Windows Modules Installer Worker: The Definitive Guide

Windows Modules Installer Worker; the name itself is a mouthful and when it does not work properly, it can lead to your system freezing or becoming slow due to its high CPU usage error. 

Many windows OS users have reported getting this error but the good news is that there are easy to follow fixes that will help with the problem. 

Why is Windows Modules Installer Worker Running?

It is an important tool that is built into every Windows operating system to check for updates. Apart from just checking for updates, it also helps in automatically getting rid of bugs. So when everything is working fine, it is a huge help to operating systems. 

Mostly all of the work done is in the background so you won’t usually notice that anything is wrong until your system starts getting slow and unresponsive. 

When you begin to notice that the Windows Modules Installer Worker process is hogging up to 50% of your CPU usage, then there’s something wrong and you have to fix it using any of the fixes outlined below. 

It is important to note that you should take action earlier because sometimes the process can hog up to 100% which will make your system totally unresponsive and rebooting your system might not work. 

It is also known as TiWorker.exe – WMI Worker, so if you come across this on your system, it is still the same thing. 

Now that we’ve covered exactly what the Windows Modules Installer Worker is and what it does, here are the fixes that will help lighten the high CPU or disk usage error that it is currently exhibiting on your system. 

How To Fix Windows Modules Installer Worker Errors

The fixes pretty much guarantee the same outcome so you can look through and choose the fix that you’re most comfortable with and follow the steps to help with your issue. 

1. Disabling The Windows Update Service By Turning Off Its Automatic Processes

Remember when we explained what it does and part of its job is to automatically check for updates and then update when necessary in the background. 

A firm way to stop the Windows Modules Installer Worker from high CPU and disk usage errors is to stop the Windows Update Service. 

The idea is that if there are no updates, there won’t be much for the Windows Modules Installer Worker to do. This should in all likelihood help decrease the CPU or disk usage which will make your system speed return to normal. 

Here’s how to disable the Windows Update Service:-

Open the Run box by pressing these shortcut keys (Windows + R) Input this text into the Run box you just opened – services.msc and then click on OK 

The window you’ve just opened is the Services Window. Navigate to the Windows Update option by either scrolling down or press the W key to get to it faster.

Double click on Windows Update when you find it. A pop-up box will appear. Locate the Startup Type option and set it to Disabled.

Go a bit further down and click on Stop. Go down and Apply the changes. Click on OK to confirm all the applied changes. 

This basically stops the Windows Update Service and because you’ve disabled the startup type option, it won’t come on again when you reboot your system. 

Of course, it is important to note that this means you will have to manually check for updates on apps, services, and processes that normally would have been updated automatically by the Windows Modules Installer Worker. 

If your system works perfectly after using this fix, then it is a small price to pay. 

2. Disabling The Windows Update Service By Changing Your Internet Settings To A Metered Connection

For users who are not comfortable disabling the automatic setting of your Windows Modules Installer Worker, then this next fix is for you. 

You won’t have to tamper with the process, you will instead configure your internet settings in a way that excludes Windows updates downloading which will then limit what the Windows Modules Installer Worker process does and this should help get rid of the error.

Normally there are different types of internet connections you could use. 

We will explain this fix with two types. Using An Ethernet Network and Using A WiFi Network. 

Using An Ethernet Network 

• Open the Run box by using the shortcut keys as earlier explained (Windows + R). 
• In the Run box opened, input this text Regedit and click on OK. The UAC (User Account Control) will prompt you. 

Click on Yes to continue the process. When the next window opens, click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Click on Software in the menu that opens. 

Click on Microsoft > WindowsNT

WindowsNT > CurrentVersion > Network List. 

In the Network List menu, find and right-click on DefaultMediaCost and then click on Permissions.
Choose the Add option and then type in your username in the space provided. Select Check Names before clicking on OK.

When you’re done, select the Username you just added and Allow Full Control under Permissions, and then select OK to confirm the changes. 

In the same DefaultMediaCost menu, double-click on the Ethernet option. When a pop-up menu appears, navigate to the Value data box and input the number 2. Select OK to confirm your change and exit the RegEdit window.

Restart your system to complete the process and get rid of the Windows Modules Installer Worker high CPU usage error. 

Using A WiFi Network:-

The procedure for WiFi users is much simpler than the former procedure. 

WiFi users will have to navigate to Settings via Start. Click on Network And Internet in the Settings menu. 

Select WiFi in the N/I menu that opens and then select Advanced Options in the WiFi menu. 

Enable the Set As Metered Connection feature and confirm the changes you made.

This feature limits the amount of internet usage of your system which in turn blocks Windows Update Service because updates won’t happen on a metered connection. 

Some users prefer this option because it does not really tamper with the Windows Service Update process, it just blocks the juice that feeds it. 

3. Simply Restarting The Windows Update Service 

We have been giving out tips on how to stop Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU and disk usage errors happening by limiting the functions of the Windows Update Service but there is another simpler fix that has worked for a number of users in restoring the health of their system and getting rid of the errors. 

Here’s how to Restart the Windows Update Service. 

Open the Run box by pressing these shortcut keys (Windows + R) Input this text into the Run box you just opened – services.msc and then click on OK 

The window you’ve just opened is the Services Window. 

Navigate to the Windows Update option by either scrolling down or press the W key to get to it faster. 

Right-click on Windows Update Service and a menu will pop up. Search for and click on Restart/Start.

The Windows Update Service will restart, and as some users have reported, free of the errors that drove its high CPU usage. 

4. Using The Windows Update Troubleshooter

If you’re not totally sure you can perform any of the fixes maybe because you’re not totally conversant with tech, then this method might be best for you. 

A lot of experts say this is the easiest method for users who are not totally familiar with the Windows 10 operating system. 

To fix the problem, all you will have to do is navigate to the Windows Update troubleshooting tool and start the process. There will be an service explanation on what to do, follow the process step by step. 

It has proven to help a lot of users in getting rid of the Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU and disk usage errors that are slowing down your system. 

Here’s how to find the troubleshooting tool. 

Navigate to the Control Panel in Settings and find Troubleshooting. From the left panel, enable View All and then select Windows Update. 

Launch the Windows Update and search for System Maintenance, follow the on-screen instructions that will automatically diagnose your errors and automatically fix them.

Note:- If the errors are from more complicated sources, it might not work. But it is worth the try because of the ease. 

5. Scanning For And Fixing Corrupted And Missing Files By Using The System File Checker Feature

One such cause of the Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU and disk errors is the presence of corrupted files or the absence of important files in the Windows Update file. 

This usually leads to high CPU usage and running a scan with the system file checker tool should help restore the files to a normal state. 

Here’s how to go about it. 

• You will need the Command Prompt (admin) option. Press the shortcut keys (Windows + X) and then select the Command Prompt (Admin) option from the menu that pops up. 

The admin option is chosen simply because of the fact that you have to have administrator privileges to make changes that will affect the processes of the system. 

When the Command Prompt (admin) opens up, input this command line 

sfc /scannow 

and Enter the command. 

This process takes a bit of time so you have to be patient and it is vital that your system does not restart or shutdown during this process so if you’re not plugged in and you don’t have enough battery juice, don’t try out the process. 

If the system restarts or shuts down, you might end up losing a lot of files or even damaging them. 

When the command is complete, you will be prompted on your screen that it is complete. Now you can restart your system and the Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU error should be gone. 

6. Using The DISM Tool To Fix Corrupted Or Missing Files

Another tool much like the SFC above is the DISM tool (also known as the System Update Readiness Tool). 

It is a good option if the SFC tool located the errors but could not fix them. 

Navigate to Command Prompt (admin) using the same process outlined above and input this command 

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth 

As explained in the SFC tool above, patiently wait and don’t restart or turn off your system until the process is complete. Restart after being prompted about the completion of the scan. The corrupted/missing files issue should be resolved. 

7. Deleting The SoftwareDistribution Folder

This method works if the problem is from the updates automatically downloaded by your system. 

The Windows Modules Installer Worker as we earlier explained updates processes in the background, the SoftwareDistribution Folder is where the Windows Modules Installer Worker gets the update files from.

Issues can occur if there are bugs in the updates downloaded. What the bugs do is that they make the Windows Modules Installer Worker stuck while trying to update Windows processes which will in turn increase the CPU usage because the process of updating is just stuck. 

Clearing the files and re-downloading the updates have proven to be instrumental in getting rid of the bugs causing the errors. 

To delete or clear the SoftwareDistribution folder though, you will have to stop the Windows Update process from running. 

Here’s how to stop the Windows Update process. 

Open the Run box by pressing these shortcut keys (Windows + R) Input this text into the Run box – services.msc and then click on OK. 

In the menu that appears, navigate to the Windows Update feature by pressing the W key to get to it faster. 

Double click on Windows Update and in the menu that opens, click on Stop. 

Apply the changes you have made and then exit.

Then deleting the SoftwareDistribution folder.

Navigate to C:\Windows\ and look for the SoftwareDistribution folder. When you find it, delete it and restart your system. 

You can even download the updates back again by checking for updates and the folder will be recreated and the downloads this time bug-free will be stored for the Windows Modules Installer Worker to access and update without leading to high CPU usage error. 

8. Use the Windows Repair Program

Till these steps we didn’t use any third-party tool, Now it’s time to use one of the best tools to fix Windows Modules Installer Worker Windows 10 High CPU usages.

Navigate to https://www.tweaking.com/ and download the Windows repair program which is coming in both free and paid versions, for our work free version is more than enough.

It’s recommended to use this tool in the Safe mode to get the best result. open the tool and click on the “Backup Tools” and click on the “Backup” to take the backup of the Windows registry.

Now click on the Repairs tab and click on the “Open Repairs” option.

here by-default all repair option is selected, it’s recommended to leave all selected and click on the “All repairs” option to start repair.

If you only want to repair only “Windows Modules Installer Worker” then uncheck other options and select only the ‘Repair WMI” option and click on the Start repair option.

This application will take around 15 to 20 minutes to fix all your PC issues.

Conclusion 

There are many easy fixes to the Windows Modules Installer Worker high CPU usage error. This error usually renders systems slow or unresponsive so it is quite important that it is resolved fast. 

Remember that if you disable the automatic updates process for the Windows Update Service, you will always have to manually search for updates that might not really help your system in the long term. 

It is always advised to troubleshoot, fix by scanning and then fix by tinkering with Windows Update. If your problem still persists, you should contact a professional for help. 

Have you ever faced the Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU usage issue? What fix did you use to solve it? We would really love to know, please use the comment section to tell us all about it.