Continually high CPU usage due to service host diagnostic policy service

[bob-7]

My almost new HP Laptop has been experiencing continually high CPU usage.  I can hear the fan running constantly.  I checked task manager and service host diagnostic policy service is using all of the CPU (100%).  I tried restarting several times and checking for windows updates - no luck.

[The_Fossette]

Hi @bob-7,

Welcome to the HP Forums! 🙂   I would like to take a moment and thank you for using this forum, it is a great place to find answers.

I understand that you are having high CPU usage issue with your laptop.

Do not worry I will be glad to help you to fix the issue.

I see that you are using Win 10 but to find the accurate solution I need the product number and model number of your laptop.

Click on How Do I Find My Model Number or Product Number?

Did you make any hardware or software changes?

You can try updating the BIOS to fix the issue.

Click on this link to know how to update BIOS.

Keep me posted.

Have a great day! 🙂

[bob-7]

Product # 1BQ14UA#ABA is what shows on my HP Support Asst screen.  On the setup sheet it shows RMN as TPN-W121 and W122.

[bob-7]

I tried to click on your link about resetting the bios but it asked me for a username and password which I don't have and it wouldn't let me set one.

[The_Fossette]

Hi @bob-7,

Thanks for the super quick reply.

Superb job on trying the steps to fix the issue.

Try this link to know how to update BIOS.

You can also use this article to further troubleshoot the issue.

Let me know how it goes.

Cheers! 🙂

[bob-7]

I did the Bios update (twice) but not sure it was successful.  Current version was F.22 1/3/2017.  I tried to update to the latest F.26 Rev A 6/15/2017.  After each time I checked system information and it says the old version is still there?  I restarted after each installation.  

[The_Fossette]

Hi @bob-7,

Thanks for the reply.

It's a genuine pleasure to work with you and really appreciate your efforts to fix the issue.

As you have tried updating BIOS but it is still reflecting old Bios version in system information.

Since you are not sure whether the updates are going through or not.

Follow these steps.

Recover an earlier version of the BIOS on your PC.

1. Turn off the computer.
2. With the computer off, press and hold the Windows logo key and the B key at the same time.
3. Still pressing those keys, press and hold down the Power button on the computer for 2 to 3 seconds, and then release the Power button but continue to hold the Windows and B keys until the BIOS update screen is displayed or until you hear a beeping sound (usually 8 beeps).

The power LED light remains on, and the screen remains blank for about 40 seconds before anything appears on the display. You might also hear beeping sounds. Eventually, an HP BIOS Update screen displays and the BIOS update begins automatically.

If the HP BIOS Update screen displays, proceed to step 4.

If the HP BIOS Update screen does not display, do one of the following depending on the condition:

Computer boots into Windows - The computer will boot into Windows if the power button and keys are released too soon. Repeat steps 1 through 4 above, holding the power button down for 2 or 3 seconds.

Power LED light turns off - The computer will turn off if the power button is pressed and held down too long. Repeat steps 1 through 4 above, holding the power button down for between 2 and 3 seconds.

4. After the BIOS is recovered, a Continue Startup button displays and a timer counts down. Click the Continue Startup button to restart the computer immediately. The computer will restart automatically when the timer reaches zero.

5. When the computer restarts, a black screen appears with a message similar to the following:

A system BIOS Recovery has occurred. 
BIOS Recovery (500).
Enter - Continue Startup.

Press the Enter key to continue immediately or allow the computer to reboot automatically.

After restarting, Windows may display a message stating that the computer was improperly shut down or that a boot problem was detected. Read and respond to the screens to continue.

Once the above steps are done and the BIOS is recovered to its factory settings.

Press the Windows key and 'R' key.

The run window will appear.

Type %temp% in the box and click OK.

A temp folder will open delete all the files from that folder.

Note: you may not able to delete all the file.

After that is done use this link to update the BIOS to the latest version.

Let me know how it goes.

Cheers! 🙂

[bob-7]

Unfortunately no luck.  I followed your most recent instructions step by step and the result is the original Bios F.22 1/3/17 is still showing under System Information - it never updated to the F.26 6/15/17 version.  Service Host - Diagnostic Service Policy Service process is still consuming 60+% of my CPU.  Very frustrating since this only started in the last couple of weeks.

[The_Fossette]

Hi @bob-7,

Thanks for your reply.

I really appreciate you working with me and trying different troubleshooting steps.

I suggest you ran the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.

Use the following steps to open the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) to the main menu.

• Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.
• Turn on the computer and immediately press the F2 key repeatedly, about once every second.
• The HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu is displayed.

• In the main menu, click to select Component Tests and the component list will appear.

• Click Processor, then click Run once.

If the Processor test fails you can HP Phone Support for further assistance.

If the test passes you can try resetting the notebook to its factory settings.

Before you reset the notebook backup all your important data.

Click on the link to know how to perform a system recovery.

Let me know how it goes.

Cheers! 🙂

[bob-7]

Going through a factory reset seems pretty extreme.  I tried to set the Diagnostic Service Policy to start manually but it went ahead and restarted by itself anyway, so that didn't work.  Then I disabled it and that seems to have worked and stopped the excessive CPU usage.  Not sure if that will cause any problems?