Svchost.exe is the most mysterious Windows process. Svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). The authentic svchost.exe file is located in C:\Windows\System32, but numerous viruses and trojans use the same file and process name to hide their activities. The free Svchost Process Analyzer lists all svchost instances and checks the services they contain.