Remove Sihost.exe Unknown Hard Error On Windows 10 With 5 Simple Methods

The occurrence of the sihost.exe unknown hard error is indeed a problematic situation for Windows 10 users. Usually, this error can lead to the sudden disappearance of the Desktop icons, freezing of the taskbar and blackout screen. 

The sihost.exe files are the representation of the Shell Infrastructure Host. This is one of the core components of Windows 10. The Windows Shell Infrastructure Host mainly works based on several graphical elements of the Windows OS. 

Hence, if the SIHost or Shell Infrastructure Host-related files stop working, get corrupted or abruptly removed, then users receive several error messages on their system. Now, if you are one of those Windows 10 users who is facing this error, then follow this article till the end.

Major Causes Behind the “sihost.exe” Unknown Hard Error

In a Windows 10 based system, there are several types of problematic factors which may generate this error. Here, we have listed some of those factors in the section below. 

Have a look at them:

1. Improper Windows launch
2. Corrupted system files
3. Outdated drivers 
4. Installation of corrupted Windows Update

So, if you got a brief idea about the possible causes of this error, then let’s have a look at the solutions. 

Ways to Solve the “sihost.exe” Unknown Hard Error

There are various ways through which you remove the “sihost.exe system warning unknown hard error” from Windows 10 based system. And we have provided some of the most effective solutions for this error. 

Have a look at them and try to apply them as instructed. 

Perform a Clean Boot

Most of the time. Windows 10 users can resolve this error by simply rebooting the system. And it is quite possible the same trick may work for your system. 

Now, to try it out, follow the given steps.

1. Launch the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R key. 
2. Then, type “msconfig” on it and hit the OK button or the Enter key. This will open the System Configuration Box.
3. In that box, navigate into the General tab, check the box beside the Selective Startup option. And then uncheck the box beside the Load Startup Items option. 
4. Now, shift into the Services tab, check the box adjacent to “Hide all Microsoft services” option. Then, hit the Disable All button.
5. After doing that, hit the Apply button and then click on the OK button.

Once you have done that, reboot the system and check whether or not the error warning message is eliminated. 

Run the CHKDSK Tool

Sometimes, this error appears on the Windows 10 based system because of corrupted system files. And in order to repair those files, the user needs to run the CHKDSK Tool on the system. 

To active that tool on the system, follow the given steps.

1. Press the Windows key + X key to launch the WinX menu. 
2. Then, click on the Command Prompt (Admin) option. This will open up the Command Prompt window with the Administrator rights. 
3. In the Command Prompt window, type “chkdsk /f /r” and hit the Enter key. 
4. In the place of “r” the users need to type the label of that drive in which the OS is installed.
5. Once you activate this tool, it will run a file search and repair process. During this process, the tool will try to repair those system files which are corrupted.

After the process gets completed, reboot the system and check whether the error is removed or not.

Use the SFC Or Scannow Command

If the CHKDSK Tool doesn’t work for you, then try to use the SFC tool. This tool is similar to the CHKDSK Tool and therefore you use it for System File Repair task. 

Now, to use the tool on the system, follow the given instruction.

1. Open up the WinX menu by tapping the Windows key + X key at the same time. 
2. Then, hit the Command Prompt (Admin) option. This will open up the  Command Prompt window.
3. There you need to type “sfc /scannow” and hit the Enter key.

Once you do that, the file search and repair process will get active on the system. After the process gets completed, restart the system and look for the “sihost.exe system warning unknown hard error”.

Update the Outdated Drivers

In a few cases, the causes of the “sihost.exe unknown hard error” are outdated drivers and to fix that problem the user needs to update them one by one. 

To perform that task on your Windows 10 based system, follow the given steps.

1. Launch the WinX menu and click on the Device Manager option. This action will open up its window.
2. In the Device Manager window, you will a list of all those drivers which are installed on your system. 
3. From that list, look for those drivers which are showing a yellow sign or exclamation mark.
4. Right-click on those drivers one by one and select the Update Driver Software option. 
5. A box will come up on the screen. On that box, click on the  “Search automatically for updated driver software” in order to launch the updating process.
6. After that, you just need to follow the on-screen instructions to complete that process.

Once all the drivers get updated, restart the system and verify the status of the “sihost.exe unknown hard error”.

Restore the System

Now, if the given solutions are unable to help you in this error removal task, then as a last resort use the System Restore application to fix it. However, this solution will only work if you already created a System Restore point prior to the error message. 

Now, to use this application on the system, follow the given steps.

1. Open the Run Dialog Box by pressing the Windows key + R key. Then, type “rstrui.exe” on it and hit the Enter key or the OK button. 
2. This will open up the System Restore window. There you need to click on the Next button and then select a pre-error Restore Point. 
3. After selecting it, click on the Next button. 
4. Now, review the details of the Restore Point and click on the Finish button. 
5. A confirmation message will appear on the screen. In that message click on the Yes button in order to continue the process.

Once you do that, the system will start the OS restoration process. During this process, your system will reboot itself several times. Don’t interrupt that process, until the system shows up on the Desktop screen. After that verify the status of the error.

We hope that our article has provided you enough information on the “sihost.exe unknown hard error Windows 10”. However, if you need any additional information on this topic or any other tech-related keep follow our upcoming articles.