CPU Overload

[PaulS]

Hello. I'll try to be as complete as I can about the
problems I'm experiencing. I have a PIII at 933 MHz that
I have changed the hard drive and the OS to XPPro. After
a couple fits and starts, it had been running fairly
smoothly until recently.

It began to get slower, until one day the computer
restarted itself, but wouldn't load the desktop, and gave
a message that I needed to activate XP, something that I
had already done.

So I did a complete reload, right down to reformatting
and reinstalling most of the software. Things operated
normally for a few weeks, but I've experienced the same
problems since then, albeit not as severe. I haven't had
to wipe the drive clean and start from scratch again, but
the CPU usage meter is constantly in the green for the
first hour or so of uptime, and many days it will restart
itself. if I shut down and restart manually though, the
CPU goes down to respectable levels of activity.

Did I pick up a virus, or is this a hardware issue?

 

[Hilary Karp]

First check your system for spyware/malware and viruses:

Run these programs to check for spyware/malware. After installing
update them, then boot into safe mode and run them. You should run
update and run them weekly.

Cwshredder
http://209.133.47.200/~merijn/files/CWShredder.exe

Ad-aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com

Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner
http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10247783.html

After your system is clean use these programs to help keep it clean:

Spywareblaster
www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html


Spywareguard
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sgdownload.html

IE-SPYAD
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm

For viruses there are a variety of online and downloadable options:

Online and Downloadable Virus Scanning:

Bit Defender Online Virus Scan:
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/license.php

Symantec Online Virus and Security Scan:
http://security.symantec.com/ssc/home.asp

TrendMicro:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

McAfee Stinger, Downloadable Virus Scanner:
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=stinger

McAfee Online Virus Scan:
http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/mfs/default.asp

Panda ActiveScan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

RAV AntiVirus - Scan Online
http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/

Make sure you have a firewall active at all times. If nothing else use
the one built into XP, but there are a variety of free third party ones
that do a better job from Sygate, Zone Alarm or Kerio.

 

[PaulS]

Thanks to those of you that responded. You would feel
pretty confident that this is a software problem and not
a CPU problem?