I updated Garmin Express to latest version (7.17.3) for my latest maps etc and it all worked as usual.
BUT a day later after a cold boot, I noticed that CPU was unusually busy 20% when the PC should be doing zero, less than 1%. There was a strange task running CefSharp.BrowserSubprocess.exe in the background, taking lots of resource on a fast machine, and it could not be entirely stopped.
I searched around the web and found it was part of Garmin Express. Normally I set this NOT to run in the background, but here it has ignored the box untick. Bad words said about sloppy arrogant Garmin programmers.
Further search found a “spurious” entry buried deep in the Registry on this key:
It is clear that this task will always run in the background when the machine starts.
I deleted this Garmin entry on that key and the problem went away after a warm re-boot.
It did not re-occur on a cold boot.
And while this excessively hungry task is started again during Express for normal operation it is now closed when Express closes.
Many thanks to the canny users on the Garmin Forum.
Whilst there is an argument to be made that it is no longer necessary on a Windows PC with a fast hard drive (such as SSD or NVMe drives) to use such a utility, I use the free version of ccleaner to:
Easily review those items running at Windows startup, disabling or deleting those which I don’t wish to (such as Garmin)
CC is a relatively safe way for most non-techies to sort a clogged machine. After the virus checker it is my first choice cleaning tool when trying to trouble-shoot someone’s machine.
However since I wanted to carry on using Express maybe once a month (and only when I wanted) and it is a very lean stripped-back machine, it was quicker to go straight into regedit for a single delete than open a long dormant and out-of-date CCleaner.
When I first installed CCleaner a few years ago I removed its own similar “run” hkey entry to prevent it being yet another background task (cloggage) I did not need 99.9% of the time.
I’m almost of the opinion with modern lightning fast internet it might be best to delete these rarely used things and download fresh latest for the odd occasion of use, and then delete it again.
Apparently it’s been shown that registry cleaning does nothing beneficial to a system spruce up, have to admit I tend to just reinstall Windows when things get bad enough to think about using cleaners anyway.
I tend to use Portable programs where ever possible to avoid them writing things everywhere, though you tend to have to clean up %appdata% of config files and folder. Also they tend not to install bundle software/request to install it (be aware CCleaner does ask to install bundled software when using the installer).
I did wonder when you mentioned you unchecking the Garmin .exe (I presume you meant through Task Managers startup list / msconfig) whether it was actually being started as a service as well which for those that don’t know would mean launching services.msc from a run prompt, hiding the Microsoft services (check box) and then finding and disabling Garmin.
If the registry key edit really is the only way that’s just a terrible thing because it’s the same method spyware etc. uses to keep itself on the system.
It’s first offered as part of the install, and then also shown when running the program as a control option. In each case the user request is ignored.
Alas, Task Manager is unable to modify a registry entry, and sometimes (rarely) it cannot even stop a badly written process (CefSharp) which does not appear on the usual stop/auto/manual services controls. Three fingered salute is then required.
The problem with something living on the “run” key entry is it will restart the activity on a reboot.
So this machine has nothing on the “run” key other than the windows default placeholder.
As others say, I remove Garmin Express (and other rarely used programs) from the startup list. Why these companies think it’s a good idea to have all this stuff running in the background is beyond me.
With Garmin the same Express software also works for their fitbit etc, and so one might want it to interact more often.
But to actually “lie” about backgrounding, and hide it from the usual more public startup list is very naughty, perhaps even unethical.
If it did not assume highest priority over all other software and be so resource hungry spending ten minutes at switch-on looking for non-existent updates people might not notice. Greed undid them here.
I’ve previously noticed the same with some other software, eg Mcafee and anything from Adobe. For them CCleaner was essential to remove all traces.
