Windows as we know it works on top of hundreds of small processes that handle everything from visuals to networks in the background. Usually, these processes don’t really require a lot of system resources to run, but sometimes they can max out your CPU, RAM or other resources, causing system slowdowns.
This is usually a sign that something fishy is going on with your computer. In this article, we’re talking about energy.exe, a subprocess that has been causing problems left and right on Windows machines.
What is Energy.exe?
Energy.exe is a legitimate executable file made by Microsoft that manages energy settings for laptops and sometimes for PCs. The process is also known as the Windows Logon UI and handles logging in as well.
That said, it’s common practice for threat actors to name their malware or malicious software after legitimate Windows processes to avoid detection. So if you see energy.exe consuming far too many system resources, there’s a good chance that you have some sort of malware on your PC.
Usually, this is either a crypto miner that hogs all your PC’s resources by using your CPU and GPU to mine cryptocurrency or some sort of adware. The crypto miner version of energy.exe is more popular and can find its way on your PC from shady websites offering free or pirated software downloads.
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How to remove it from your PC?
If you’re facing problems with energy.exe using too many system resources and making your computer unresponsive, you can use the following solutions to remove it from your PC.
Run an antivirus scan
Usually, running an antivirus scan will remove most if not all malware on your PC. Here’s how you can run a full scan on your PC using Windows Security.
Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Windows Security. Click the corresponding search result.
Step 2: Click Virus & threat protection.
Step 3: Click Scan options.
Step 4: Select Full scan and click Scan now to start scanning your PC for malware.
Alternatively, you can also use a third-party antivirus or antimalware like Malwarebytes to scan your PC and remove any suspicious software.
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Use Safe Mode to remove files
Another solution would be to boot your PC into safe mode with networking and then manually find and delete any energy.exe-related files you can find.
Step 1: Hold down the power button for about ten seconds to power off your PC.
Step 2: Press the power button again to boot your PC.
Step 3: As soon as you see the PC manufacturer’s logo, press and hold the power button for ten seconds.
Step 4: When your PC reboots, click on Troubleshoot.
Step 5: Head over to Advanced Options.
Step 5: Select Startup Settings.
After this, select Safe Mode with Networking and wait for your computer to finish booting. Once in the safe mode, open the task manager, right-click energy.exe and select the Show file location option. This will take you to the folder where the malware’s files are stored. You can delete them from here and get rid of the malware for good.
Clean the registry
If the energy.exe process still shows up in your Task Manager’s startup tab despite all related files being removed from your system, you’re probably going to need to clear your registry and remove any keys that the malware might have added.
The simplest way to do this is to open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows Key + R to open the Run prompt and typing regedit before hitting enter. Once in the registry editor, you can either run a search for energy.exe or check if you have the following path in your registry.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunThe aforementioned path is where the malware usually saves its changes. Removing this key will also remove any corresponding references to energy.exe on your PC.
Repair your system
If nothing else works, the best way to get rid of the virus is by simply reinstalling or repairing your OS.
The Windows Media Creation tool is a great way to install Windows and repair the OS. Using this, you can perform a clean installation or repair your OS without affecting your data.
You can download the Media Creation Tool here
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