[SOLVED] "System" is using 500+ Gigabytes of Internet Data every month.

manhatti Zee

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2013
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18,530
My monitor is 1080p so I dont stream stuff in 4k, and any streaming activity of that scale would show up in msedge.exe, that's the only browser I use.
My current internet is very cheap for me, 60-70 MBps Unlimited D/U, so this amount of internet usage won't cost me anything extra, but I really dont think I should ignore a random process vaguely named "System" using 500+ GBs of data without knowing why.

I don't host anything like a server, I don't seed any torrents, I download windows updates but they alone shouldn't reach this insane amount of Data usage.

I dont know how to share images here, so I'll post an imgur link - View: https://imgur.com/a/qFWp2MN


Can anyone help me identify what exactly "System" is?
 
Solution
528gb of windows update? I have to wonder.

Thats way too much.

it could be this

It is a result of Windows' new update distribution feature which uses people's computers to spread updates like a disease to other computers. This means that if it is turned on, and it is by default, then your PC will constantly download and upload data, helping to spread updates via P2P connections.

Here's where to turn it off:

Settings > Update & Security >Windows Update > Advanced Option > (Right here you want to select "Notify to schedule restart, this is off topic but probably for the better) > Choose how updates are delivered > turn it off.

https://www.tenforums.com/network-sharing/12753-windows-10-system-using-my-internet.html...

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
528gb of windows update? I have to wonder.

Thats way too much.

it could be this

It is a result of Windows' new update distribution feature which uses people's computers to spread updates like a disease to other computers. This means that if it is turned on, and it is by default, then your PC will constantly download and upload data, helping to spread updates via P2P connections.

Here's where to turn it off:

Settings > Update & Security >Windows Update > Advanced Option > (Right here you want to select "Notify to schedule restart, this is off topic but probably for the better) > Choose how updates are delivered > turn it off.

https://www.tenforums.com/network-sharing/12753-windows-10-system-using-my-internet.html

how many computers on your network?
 
Solution

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Have you run anti virus scans and malwarescans? try running this - https://www.hitmanpro.com/en-us
I can only think of an infection perhaps.

does the amount show on taskbar/App History and sort by Network? its possible it only shows your usage here and not system (its meant to track all users, and technically system is a user, its just run by windows)

it could be worse, this guy had 4000 gb per month but it was windows update = link

Windows isn't much good at this sort of thing, I don't know where windows stores the figures it used to get that figure. Should be able to log the results.


this might be in above - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_usage_view.html
 
Last edited:

manhatti Zee

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2013
47
0
18,530
Have you run anti virus scans and malwarescans? try running this - https://www.hitmanpro.com/en-us
I can only think of an infection perhaps.

does the amount show on taskbar/App History and sort by Network? its possible it only shows your usage here and not system (its meant to track all users, and technically system is a user, its just run by windows)

it could be worse, this guy had 4000 gb per month but it was windows update = link

Windows isn't much good at this sort of thing, I don't know where windows stores the figures it used to get that figure. Should be able to log the results.


this might be in above - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_usage_view.html
Would malwarebyte be enough? I dont want to register for a free trail using my email if its not essential