Windows Task Manager and high cpu usage

[Paul Thomas]

Dear Forum

I have Windows Xp with SP2 and have found recently that the PC has slowed
down a bit, when i look at the cpu usage through windows task manager it
spikes to 100% a lot, the only process showing a high usage is system idle -
how can this be?
i have standard nav anti virus with firewall but what could be slowing
things down this much?

thanks for any help

 

[Wesley Vogel]

System Idle Process is when the system is idle or doing nothing.

2 : to run at low power and often disconnected usually so that power is not
used for useful work
<the engine is idling>
Definition of idle - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

System Idle Process reference...

[[Idle: This is a generic process that is used when no other program or
process is requiring CPU resources. It is not a bad thing if it is using 99%
of your CPU! This process is a 16 k loop that the CPU processes while it is
not doing "anything" else. If you computer is called upon to do any other
task than nothing, the idle process allows that to happen and the % used
will decrease accordingly. You can not disable the idle process. If it is
using 97% CPU, which only means that the other 3% is used by real programs.
If your idle process is constantly at a low rate (for example, 3%) something
else, an application or process is using the CPU.]]
http://web.archive.org/web/20041125021602/www.blackviper.com/WinXP/strangeservice.htm

[[Note The System Idle Process indicates the unused percentage of the CPU.]]
Task Manager may not calculate CPU usage correctly on Windows 2000, Windows
Server 2003, or Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873289

[[System Idle Process - You cannot end this process from Task Manager.
* This process is a single thread running on each processor, which has the
sole task of accounting for processor time when the system isn't processing
other threads. In Task Manager, expect this process to account for the
majority of processor time. ]]
Default Processes in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263201

[[Description:
the System Idle Process is not a process, more a counter which is displayed
in WinTasks used for measuring how much idle time the CPU is having at any
particular time. This counter will display how much CPU Resources, as a
percentage are 'idle' and available for use. Cannot be killed]]
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/System Idle
%20Process/

[[System Idle Process
An option in the Windows XP Task Manager that indicates what percentage of
time the CPU is currently doing nothing but waiting for work. If no
applications are running that the user is aware of (although there may
always be some tasks running in the background), the percentage can be in
the high 90s. ]]
http://www.answers.com/topic/system-idle-process

[[System idle process
In computing, The System Idle Process is a process in the Microsoft Windows
operating system that displays, as a percentage, how much CPU resources are
"idle" and available for use at any given time. The name of this "process"
may be a misnomer, however, as the System Idle Process is more of a counter
and less of a process that actually uses the resource percentage that it
displays.]]
http://www.answers.com/topic/system-idle-process

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[db]

download a program called
taskinfo.

the freeware versions may still
be around, but i think the newer
trialware will provide some results
as well.

the task info will give you additional
details about those processes. (I certainly
hope there is no new spyware called
system idle.)

however one possibility is that
your pc may be indexing and your
task manager is set to update
very slowly...

a method to analyze the
problem is to see how your pc
functions in safemode

- db
Dear Forum

I have Windows Xp with SP2 and have found recently that the PC has slowed
down a bit, when i look at the cpu usage through windows task manager it
spikes to 100% a lot, the only process showing a high usage is system idle -
how can this be?
i have standard nav anti virus with firewall but what could be slowing
things down this much?

thanks for any help

 

[Lee Antony]

I'm guessing now but the OP might be asking about the situation when system
idle shows near 99% but CPU usage (bottom of window) runs at 40-50%. I get
this often and assumed it was different refresh rates but then I look at
Process Explorer and see that hardware interrupts seem to make up the
difference. I'm curious to know if interrupts get lumped with system idle
process in Task Manager.

System Idle Process is when the system is idle or doing nothing.

2 : to run at low power and often disconnected usually so that power is
not
used for useful work
<the engine is idling>
Definition of idle - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

System Idle Process reference...

[[Idle: This is a generic process that is used when no other program or
process is requiring CPU resources. It is not a bad thing if it is using
99%
of your CPU! This process is a 16 k loop that the CPU processes while it
is
not doing "anything" else. If you computer is called upon to do any other
task than nothing, the idle process allows that to happen and the % used
will decrease accordingly. You can not disable the idle process. If it is
using 97% CPU, which only means that the other 3% is used by real
programs.
If your idle process is constantly at a low rate (for example, 3%)
something
else, an application or process is using the CPU.]]
http://web.archive.org/web/20041125021602/www.blackviper.com/WinXP/strangeservice.htm

[[Note The System Idle Process indicates the unused percentage of the
CPU.]]
Task Manager may not calculate CPU usage correctly on Windows 2000,
Windows
Server 2003, or Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873289

[[System Idle Process - You cannot end this process from Task Manager.
* This process is a single thread running on each processor, which has the
sole task of accounting for processor time when the system isn't
processing
other threads. In Task Manager, expect this process to account for the
majority of processor time. ]]
Default Processes in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263201

[[Description:
the System Idle Process is not a process, more a counter which is
displayed
in WinTasks used for measuring how much idle time the CPU is having at any
particular time. This counter will display how much CPU Resources, as a
percentage are 'idle' and available for use. Cannot be killed]]
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/System Idle
%20Process/

[[System Idle Process
An option in the Windows XP Task Manager that indicates what percentage of
time the CPU is currently doing nothing but waiting for work. If no
applications are running that the user is aware of (although there may
always be some tasks running in the background), the percentage can be in
the high 90s. ]]
http://www.answers.com/topic/system-idle-process

[[System idle process
In computing, The System Idle Process is a process in the Microsoft
Windows
operating system that displays, as a percentage, how much CPU resources
are
"idle" and available for use at any given time. The name of this "process"
may be a misnomer, however, as the System Idle Process is more of a
counter
and less of a process that actually uses the resource percentage that it
displays.]]
http://www.answers.com/topic/system-idle-process

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Dear Forum

I have Windows Xp with SP2 and have found recently that the PC has slowed
down a bit, when i look at the cpu usage through windows task manager it
spikes to 100% a lot, the only process showing a high usage is system
idle - how can this be?
i have standard nav anti virus with firewall but what could be slowing
things down this much?

thanks for any help

 

[Wesley Vogel]

I'm curious to know if interrupts get lumped

with system idle process in Task Manager.

Beats me.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

I'm guessing now but the OP might be asking about the situation when
system idle shows near 99% but CPU usage (bottom of window) runs at
40-50%. I get this often and assumed it was different refresh rates but
then I look at Process Explorer and see that hardware interrupts seem to
make up the difference. I'm curious to know if interrupts get lumped
with system idle process in Task Manager.

System Idle Process is when the system is idle or doing nothing.

2 : to run at low power and often disconnected usually so that power is
not
used for useful work
<the engine is idling>
Definition of idle - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

System Idle Process reference...

[[Idle: This is a generic process that is used when no other program or
process is requiring CPU resources. It is not a bad thing if it is using
99%
of your CPU! This process is a 16 k loop that the CPU processes while it
is
not doing "anything" else. If you computer is called upon to do any other
task than nothing, the idle process allows that to happen and the % used
will decrease accordingly. You can not disable the idle process. If it is
using 97% CPU, which only means that the other 3% is used by real
programs.
If your idle process is constantly at a low rate (for example, 3%)
something
else, an application or process is using the CPU.]]
http://web.archive.org/web/20041125021602/www.blackviper.com/WinXP/strangeservice.htm

[[Note The System Idle Process indicates the unused percentage of the
CPU.]]
Task Manager may not calculate CPU usage correctly on Windows 2000,
Windows
Server 2003, or Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873289

[[System Idle Process - You cannot end this process from Task Manager.
* This process is a single thread running on each processor, which has
the sole task of accounting for processor time when the system isn't
processing
other threads. In Task Manager, expect this process to account for the
majority of processor time. ]]
Default Processes in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263201

[[Description:
the System Idle Process is not a process, more a counter which is
displayed
in WinTasks used for measuring how much idle time the CPU is having at
any particular time. This counter will display how much CPU Resources,
as a percentage are 'idle' and available for use. Cannot be killed]]
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/System Idle
%20Process/

[[System Idle Process
An option in the Windows XP Task Manager that indicates what percentage
of time the CPU is currently doing nothing but waiting for work. If no
applications are running that the user is aware of (although there may
always be some tasks running in the background), the percentage can be in
the high 90s. ]]
http://www.answers.com/topic/system-idle-process

[[System idle process
In computing, The System Idle Process is a process in the Microsoft
Windows
operating system that displays, as a percentage, how much CPU resources
are
"idle" and available for use at any given time. The name of this
"process" may be a misnomer, however, as the System Idle Process is more
of a counter
and less of a process that actually uses the resource percentage that it
displays.]]
http://www.answers.com/topic/system-idle-process

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Dear Forum

I have Windows Xp with SP2 and have found recently that the PC has
slowed down a bit, when i look at the cpu usage through windows task
manager it spikes to 100% a lot, the only process showing a high usage
is system idle - how can this be?
i have standard nav anti virus with firewall but what could be slowing
things down this much?

thanks for any help