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Community Newsletter: Q&A: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy?
- 2/28/08 2:46 PM
CPU RUNNING @100% COMUTER RUNNING SLOW
by MRAYVAN - 2/15/08 6:53 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE STUFF RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND ON YOUR START UP
YOU NEED TO START WITH FINDING WHAT PROCCESS ARE RUNNING AND WHAT YOU WANT RUNNING AT STARTUP.
GO TO YOUR STARTUP-RUN AND TYPE IN MSCONFIA WINDOW WILL POP UP.
GO TO START UP TAB SEE WHAT IS RUNNING.
UN CHECK STUFF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HAVE RUNNING BUT BECAREFUL
YOU COULD STOP SOMETHING YOU NEED.
AND IT WILL ONLY TAKE EFFECT AFTER RESTART.
AND RETEST.
TWO FREE UTILITIES THAT WILL HELP YOU
by jim highsmith - 2/15/08 6:57 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Microsoft has two great utilities you can download and install which will help you identify offending runaway processes. Once you have identified the offending program by seeing the cpu time being used or the file access activity, you can then do a search on Google to find help in dealing with the resource hog.
Process Monitor, can be downloaded from here. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx This program monitors file access and well help you identify programs that are constantly accessing your hard drive. If you don't know anything about the identified program, just Google it.
Process Explorer will show you all the process that are running on your system, and how much memory and CPU time they are using, and the process tree they belong to. Is much better at identifying runaway programs than Task Manager. Process Explorer can be downloaded from here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx
This works for me. First I found that Symantec Endpoint Protection was way more of a cpu and file access hog than I bargained for, so I gave it the Ax. Then I found the indexing process was running even though I was using the computer. It was suppose to index only when I was not using the computer. But on system with very fast CPUs like mine it just churns the hard drive anyway. The constant drive noise was bothering me so I axed it to.
Now my system works very nicely, hard drive noise and now I am using free AVG antivirus without any problems, instead of the 300 dollar Endpoint Protection that slowed everything down.
Without these two utilites it would have been nearly impossible to detect the programs causing these problems.
CPU Keeps going to 100%
by wimpyj1 - 2/15/08 7:01 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I think we all know that something is running in the background to cause the cpu to run like that. A hardware problem can cause this also if the cpu is over heating. Try different Spyware software. I had a embedded program that would not come out until I ran XoftSpy. The same with Registry Cleaners. I think the best diognstic is to run MSCONFIG from run and see what items are in the startup. Deselect them all and try one at a time. Good Luck
Wimpy Johnson
wimpy@valornet.com
Hope this helps tony
by mattjack4x4 - 2/15/08 7:04 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have had that problem before and the thing that did it for me was switching some of the BIOS settings. Now I also heard that the problem cannot be remedied except in the case of total reformat but I'm sure you are not looking to do that so try a few things like msconfig through the run function and stop alot of the programs from starting up which will cause the CPU to go to 100% in no time. Also look at the processes under the windows task manager and look to see what program(s) is causing so much processing time and deal with it immediately before it takes over and locks it all up. When you find the process causing all the problems then right click it and choose set affinity to 1 CPU core if you are running a dual core processor, this will help you immensely. That will at very leasy buy you some time to find another way of dealing with the problem. I do know that there are viruses that use 100% processor time but I'm not sure how long it goes on for. This is fixable because you said that it goes back to normal after a reboot. I have an AMD athlon dual core and AMD does have a small program that manages the processor and I'm sure that Intel has a similar program for their processors. I hope this helps you out. Good luck
Matt
CPU at 100%...
by at78rpm - 2/15/08 7:26 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, my first reaction to this post was, "Windows, at it again!" But then I remembered the same thing happening to my computer and a friend's, and the problem turned out to be Norton Antivirus. Nasty program, that. It can easily eat up a lot of computing power.
Me, I switched to Linux, Ubuntu version. My CPU runs with far less heat and stress than it ever did in Win XPsp2.
NORTON
by MRAYVAN - 2/15/08 7:41 PM In reply to: CPU at 100%... by at78rpmI DO NO USE IT OR McCAFEE AVG FREE IS BETTER AND LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER RUNNING ITS HARD ON IT TO RESTART ALL THE TIME
MRAYVAN
by mrmacfixit - 2/17/08 6:46 AM
In reply to: NORTON by MRAYVAN
You might want to get your keyboard looked at.
It looks as though the Caps Lock key is stuck in the On position.
Posting in all Caps is the forum equivalent of shouting and is considered rude and obnoxious.
Please check the Caps Lock before you post again, we know you do not shout deliberately.
Thanks
P
PCs slowing down
by mgloege - 2/15/08 7:40 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Mine was. Badly. finally I got an automatic shut down for "overheating". Took the thing apart an blew the dust out of it and off the chip and lo and behold she's a runnin' just like new again!!
similar problems
by shporang - 2/15/08 7:59 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I had a problem like this once. I had a virus that lived in a temporary folder (a windows temporary, I forget which one exactly) It opened a second instance of svchost.exe, which started some sort of a conflict with the legitimate svchost. So check your running processes (ctr+alt+del) and see which process is taking up so much cpu time. Then take the name to google...you may find your solution there. (for me that involved simply emptying out my temporary folders). Hope this helps.
CPU going to 100% usage
by Bkess - 2/15/08 8:12 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This, by itself, is not necessarily a fault - programs that are complex and/or are handling large amounts of data may periodically utilize as much processor time as is available. But it is a problem if it locks up or drastically slows the computer down. I experienced this problem last year after I installed a spyware removal program called Prevx. It was great at cleaning up a nasty virus I had, but for the next few weeks I experienced all the problems you are having. I found other reports of this problem with Prevx on the net so uninstalled it and all was well from then on.
Is Norton on your System?
by ProToolsGeek - 2/15/08 8:20 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have this problem once in a while, but it *seems* to be right after Norton does an update, and the files are decompressing or doing their magic. If you wait long enough, the slowness goes away but yes a reboot also helps. Also, if I could figure out how to get Norton to update at 2:00AM rather than the middle of the work day, it would be better.
Mysteriously going to 100% might also mean there's something running that maybe you don't realize. Check your task manager and also, get rid of any unnecessary junk that windows likes to run from startup. All that stuff running unnecessarily is a waste of electrons and can bog your system down. 100% is not good, however. Are you sure nobody got through your firewall?
CPU going to 100%
by DarkCityDave - 2/15/08 8:43 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've had this problem earlier in the year. What it turned out to be was a 'memory leak' with windows XP PRO - I wound up reformatting from scratch. I hope someone has a better idea for you.
WOW Nostalgia
by LionsMike - 2/15/08 8:55 PM In reply to: CPU going to 100% by DarkCityDaveMemory leak!! I have not heard that since service pack 1. There was a memory leak problem in the beta which was believed to have been resolved prior to the release, and then it showed up in the released version of XP but service pack 1 was suposed to have taken care of it. I have not heard of that for so long that I forgotten about it.
Were you fully up to date in your OS and MS Office. I believe that having office installed was involved with the leak.
CPU keeps going to 100% any suggestions to remedy?
by Shewak - 2/15/08 8:45 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Mr. Anthony,
Usually this problem happens with, if you have USED AND INSTALLED PIRATED OPERATING SYSTEM.
If this is the case then the answer is understood. Spend some money and get fresh copy of OS.
All the best.
shewak@gmail.com
Eliminate some what you can.
by ksolie - 2/15/08 9:06 PM In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm assuming you running a pretty clean setup and no application is running out of control . Bring up the task manager and look at the current task. (CNTR_ALT_DEL then select task manager..Looks for a single process running at 100%. you may need to do some things. If you find the process, kill it. Find the application that is causing the problems and upgrade/report it.
If no application is causing the slow down, be sure to check for adware, spyware, and such, Mcafee and other software here can help. Unplug your computer from the INternet, and/or LAN all together. Some bots/virus might stop here.
Check your hard drive, it may be going. the swap file may be bad, or a lot of read errors on it. Run some hardware diags on it.
If you still have the problem, no virus, no spyware, no task running at 100%. YOur harddrive has room and has to read or write errors. Upgrade your drivers.
Upgrade your drivers for your video card first and then sound.
If this fails start to yank hardware. Unplug the Ether net card first. Then any other cards you have, Which probably won't be any more...
Hope that helps...The windows slow downs can come from anywhere.
After years of building PC from the 8088 days and the Intel 386 until now. I finally bought a b MAC.
Within 3 months on my first mac I had two more.
I have had a single problem like the one your describing every since...heeh
Get a MAC you will love your computer again...
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