CPU usage 100% on Dell Inspiron 8100

[Ragnar Midtskogen]

Hello,

My Dell Inspiron 8100 has been very slow lately, but today it got
paricularly bad so I opened the 'Task Mangler' and checked the performance
monitor.
It showed 100% and when I looked at the processes I saw that Dadtray.exe and
Explorer.exe were using around 40 and 50 % respectively. I stopped the
Dadtray and now the CPU usage is somewhere in the teens most of the time.
The performance appears to be back to normal too.

Has anyone seen this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Ragnar

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Ragnar Midtskogen" <[email protected]>

| Hello,
|
| My Dell Inspiron 8100 has been very slow lately, but today it got
| paricularly bad so I opened the 'Task Mangler' and checked the performance
| monitor.
| It showed 100% and when I looked at the processes I saw that Dadtray.exe and
| Explorer.exe were using around 40 and 50 % respectively. I stopped the
| Dadtray and now the CPU usage is somewhere in the teens most of the time.
| The performance appears to be back to normal too.
|
| Has anyone seen this?
|
| Any help would be appreciated.
|
| Ragnar
|


For non-viral malware...

Please download, install and update the following software...

* Ad-aware SE v1.06
http://www.lavasoft.de/
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

* SpyBot Search and Destroy v1.4
http://security.kolla.de/

After the software is updated, I suggest scanning the system in Safe Mode.

I also suggest downloading, installing and updating BHODemon for any Browser Helper Objects
that may be on the PC.

* BHODemon

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=3550&file=11&evp=245a87539eea8ed6904332b4b8b8442d

For viral malware...

* Download MULTI_AV.EXE from the URL --
http://www.ik-cs.com/programs/virtools/Multi_AV.exe

To use this utility, perform the following...
Execute; Multi_AV.exe { Note: You must use the default folder C:\AV-CLS }
Choose; Unzip
Choose; Close

Execute; C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT
{ or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS }

NOTE: You may have to disable your software FireWall or allow WGET.EXE to go through your
FireWall to allow it to download the needed AV vendor related files.

C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT -- { or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS}
This will bring up the initial menu of choices and should be executed in Normal Mode.
This way all the components can be downloaded from each AV vendor's web site.
The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and Reboot the PC.

You can choose to go to each menu item and just download the needed files or you can
download the files and perform a scan in Normal Mode. Once you have downloaded the files
needed for each scanner you want to use, you should reboot the PC into Safe Mode [F8 key
during boot] and re-run the menu again and choose which scanner you want to run in Safe
Mode. It is suggested to run the scanners in both Safe Mode and Normal Mode.

When the menu is displayed hitting 'H' or 'h' will bring up a more comprehensive PDF help
file. http://www.ik-cs.com/multi-av.htm

Additional Instructions:
http://harrisonrj.home.comcast.net/step_by_step_pc_cleaning_process.htm#Step_3_%96_Getting_Help


* * * Please report back your results * * *

 

[Math1]

Hello,

My Dell Inspiron 8100 has been very slow lately, but today it got
paricularly bad so I opened the 'Task Mangler' and checked the performance
monitor.
It showed 100% and when I looked at the processes I saw that Dadtray.exe
and Explorer.exe were using around 40 and 50 % respectively. I stopped the
Dadtray and now the CPU usage is somewhere in the teens most of the time.
The performance appears to be back to normal too.

Has anyone seen this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Ragnar

DADTRAY.EXE comes installed on many Dell Inspiron and Latitude notebooks. It
places an icon in your system tray that can be used to laucnh DADAPP.EXE, a
keyboard utility that monitors and controls the programmable buttons on Dell
Laptop computers.

If you don't need the tray icon, you can disable it via Winpatrol. Dell
recommends against unchecking the dadapp.exe program via MSConfig or
WinPatrol because rechecking the problem doesn't always restore
functionality to the programmable keys. So if you want to get rid of the
whole program, uninstall it via Add/Remove programs.

Hope this helps.
Anne

 

[Guest]

Google came up with this: dadtray - dadtray.exe - Process Information
Process File: dadtray or dadtray.exe
Process Name: Dell AccessDirect Tray

Description:
dadtray.exe is a piece of software produced by Dell corperation which allows
configuration options for your Dell laptops additional keys. Without this
process these additional keys e.g. volume and the Internet key, will not
work. This program is a non-essential system process, but should not be
terminated unless suspected to be causing problems.

 

[Ragnar Midtskogen]

Thank you David,

The machine already has updated AdAware and SpyWare Doctor, as well as the
latest and greatest Norton Internet Security.
It also is behind both a hardware firewall (Router) and NIC's software
firewall, but I have not received any warning signals.
I was hoping someone had run into this and found a solution.

Ragnar

From: "Ragnar Midtskogen" <[email protected]>

| Hello,
|
| My Dell Inspiron 8100 has been very slow lately, but today it got
| paricularly bad so I opened the 'Task Mangler' and checked the
performance
| monitor.
| It showed 100% and when I looked at the processes I saw that Dadtray.exe
and
| Explorer.exe were using around 40 and 50 % respectively. I stopped the
| Dadtray and now the CPU usage is somewhere in the teens most of the
time.
| The performance appears to be back to normal too.
|
| Has anyone seen this?
|
| Any help would be appreciated.
|
| Ragnar
|


For non-viral malware...

Please download, install and update the following software...

* Ad-aware SE v1.06
http://www.lavasoft.de/
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

* SpyBot Search and Destroy v1.4
http://security.kolla.de/

After the software is updated, I suggest scanning the system in Safe Mode.

I also suggest downloading, installing and updating BHODemon for any
Browser Helper Objects
that may be on the PC.

* BHODemon

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=3550&file=11&evp=245a87539eea8ed6904332b4b8b8442d

For viral malware...

* Download MULTI_AV.EXE from the URL --
http://www.ik-cs.com/programs/virtools/Multi_AV.exe

To use this utility, perform the following...
Execute; Multi_AV.exe { Note: You must use the default folder C:\AV-CLS }
Choose; Unzip
Choose; Close

Execute; C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT
{ or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS }

NOTE: You may have to disable your software FireWall or allow WGET.EXE to
go through your
FireWall to allow it to download the needed AV vendor related files.

C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT -- { or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS}
This will bring up the initial menu of choices and should be executed in
Normal Mode.
This way all the components can be downloaded from each AV vendor's web
site.
The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and
Reboot the PC.

You can choose to go to each menu item and just download the needed files
or you can
download the files and perform a scan in Normal Mode. Once you have
downloaded the files
needed for each scanner you want to use, you should reboot the PC into
Safe Mode [F8 key
during boot] and re-run the menu again and choose which scanner you want
to run in Safe
Mode. It is suggested to run the scanners in both Safe Mode and Normal
Mode.

When the menu is displayed hitting 'H' or 'h' will bring up a more
comprehensive PDF help
file. http://www.ik-cs.com/multi-av.htm

Additional Instructions:
http://harrisonrj.home.comcast.net/step_by_step_pc_cleaning_process.htm#Step_3_%96_Getting_Help


* * * Please report back your results * * *

 

[Ragnar Midtskogen]

Thank you Anne,

I am aware of what Dadtray.exe does, I am not aware that I have ever used
it.
I was hoping someone had run into this and found a solution other than
disabling it.

Ragnar

 

[Ragnar Midtskogen]

Thank you Mary,

I am aware of what Dadtray.exe does, I am not aware that I have ever used
it.
I was hoping someone had run into this and found a solution other than
disabling it.

Ragnar

 

[R. McCarty]

Can't say 100%, but almost all Dell PCs/Notebooks have way too
much "Valued-Added" junk. In your case, I would check the Event
logs to see if some of this Dell background junk is having issues. I'm
not a fan of NIS and it itself adds some performance drag. I'd do a
Trend-Micro Spyware & (separate) Virus Scan from here:
Virus Scan:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Spyware Scan & Removal:
http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
Other than those items, I would suggest you use Add/Remove Prgms
from Control Panel and "De-Dell-ify" the computer.

Thank you David,

The machine already has updated AdAware and SpyWare Doctor, as well as the
latest and greatest Norton Internet Security.
It also is behind both a hardware firewall (Router) and NIC's software
firewall, but I have not received any warning signals.
I was hoping someone had run into this and found a solution.

Ragnar

From: "Ragnar Midtskogen" <[email protected]>

| Hello,
|
| My Dell Inspiron 8100 has been very slow lately, but today it got
| paricularly bad so I opened the 'Task Mangler' and checked the
performance
| monitor.
| It showed 100% and when I looked at the processes I saw that
Dadtray.exe and
| Explorer.exe were using around 40 and 50 % respectively. I stopped the
| Dadtray and now the CPU usage is somewhere in the teens most of the
time.
| The performance appears to be back to normal too.
|
| Has anyone seen this?
|
| Any help would be appreciated.
|
| Ragnar
|


For non-viral malware...

Please download, install and update the following software...

* Ad-aware SE v1.06
http://www.lavasoft.de/
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

* SpyBot Search and Destroy v1.4
http://security.kolla.de/

After the software is updated, I suggest scanning the system in Safe
Mode.

I also suggest downloading, installing and updating BHODemon for any
Browser Helper Objects
that may be on the PC.

* BHODemon

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=3550&file=11&evp=245a87539eea8ed6904332b4b8b8442d

For viral malware...

* Download MULTI_AV.EXE from the URL --
http://www.ik-cs.com/programs/virtools/Multi_AV.exe

To use this utility, perform the following...
Execute; Multi_AV.exe { Note: You must use the default folder C:\AV-CLS }
Choose; Unzip
Choose; Close

Execute; C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT
{ or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS }

NOTE: You may have to disable your software FireWall or allow WGET.EXE to
go through your
FireWall to allow it to download the needed AV vendor related files.

C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT -- { or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in
C:\AV-CLS}
This will bring up the initial menu of choices and should be executed in
Normal Mode.
This way all the components can be downloaded from each AV vendor's web
site.
The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and
Reboot the PC.

You can choose to go to each menu item and just download the needed files
or you can
download the files and perform a scan in Normal Mode. Once you have
downloaded the files
needed for each scanner you want to use, you should reboot the PC into
Safe Mode [F8 key
during boot] and re-run the menu again and choose which scanner you want
to run in Safe
Mode. It is suggested to run the scanners in both Safe Mode and Normal
Mode.

When the menu is displayed hitting 'H' or 'h' will bring up a more
comprehensive PDF help
file. http://www.ik-cs.com/multi-av.htm

Additional Instructions:
http://harrisonrj.home.comcast.net/step_by_step_pc_cleaning_process.htm#Step_3_%96_Getting_Help


* * * Please report back your results * * *

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Ragnar Midtskogen" <[email protected]>

| Thank you David,
|
| The machine already has updated AdAware and SpyWare Doctor, as well as the
| latest and greatest Norton Internet Security.
| It also is behind both a hardware firewall (Router) and NIC's software
| firewall, but I have not received any warning signals.
| I was hoping someone had run into this and found a solution.
|
| Ragnar



Well I suggest trying the Multi AV Scanning Tool mentioned above which provides AV scanners
for four different vendors. It is very possible that you have a Trojan chaining off
Explorer. One of them may find something that Norton missed. This is something NOT
uncommon.