If you are reading this post, you are probably having problems with the performance of your computer. Are you puzzled by the Modern Setup Host process running on Task Manager that uses many of your CPU resources, which causes your computer to slow down?
Don’t worry as you are not alone. There have been reports from several Windows users who encounter the same problem. Before tackling the solution for this problem, let us first discuss the Modern Host Setup.
Modern Setup Host High CPU Usage on Windows
What is the Modern Setup Host Process?
Windows owns a lot of market share for the most used operating system on computers. But, just like any software, it is not perfect and encounters a few errors and problems once in a while.
Windows releases frequent updates on their operating system to improve system performance and fix glitches and bugs that appear on the system to address this.
This is where your problem comes in, and the Modern Setup Host is one of the components utilised by the Windows operating system when installing an update on your system. It usually runs itself in the background and triggers Windows to check and install updates on your computer.
If you are having problems with the Modern Setup Host and experience high CPU usage, you can check out the example below to support you fix the issue on your computer.
Method 1: Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
Since the Modern Setup Host is connected to Windows updates, you can try using the Windows Update troubleshooter on your computer to scan any problems that cause high CPU usage.
Check out the steps below to guide you through the process.
Step 1. On your computer, press on the Windows Key + S and search for Troubleshoot, then hit Enter to open the Troubleshoot tab.
Step 2. Inside the Troubleshoot tab, scroll down and press on Windows Update.
Step 3. Lastly, press on Run the troubleshooter and follow the on-screen prompts to guide you using the Windows Updates Troubleshooter.
If the troubleshooter suggested a possible fix for the problem, press on Apply this Fix. Now, restart your pc and try to use it usually to observe if the Modern Setup Host would still have a high CPU usage on your computer.
On the other hand, if the issue is still present and affects your system performance, proceed to the next way below to try and fix the problem on Windows.
Method 2: Run the System File Checker
High CPU usage on Windows components may indicate that some of your system files are problematic or corrupted. In this case, you can try utilising the System File Checker, a built-in tool on Windows that enables you to scan and repair any corrupted system files on Windows.
To run the System File Checker on your computer, follow the steps below to guide you through the process.
Step 1: Press Windows key + X on your keyboard and select Command Prompt (Admin).
Step 2: When Command Prompt opens, type “SFC /scannow” and press Enter.
Step 3: After the scan is finished, a system message will appear. See the list below to guide you on what it means.
- Windows Resource security did not find any integrity violations – This means your operating system doesn’t have any corrupted or missing files.
- Windows Resource security could not perform the requested operation – The repair tool detected an issue during the scan, and an offline scan is needed.
- Windows Resource security found corrupt files and successfully repaired them – This message will appear when the SFC was able to fix the issue is detected.
- Windows Resource security found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. – If this error occurs, you will need to repair the corrupted files manually. See the guide below.
**Try to run SFC scan two to three times to fix all the errors**
Once you are done running the SFC scanner on your computer, restart it and try to run a few programs to see if the Modern Setup Host process would still use many CPU resources on your computer.
Method 3: Run DISM Scan
If the System File Checker did not work to fix the high CPU usage of the Modern Setup Host, you could try using the DISM scan, a different Windows device that fixes any corrupted system file on your pc.
Unlike System File Checker that attempts to fix the corrupted file, the DISM scan replaces the corrupted file with a working copy downloaded from Windows’ servers.
To use the DISM scan, follow the step-by-step example below.
Step 1. On your keyboard, press on Windows Key + S and search for Command Prompt.
Step 2. After that, press on Run as an Administrator to launch the Command Prompt.
Step 3. Inside the Command Prompt, run the following commands one by one:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Checkhealth
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth
After running the commands above, restart your pc and try to use it usually for a few minutes to see if the Modern Setup Host would still have a high CPU usage on your system.
Method 4: Clear the Software Distribution Folder
The software distribution folder on Windows contains all the temporary files that are essential for Windows updates. But, there’s a possibility that these temporary files are not removed automatically after installing the Windows updates, which triggers the Modern Setup Host to run in the background even if you are not performing a Windows update.
To fix this, you can remove the content of this folder by doing the steps below.
Step 1. On your keyboard, press on Windows Key + R to launch the Run Command Box.
Step 2. After that, type C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDownload and hit Enter.
Step 3. Lastly, please choose all the folders inside the Download folder and remove them.
Now, restart your computer and use it usually to see if the high CPU usage on your system is already fixed. Other problems you might want to look into include: iTunes error 9006, HDMI problems on Windows 10, PVP net patcher kernel is not responding, and our clean install example.
