Community Newsletter: Q&A: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy?

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by Lee Koo (ADMIN)  - 2/22/08 3:57 PM

In reply to: CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy? by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

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Answer:

CPU Usage Stuck at 100%

There are many things that can cause a computer to show 100% when you display the CPU usage. Spyware, viruses, bad drivers or damaged programs can all lead to this type of problem. In some cases, it can be a known issue with your specific model computer, so you should first check the website for your computer to see if you see anything there regarding this issue. If not, then there are several ways to approach this problem.

1. BACKUP Your Data – Sorry but I can never say this enough. You should never work on a computer without first backing up any critical data.

2. As mentioned above, check your manufacturer’s website for any known problems with your specific computer model.

3. System Restore – If the problem just started within the last few days, there is always a fair chance that running a Windows System Restore and setting your computer back a few days may solve your problem. But if you have had the problem for awhile OR you have installed a bunch of programs or updates recently then this may not work at all. System Restore can be found by going to START > ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE. Note: I would not recommend going back more than a week or so.

4. Virus and Spyware – I can only assume that you already did this but a computer that is infected with viruses and/or spyware can exhibit this type of behavior. So make sure that your computer is totally clean by running full virus and Spyware scans. You may even want to double check by running one of the many free online virus scans.

5. Identify the Process - See if you can identify a specific process that is using the most CPU percentage. Use Ctrl+Alt+Del to open task manager and click on the processes tab. Scroll down through the list for any process that has the highest CPU percentage. You can try to end that process and see if that helps and then Google the name of the process to help figure out what it is. You may luck out and find the exact program to uninstall or update to fix the problem. But, in most cases it will turn out to be one of the many generic windows processes and may not really give you any real clue as to the exact problem.

6. Disconnect Peripherals – Shut down your computer and unplug all external devices such as Printers, Scanners and Backup Drives. Leave only your Mouse, Keyboard and Internet Connection plugged in and reboot your computer to see if the problem is still there. If the problem goes away, plug things back in, one at a time until you have isolated the problem device.

7. Shut Down Startup Items – Use msconfig to Shut down all startup programs and reboot the computer to see if the problem goes away. If it does then go back and methodically turn back ON individual startup items until the problem returns. Once you isolate the offending program, you can Google the name of the file to find out which program it is related to. To use MSCONFIG click on START and then RUN and type msconfig in the run box and then click on OK. Click on the STARTUP tab and you will be presented with a list of items that are going to run automatically every time the computer starts. You can select or deselect any items the you want to start when your computer boots. Now click on OK and reboot your computer. You can go back anytime and run msconfig to turn back on any items that you choose until you find which one is causing your problem.

8. Update all drivers for your computer – Go to the website for your computer and download and install the latest drivers for your computer. Start with Chipset, Video, and Sound drivers first, followed by network, modem and others.

9. Update Bios – In some cases the Bios may need updating, but I would stay away from this unless you really know what you are doing, because you can permanently damage your computer if you mess up during this process.

10. Problematic Programs – There are many programs that have been known to cause this type of problem. For example some earlier versions of Kodak Easy Share software had this problem. Norton and some other antivirus software can become corrupt and cause this issue as well as software and drivers associated with many All-In-One printers. You should suspect any program that calls home for updates as well as file sharing programs like kazza and limewire. Other VOIP software such as Skype can also be a problem. I would suggest uninstalling any programs that you do not need at this moment to help isolate the problem. NOTE: Do not uninstall anything you want that you do have a way to reinstall such as having the original CD’s or downloads.

11. Full Recovery or Reinstallation – If all else fails then you may have to resort to a full system Recovery or a reinstallation of Windows. This would be a last resort, but can rejuvenate a computer to like new condition and for some problems, may even be less time consuming.

Good Luck and Please keep us posted as to what you find.

Dana
Wayland Computer

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=284007&messageID=2705924#2705924

Submitted by: waytron

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Answer:

Loop of death!

Anthony,

This is most certainly a software issue. Whether it is related to device drivers or Windows applications and services is hard to say at this point. Luckily, it is fairly simple to start the diagnosis.

Here is what I would do:

1. Continue to use your computer until the next time it starts to slow down due to the processor being overused.

2. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your keyboard to bring up the Windows Task Manager.

3. Go to the "Processes" tab in the Windows Task Manager.

4. Sort the list of processes by "CPU". This is a percentile representation of how much processing power each program or service that is running under Windows is using. A service is a program that runs invisibly in the backgrowund.

5. Determine which program is using all your computing power. It will be at the top of the list with a high percentage if you sort it by descending processor usage.

6. Once you know the name of the program that is hogging your juice, Google around a bit to answer these questions...
6.a. Do other people have the same problem?
6.b. Is this a virus, trojan or spyware program?
6.c. How is it fixed?
6.d. If it cannot be fixed, how is it removed?
6.e. What is the answer to the universe?

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In conclusion, there are one or more programs on your computer that are misbehaving and you can mostly likely fix the situation by doing one or more of the following:

A. Applying updates to your software.
B. Modifying your configuration for either Windows or the afflicted program.
C. Removing the afflicted program.

It is not necessarily true that this program is in any way malicious, and I would not be too alarmed at this point. Some further investigation (With the power of Google and CTRL+ALT+DEL) will shed a lot more light on the situation.

Good luck, Anthony.

- Rob

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=284007&messageID=2706255#2706255

Submitted by NoxTheOx

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Answer:

CPU Lockups

Anthony developed a problem where by the CPU keeps going to 100% and either freezes the PC or slows it down to virtually standstill.

Hi Anthony, I had a similar problem and solved it with the following actions.
1. eliminate the possibility of a hardware problem by checking your hardware device manager. ( I use the shortcut of pressing the left windows button and the pause/break key at the same time)

2. remove the cover from your computer and make sure the CPU cooling fan is working and not clogged with dust. An overheated CPU can give you that symptom.

3. If you have gotten this far, it is NOT a hardware problem. Now lets move on to Software. When your computer first boots, let everything standard load up and then press Ctrl-Alt-Del. Click on the processes tab. along the top of the process list, click on the heading CPU. This sorts the processes in use by how much they use the CPU. (you may have to click it 2x to get the high useage at the top of the window) The "System Idle Process" should be over 90% in normal working mode.

4. Drag the process window out of the way and use your computer normally. When you notice that the system is bogging down, drag your process window out and see what is causing your high activity level. Click on that process to highlight it, then click on the END PROCESS button.

5. This should improve your performance, but be aware that some processes are smart enough to restart themselves. In this event, you will see the one you just closed magically reappear. If so, a little detective work on the process name should let you know what program is using that process.

6. If you think you have found the culprit, don't just start uninstalling programs. see if you can disable it first. Many times the offending program can be found loading itself at bootup. You can see a list of these by clicking your start button, click RUN, and type MSCONFIG at the prompt. The window that opens has a tab called STARTUP. Look through the list and see if you can find your offender there. if so, just uncheck the box(s) next to what you want to disable on your next reboot.

7. If you can not find an offending program that YOU installed, you should run a Spyware checker (Spybot is one of my faves) After you clean up your spyware... empty your cookies, and delete your temporary internet files (internet explorer, tools, internet options.)

8. 9. & 10...couldn't think of anything more to tell ya other than you are not alone, it is fixable, and you WILL get to the bottom of it all.

When I had this problem the offender was McAfee SPAMchecker. Although I have a great respect for their virus protection, their e-mail spam protection drove my system NUTS! We were having rolling brown-outs from the power company and that program would glitch into an endless loop. I used the above items and disabled the program. problem solved.
Cheers to you mate!

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=284007&messageID=2705653#2705653

Submitted by PBaker2