Device Association Framework Provide Host (dashHost.exe) is a core Microsoft process that is responsible for pairing wired and wireless devices in Windows. The process is part of the official set of Windows components that run under the local service account. It is a relatively new framework that was introduced with Windows 8, but it is also available in the latest version of Windows 10.
Why are there multiple instances of dasHost.exe in Task Manager?
Device Association Framework Provide Host (dashHost.exe) is tasked with pairing wired and wireless devices with Windows operating system. The framework allows you to discover, install and associate network connected devices with a PC client as if they were connected to the bus.
Users encounter multiple instances of the Device Association Framework Provider host because the process is duplicated for each device connected to the network. For each device paired with your PC through this frame, a device association framework provider host will appear in Task Manager.
High CPU usage cases
Some users have complained that the multiple device association framework provider host ends up consuming almost all system resources, with cases where dashHost.exe occupies more than 70% CPU capacity.
As usual, device association framework vendor host process is extremely lightweight (less than 10 MB de RAM) and must not exceed 1-2% CPU usage (this depends on the specification).
If the service consumes more system services than it should, is usually one of these three scenarios:
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The problem is associated with the connected device, more than with the process.
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The dashHost.exe process has failed and needs to be restarted.
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The malware has replaced the legitimate device association framework provider host process with a malicious executable (rare).
DasHost.exe is known to cause peaks in the CPU, but most of the time these happen when connecting devices that have outdated drivers. The problem is more common in Windows 10, as many older devices have not yet received driver updates adapted to the new operating system.
Unfortunately for the end user, Windows does not have a built-in tool to help us identify which device is causing the device association framework vendor host process to increase resource usage.
Should I disable DasHost.exe?
No, you should not. Disabling the device association framework vendor host process will sabotage most of your PC's connections to external devices. Regardless of the performance issues you encounter, disabling DasHost.exe is not a feasible strategy because it severely paralyzes your system.
However, if you find that CPU spikes are unbearable, you can temporarily remove the Bad Device Association Framework Provider task in Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc). This will not cause any long-term damage because your operating system will reopen DasHost.exe automatically after a short period of time.. If the frame does not start again automatically, reboot your system.
By forcing the system to restart the frame, you could easily get rid of the bug that is causing the performance spikes.
However, if the problem is more underlying than that, finishing the Device Association Framework Provider task will only serve you temporarily and the problem will return soon.
A deeper solution would be to restart the Device Association Service from the Services window and remove the fault. To do this, open a run window (tecla de Windows + R), scribe “services.msc” and hit Enter. In the Services dialog, look for the Device Association Service entry. Once i have found it, right click on it and choose Restart.
What else can you do?
Since there is no way to determine exactly which device is causing the DasHost.exe performance spikes, you'll need to troubleshoot yourself if the reboot had no effect on reducing resource usage.
Then, a collection of methods is shown that will address most of the common causes of high usage of the Device Association Framework Provider process. Follow each method in order until resource usage returns to normal.
Method 1: update the WU
Since the drivers are, with much, the biggest culprit in DasHost.exe performance spikes, Let's start by making sure you have the latest drivers. Before doing anything else, make sure all the external devices you use regularly are connected.
A good place to start is WU (Windows Update). Press the Windows key + R to open a Run command, type »control update» and hit Enter to open Windows Update. This shortcut will work with all versions of Windows.
Once you see the Windows Update screen, click the Check for updates button and see if you have any pending updates. If you have any pending updates, wait for it to install and apply to your system. If you are prompted to reboot, do so and go back to the Windows Update screen to make sure your system is up to date.
Method 2: deal with drivers that WU doesn't handle
After letting Windows Update do its thing, let's ask another question about drivers that are not managed by Windows Update. Drivers that are not managed by WU are often the ones that cause spikes in the performance of the Device Association Frame Provider process.
As a general rule, if a device is not compatible with your version of Windows, better to disable it rather than let it run with compatibility issues. Very few devices achieve the same functionality if the drivers are not written with that particular operating system. And even if they do, often cause system problems that are extremely difficult to pin down.
The easiest way to identify problem drivers is through Device Manager. To open Device Manager, hold down the Windows key + R, type »devmgmt.msc» and press Enter.
Once you are in Device Manager, start looking for outdated drivers. You can identify them through the yellow warning sign, which means the device is in conflict with other hardware, not supported or Windows could not find the right driver for it. If you decide to search for drivers online, do not restrict the search for your version of Windows.
You can try installing drivers for a slightly earlier version of Windows if you can't find one designed specifically for your Windows; For example, if you have windows 10, try installing a driver for windows 8.1, since the drivers for the two versions of the operating system are often incompatible. If the warning icon disappears after installing a driver, it is usually a sign that the device is working properly.
If you couldn't find a driver for the device, your only option is to disable it. You can easily do this by right-clicking on the device and selecting Disable Device (Deactivate). If you know which device you just disabled, also physically remove affected devices if they have a wired connection to your PC.
Once all unsupported devices have been addressed, restart your PC and go back to Task Manager to see if device association framework vendor host process usage has decreased. If the problem persists, go to next method.
Method 3: run a malware scan on DasHost.exe
The DasHost.exe executable is an official Windows component. However, You've probably heard of viruses that can impersonate legitimate system processes 32.
In theory, a malware can replace the host of the device association framework provider with a malicious executable that will make its offer. But realistically, in recent years, Windows has improved a lot in preventing viruses from accessing or impersonating system files. This is even less likely if your system is up to date. We have conducted a concise online investigation to see if there are cases of malware disguised as the DasHost executable, but there is little evidence to back it up.
But if you want to be absolutely sure, a quick and efficient way to determine if the device association framework vendor host process is legitimate is by checking the location of its underlying file. This can be easily done by opening the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), by right-clicking on Device Association Framework Provider Host and selecting Open File Location.
If the executable is on Windows / System32, you can probably be sure it's not malware in disguise. In case you're still skeptical, You can also trigger a virus scan in the process by right-clicking DasHost.exe and selecting Scan with Windows Defender.
Note: If you are unsure of the capabilities of Windows Defender, you can try scanning with an external solution like Malware Bytes.
If the scan reveals a malware threat, your antivirus will treat the executable and your operating system will create a new instance of dasHost.
