Running a Windows 8 ,i3 computer. In the last 3 weeks something called the wmi provider host has come on and continues to run. It uses up to 6% of the CPU. I have run virus and malware software: all negative. I've tried killing the process...it won't die. Don't want to have to reinstall windows if I don't have to.

1) Do you receive any error message?
2) Do you remember making any changes prior to this issue?

You may try running Microsoft safety scanner, the Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free downloadable security tool that provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It works with your existing antivirus software.


Method 1: Run Microsoft safety scanner.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx

Note: The Microsoft Safety Scanner expires 10 days after being downloaded. To rerun a scan with the latest anti-malware definitions, download and run the Microsoft Safety Scanner again.

Note: Any data files that are infected may only be cleaned by deleting the file entirely, which means there is a potential for data loss.


Method 2: Refer to the article given below and follow the instructions provided.


http://blogs.msdn.com/b/wmi/archive/2009/05/27/is-wmiprvse-a-real-villain.aspx

Also check for the event viewer logs.

Check Event Viewer:

I would also suggest you to provide us any error logs related to issue from Event Viewer. Follow these steps to access the Event Viewer.

a) Move the mouse to the bottom left corner and right-click on the start.
b) Select ‘Event Viewer’ and click an event log in the left pane.
c) Expand ‘Windows logs’ and click on ‘System’ to check for the logs.