CPU Usage at 100%

[chazm]

System
Shuttle AK35GT Motherboard 133 mhz FSB
AMD 1800+
512 DDR Ram
Maxtor 133 ATA 60 GB HD on channel one
Generic C/CDRW and DVD on channel two
NVidia GeForce 6b mb AGP
Netgear Lan card
front case fan
running MotherBoard Monitor 5 on
Win 98 SE with the latest updates

I had no problems wth this system until a month ago. CPU usage
averaged 25 to 40% during normal use, about 3 to 15 % at idle.
The CPU temputure averaged 47 to 48 degrees and case temp was about 32
to 33 degrees.

About three weeks ago the CPU processor usage jumped to 100% at all
times. The temps now register 56 to 58 degrees for the CPU and 33 to
34 degrees for the case. I've also started experiencing unusual BSOD

Also, about three week s ago there was a pretty rough electrical storn
in our area, several losses and restarts of electricity within a short
span of time. I use a surge protector and after the first or second
outage was able to get the computer shut down.

I haven't been able to determine any new background tasks, routinely
use av, firewall and trojan detection programs and nothing appears
unusual. The board voltages seem to be within spec, according to the
BIOS setup Specs.

Is there any software that would cause a CPU to operate at 100%, is
MotherBoardMonitor broke, or could the CPU have suffered damage during
the electrical storm? Would a bad memory stick cause the CPU to
operate at 100% usage. Would a new CPU or OS help?

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[JAD]

WINTOP.exe and look at your possesses

 

[UncleWobbly]

have you installed one of these "cure cance/find aliens in your CPU spare
time" screen saver thingies?

 

[JAD]

heheh yeah that too

have you installed one of these "cure cance/find aliens in your CPU spare
time" screen saver thingies?

 

[chazm]

None that I know of unless my kids did it. I also scan regularly with
Ad-Aware and SpyBotSD and keep all the clutter out of the system.
WinTop doesn't show anything that Niersoft Taskmanager does.

CPU starts at a cool 30 degrees celsius and works its way up to 58
degrees after about 15 to 25 min. Thats when I start getting the
BSOD's. No, MSBlaster is not on the system.

 

[JAD]

what in the list then is showing the usage?
And now you are mentioning temps. is it a temp problem or a cpu usage problem?

 

[chazm]

what in the list then is showing the usage?
And now you are mentioning temps. is it a temp problem or a cpu usage problem?

All the usages are normal, nothing shows to be using excessive cycles
of the CPU. MotherBoardMonitor shows the CPU use as 100% without a
break. WINTOP shows the IDLE process to be 98 to 99%, but this is the
same on other computers, so appears to be normal. WINTop also doesn't
show any processes using excessive CPU cycles.

As far as temps go, before CPU usge was shown as 100%, the temperature
of the CPU ran 10 degrees cooler when CPU usage was within a normal
range. Because of the rise in temp, I'm getting the weird BSOD's. They
start when the CPU temp hits 57 degrees or 58 degrees celsius.

 

[Bishoop]

|
| >what in the list then is showing the usage?
| >And now you are mentioning temps. is it a temp problem or a cpu usage
problem?
| >
| >>
| >> None that I know of unless my kids did it. I also scan regularly with
| >> Ad-Aware and SpyBotSD and keep all the clutter out of the system.
| >> WinTop doesn't show anything that Niersoft Taskmanager does.
| >>
| >> CPU starts at a cool 30 degrees celsius and works its way up to 58
| >> degrees after about 15 to 25 min. Thats when I start getting the
| >> BSOD's. No, MSBlaster is not on the system.
| >>
|
| >> >> > Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
| >> >>
|
| All the usages are normal, nothing shows to be using excessive cycles
| of the CPU. MotherBoardMonitor shows the CPU use as 100% without a
| break. WINTOP shows the IDLE process to be 98 to 99%, but this is the
| same on other computers, so appears to be normal. WINTop also doesn't
| show any processes using excessive CPU cycles.
|
| As far as temps go, before CPU usge was shown as 100%, the temperature
| of the CPU ran 10 degrees cooler when CPU usage was within a normal
| range. Because of the rise in temp, I'm getting the weird BSOD's. They
| start when the CPU temp hits 57 degrees or 58 degrees celsius.

The CPU "Idle Process" means just that, the CPU is IDLE, doing nothing,
resting, nada. Watch the temperature WHILE the CPU Idle Process is at a
very high percentage and see if temp still increases.

If the temp is high under this condition maybe one of your fans has stopped
working? Is the CPU heat sink and/or fan all plugged up with dust bunnies?
Is the fan rotating up around 4000 RPM? Try removing and reinstalling the
CPU heatsink using proper installation techniques.

Maybe something has gone wrong with MTM and it's giving false readings.
Uninstall and reinstall it.