebytes or some other on-demand virus detection tool to run a full system scan of your entire computer. Delete everything you find.
- Use a full antivirus program if Malwarebytes or another malware scanner did not successfully remove the dasHost.exe virus. We have a list of our favorite Windows AV programs here.
- Start your computer with a free startup antivirus program if none of the above Windows programs worked. These tools work great if the file is locked or restricted by the virus because all file locks are removed when Windows is not running.