Several Windows users have come to us with questions after noticing that certain process called fsavailux.exe is using a lot of system resources at random times and ends up slowing down the computer. Most of the users affected by this behavior wonder if it is a malware or if the executable is part of the Windows operating system. Turns out this behavior is found in Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.
What is it “fsavailux.exe”?
The genuine fsavailux.exe process is a software component that belongs to the latest Windows installations. The process is signed by Microsoft and is being actively used by Check Disk Utility, a proprietary Windows tool.
The purpose of this executable is to call, start and manage Check Disk Utility scans that are triggered by the end user manually or by an autostart task.
After examining the average usage of the fsavailux.exe process, we can conclude that the default resource usage is small and should not have any impact on the overall system performance (especially when the DIsk verification utility is not running).
It is “fsavailux.exe” insurance?
Since the legitimate fsavailux.exe file is signed by Microsoft, should not be considered a security threat. Nevertheless, you should not rule out this possibility, as some malicious programs today are designed with cloaking capabilities; this means they are equipped to disguise themselves as privileged enhanced system executables to avoid detection by security scanners.
Some do it better than others, but to make sure this is not a security threat, We recommend that you perform a series of investigations to help you determine whether the fsavailux.exe executable is authentic or not..
The first thing to do is investigate whether you are in a scenario where the Check Disk Utility has a reason to be called. If you manually triggered a scan or started your computer after an unexpected shutdown, there is a valid reason for you to see this process in your Task Manager.
Nevertheless, if none of the above scenarios are applicable and you don't find any reason to see the fsavailux.exe file under heavy use on your system, you should start looking for the location of the file you are dealing with. To do this, presione Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open a Task Manager window.
Once inside the Task Manager, select the Processes to tabulate tab from the horizontal menu, then scroll down to the list of background processes and locate fsavailux.exe. After I manage to locate it, right-click on it and choose Open File Location from the newly created context menu.
If the revealed location is different from C: NWindowsNSystem, There is a strong possibility that it is a malicious executable.
If you discover the fsavailux.exe file in the wrong location, the best thing to do is upload a suspicious file to a virus database to find out if the file is actually infected or not. Several different ways will allow you to do this, but the most convenient method is to trust VirusTotal.
To do this, access this link (here), upload a file and wait for the scan to complete.
If the analysis did not reveal any inconsistencies, Skip the next section and proceed directly to Should I remove fsavailux.exe? .
But in case the scan reveals that the file is indeed infected, continue to the next section for step-by-step instructions on how to deal with a virus infection.
Dealing with the security threat
If your previous investigations revealed that the fsavailux.exe file is not legitimate and VirusTotal's analysis flagged it as a possible virus infection, it is strongly recommended that you implement a security scanner capable of identifying and infecting the files and deleting them. from your computer.
Keep in mind that when it comes to detecting stealth-capable malware, not all security suites are efficient enough to identify and quarantine you. If you already pay for a monthly or quarterly subscription to a scanner, go ahead and scan your system with it.
But if you do not have access to a premium security package and you are looking for a free option capable of dealing with the virus infection, your best option is Malwarebytes. This utility will allow you to remove the vast majority of malware that is configured to avoid detection by posing as a system process.
If you are not sure how to initiate a deep scan for Malwarebytes, follow this article (here).
If this scan succeeds in identifying and removing the infected items, restart your computer and see if you continue to experience high resource usage from the fsavailux.exe file, and skip to the last section below.
Should I remove the $ 0027fsavailux.exe $ 0027?
If previous investigations did not reveal a security threat, you can safely conclude that the executable you are dealing with is genuine. Nevertheless, if you keep seeing abnormal resource usage from fsavailux.exe, it is very likely that the executable has become corrupted and does not work properly.
If you are in this particular situation, you should be able to solve the problem by fixing all the possible corruption issues that could be responsible for this problem. Here is a quick guide to resolve the corruption with two built-in utilities: DISM (Deployment Image Maintenance and Management) y SFC (System file checker):
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Open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R. Later, scribe “cmd” in the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated command prompt. When I get to the UAC message (User account control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.
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Once you are inside the elevated CMD indicator, type the following command and hit Enter to start a SFC scan:
sfc /scannow
Note: Do not interrupt this process until the operation is complete. Otherwise, you risk causing additional logical errors.
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Once the SFC scan is complete, close the raised CMD and restart your computer. In the following startup sequence, follow the step 1 again to open another raised CMD. After doing this, type the following commands in order and hit Enter after each to start a DISM scan:
Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth Dism.exe /online / clean-image /restorehealth
Note: DISM requires a reliable internet connection to download good copies that will replace damaged items. With this in mind, make sure you have a stable internet connection before starting this type of scan.
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Once the operation is complete, restart the computer and see if the problem is resolved on the next system startup.
