PC Doctor Module Has High CPU Usage- Why and How to Fix it

PC Doctor Module is a genuine process that runs within Dell’s SupportAssist. It keeps the OS/driver updated and optimizes your PC. It even scans the entire system and sends the report to Dell Support.

These scan and system optimizations could lead to high CPU and RAM usage. That’s the reason you’re experiencing system lags and video stuttering issues.

Users might even think that the process or even the entire application is malware. So, let’s dive into depth about the PC Doctor Module and whether you should keep it.

Is the PC Doctor Module a Virus?

The PC Doctor module is just a process. It runs as a part of an OEM software named Dell SupportAssist. However, most users do categorize Dell SupportAssist as bloatware.

The reason is that the application unnecessarily takes high CPU and memory usage when running system diagnostics. Because of this, users mistake the application as malware. But rest assured that the application and the process is not a virus. 

If you are still unsure, you can scan Dell SupportAssist for viruses.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. In Task Manager, go to the Processes tab.
3. Right-click on PC Doctor Module and select Open file location. If you do not see the process, expand on SupportAssist.
4. Right-click on SupportAssist and select Open file location.
   
5. If you have administrative access,
   • In the file explorer window, press the Alt + Up arrow key.
   • Right-click in the highlighted folder (Dell Support Assist folder) and select Show more options.
   • Select Scan with Microsoft Defender.
6. If you do not have administrative access (the same case happened to me), let me guide you on what I did:
   • In Task Manager, right-click on SupportAssistAppWire.
   • Now select Open File Location. And in the file explorer window, press the Alt + Up arrow key.
   • Select all files in the folder and right-click. Click on Show more option.
   • Click on Scan with Microsoft Defender or any other antivirus application.
     
7. Wait for the scan to complete.

The Defender will show if any threats are found. In most cases, it should not display any. If it finds any threats, I recommend removing infected files right away.

Why Is It Taking High CPU and Memory Resources?

So, if it’s not a virus or malware, you might wonder why it’s taking high memory and CPU resources. 

Due to the application’s poor optimization and memory management, it can randomly use high memory usage. This is especially the case when running scheduled software scans. 

Users have also reported that the application used 95-100% CPU usage when compiling codes.

Another instance where the application uses a high CPU usage is during hardware scans. When scanning hardware, it also stress tests the CPU. 

During any stress test, the system puts a load on the CPU, increasing its usage. Therefore, you see high CPU usage.

Fixing PC Doctor Module High CPU Usage

One particular reason this process is using high system resources is due to its random scan. If any process is taking high CPU or memory usage, I immediately end its task using Task Manager. And I recommend that you do the same.

But the process might start again after some time. To completely disable it, you can also try disabling automatic scans or changing the process’s startup type. This will restrict the application from automatically starting the scan. 

You can also try disabling it from startup apps. And if that does not work, you can re-install the PC Doctor Module entirely.

Change SupportAssist’s Startup Type

Since the process in the application starts automatically, you can change the startup type to Manual. This stops the application from running automatically. 

1. Press Windows + R. 
2. In the Run window, type services.msc.
3. In the right panel, search for Dell SupportAssists and double-click on it.
   
4. Set the Startup type to Manual and make sure the Service status says Stopped.
   
5. If it says running, click on Stop.
   
6. Click Apply, then OK.

SupportAssist might start automatically on startup. In that case, you need to disable it from Startup Apps.

Turn Off the Automatic Scan

If you completely want to stop PC Doctor Module from running automatically, you can try disabling Automatic Scan.

1. Open Dell’s SupportAssist.
2. Check for a gear icon on the top-right of the application and click on it.
3. Select Settings.
   
4. Expand Automatic Scans and Optimizations.
5. Here, Uncheck Set your system to automatically run scans.
   
6. If you do not want to disable automatic scan. You can set a frequency at which the application performs scans. 
7. Once you are done, click on Save.

I recommend setting a frequency such that the driver downloads, optimization, and scans occur every month or two.

Reinstall Dell Support Assist

You could still get high CPU usage even after disabling automatic scans. In that case, the problem could be with your version of the applications. 

Here, you can try reinstalling the entire application. This will allow you to install an updated version of the application which might fix the problem. 

First, uninstall Dell SupportAssist:

1. Press the Windows + R key. Type appwiz.cpl and press enter.
2. Search and select Dell SupportAssist.
3. Click on Uninstall.
   
4. Follow the removal process to uninstall Dell SupportAssist.
5. Restart your PC.

Now that you have uninstalled the older version, you can now start installing the new version.

1. Head over to the Dell SupportAssist download website.
2. Click on SupportAssist for HomePC or Business PC depending on where you use your PC.
   
3. Click on Download now. The download process should start.
4. Head over to your system’s download location.
5. Run the SupportAssistInstaller.exe file.
6. Follow the process to complete the Dell SupportAssist installation.

This should get rid of any application issues that were in the previous version of the application. 

Uninstall Dell SupportAssist

Unfortunately, even the latest application is still considered bloatware as it consumes unnecessary system resources. That’s the reason most users have preferred to uninstall this app.

But before that, here are some basic troubleshooting steps that you can try.

• Update Windows.
• Restore Windows to a restore point.
• Scan Windows using Microsoft Defender.
• Check if the Windows Profile is corrupted and check in a different one. Here’s a guide to creating a new Windows profile.

If none of the above fixes work, I recommend that you uninstall Dell SupportAssist entirely.

Disabling or uninstalling SupportAssist also means it will not scan or optimize your PC. So, you need to optimize the PC, update OS and drivers, and scan for malware manually.