{"id":4544,"date":"2019-05-14T13:27:03","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T13:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/?p=4544"},"modified":"2019-05-18T13:44:42","modified_gmt":"2019-05-18T13:44:42","slug":"fix-shell-infrastructure-host-has-stopped-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/fix-shell-infrastructure-host-has-stopped-working\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix &#8216;Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working&#8217;?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cShell infrastructure Host has stopped working\u201d error is a known bug that Windows users have been struggling with for quite some time, especially when trying to log in to their guest accounts.<\/p>\n<p>In most cases, the alert keeps popping up regardless of how many times you close the window, as long as you\u2019re still logged in to your Guest Account. The interesting thing is that this error does not affect your main account.<\/p>\n<p>Till this date, Microsoft has not released an official fix yet, but our technical team investigated this issue and have come up with various workarounds on how to fix Windows 10 Shell Infrastructure critical error.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Shell Infrastructure Host?<\/h2>\n<p>The Shell Infrastructure Host, also known as the sihost.exe process, is a core component of the Windows Operating System, which executes in the background, and can only be terminated via Task Manager.<\/p>\n<p>The process is responsible for running several Windows features, including the Start menu, context menu, and Action Center, etc. This means that deleting this file would seriously affect the functionality of the Windows OS.<\/p>\n<p>The genuine sihost.exe is located in the C:\\Windows\\System32 folder.<\/p>\n<p>If the sihost.exe file is defective or obsolete, it can cause a myriad of problems for your PC ranging from sluggishness to error messages such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Please close the program.<\/li>\n<li>Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working. Windows is checking for a solution to the problem\u2026<\/li>\n<li>Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Fix \u2018Shell Infrastructure Host Has Stopped Working\u2019 in Windows 10<\/h2>\n<h2>Solution 1: Reinstall Microsoft Redistributable Packages<\/h2>\n<p>According to some users, uninstalling every Microsoft Redistributable Package and then reinstalling them helped to get rid of the \u2018Shell Infrastructure has stopped working\u2019 error.<\/p>\n<h3>To do so:<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Press the Windows Key+R, and type appwiz.cpl in the \u201cRun\u201d window.<\/li>\n<li>Press \u201cEnter\u201d to open the \u201cPrograms and Features\u201d window in Control Panel.<\/li>\n<li>When you scroll down through the list of installed programs, you\u2019ll see the Microsoft Redistributable Packages appearing several times. Uninstall every single one of them by right-clicking on the program and selecting \u201cUninstall\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Once you\u2019ve finished uninstalling all of them, restart your computer.<\/li>\n<li>Now visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/download\/developer-tools.aspx\">Microsoft Download Center<\/a>, and install the latest release of the Microsoft Redistributable Packages.<\/li>\n<li>When you\u2019re done, restart your system and check if the \u201cShell Infrastructure Host has stopped working\u201d error appears once you log in to the guest account.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you don\u2019t see the error, it means you have resolved the issue and you should use your guest account as usual. However, if you get the alert messages again, try the next fix.<\/p>\n<h2>Solution 2: Create a New Guest Account<\/h2>\n<p>A Guest Account is useful in situations where you have to share your Windows device with someone else, and you don\u2019t want them to have administrative privileges. This means they can\u2019t make changes to the system, including installing and uninstalling programs, due to the limited access.<\/p>\n<p>However, Guest Account is no longer available in Windows 10, but you can still create a Guest Account by following the steps outlined below:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to \u201cStart\u201d, and open \u201cSettings\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Click Accounts &gt; Family &amp; other users (you will see \u201cOther Users\u201d in some Windows editions).<\/li>\n<li>Choose the \u201cAdd someone else to this PC\u201d option, and then select the \u201cI don\u2019t have this person\u2019s sign-in information\u201d link.<\/li>\n<li>Next, open the link that says \u201cAdd a user without a Microsoft account\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Enter an appropriate user name and password. If you\u2019re using Windows 10, version 1803 and later, you\u2019ll be asked to add security questions and answers to help you recover the password if you forget it.<\/li>\n<li>Select \u201cNext\u201d. This process creates a new guest account that should work without problems.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Solution 3: Perform an SFC scan<\/h2>\n<p>Like we mentioned above, the Shell Infrastructure Host is a critical Windows component that, if corrupted, makes it highly likely that you\u2019ll receive the error messages whenever you log in to your guest account.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason, performing an SFC scan can help resolve the issue.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to \u201cStart\u201d and type command prompt.<\/li>\n<li>Right-click the top result, which should be \u201cCommand Prompt\u201d, and click \u201cRun as administrator\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>On the \u201cCommand Prompt\u201d window, just after the blinking cursor, type sfc \/scannow, and then press \u201cEnter\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The scan may take a while, and the sfc.exe process will find and replace missing or corrupted system files. Restart your system, and then log in to your guest account and see if you will still receive the \u201cShell Infrastructure Host has stopped working\u201d error message.<\/p>\n<h2>Solution 4: Using System Restore<\/h2>\n<p>By default, Windows creates a system restore point periodically. Likewise, the Windows OS will also create a restore point when it detects major changes happening to your system, such as when Windows updates are installing.<\/p>\n<p>The restore points come in handy in cases where the installation of any program goes wrong and the system malfunctions or if certain software causes unexpected changes to your system.<\/p>\n<p>To restore your computer back to a point when everything was working normally, use the guide below:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open the \u201cStart\u201d menu, and type restore point.<\/li>\n<li>Choose \u201cCreate a restore point\u201d, and then click the \u201cSystem restore\u201d button. Alternatively, press the Windows Key+R, and type rstrui.exe.<\/li>\n<li>Click \u201cNext\u201d, and then pick a restore point that you want to restore your computer to. Check the \u201cShow more restore points\u201d checkbox for more options.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm all the details, and then click \u201cFinish\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Click \u201cYes\u201d in the pop-up window that appears to allow the process to begin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Windows will prepare your computer to be restored, and when it restarts, you\u2019ll see a message confirming that your system has been successfully restored.<\/p>\n<p>Since you will have undone the changes that were probably causing the \u201cShell Infrastructure Host has stopped working\u201d error on Windows 10, you should now be able to use your Guest Account without interruptions.<\/p>\n<h2>Could it be a Malware Attack?<\/h2>\n<p>The sihost.exe is an executable file, which means that malware developers can create malware and use the sihost.exe file name to conceal their true identities, thereby infecting your PC without detection.<\/p>\n<p>The sihost.exe file should be located in the C:\\Windows\\System32 folder, and if it isn\u2019t, you should immediately remove it from your computer since it\u2019s a fake file, and most probably some form of malware.<\/p>\n<p>Malware is notoriously known to change or manipulate other applications, and if not promptly removed, your whole system may crash. Plus, cybercriminals can get their hands on your personal information and use it to steal your money.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the stealth nature of modern malware, it\u2019s imperative that you use an equally strong malware removal tool such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/software\/anti-malware\/\">Auslogics Anti-Malware<\/a>. The tool is equipped with advanced technology which makes it difficult for any type of malicious items to infiltrate your computer without detection.<\/p>\n<p>The tool will scan your system with precision and quarantine any suspicious files or programs. The Auslogics Anti-Malware software operates in real-time, which means that malware will be blocked before it gets a chance to infect your files.<\/p>\n<p>We hope you find this tutorial useful in fixing \u2018Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working\u2019 in Windows 10. If you have other suggestions or questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cShell infrastructure Host has stopped working\u201d error is a known bug that Windows users have been struggling with for quite some time, especially when trying to log in to their guest accounts. In most cases, the alert keeps popping up regardless of how many times you close the window, as long as you\u2019re still [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,132],"tags":[65,64,15],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to fix &#039;Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working&#039;? - The Official FileInspect Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/fix-shell-infrastructure-host-has-stopped-working\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ivan.diskin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Outbyte Computing Pty Ltd\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCI6brHKmaiiUCcseAlcV3tQ\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/outbyte\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1200x630-3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1200x630-3.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Outbyte Computing Pty Ltd\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Official FileInspect Blog\",\"description\":\"News and Perspectives from IT Experts\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/fix-shell-infrastructure-host-has-stopped-working\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.fileinspect.com\/blog\/fix-shell-infrastructure-host-has-stopped-working\/\",\"name\":\"How to fix 'Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working'? 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