CPU stress and disk light blinking

[Gabriel Menini]

Hello, list

I run MS-Windows XP SP 2 and since yestarday the PC is showing an
unexpected activity.

Everything is slooooow: openin a file, printing, dragging windows,
browsing local folders, setting volume, et cetera.

The task manager shows 96%-99% of activity but can't realise what
process is taking so much processor. Sorting the process list by CPU
usage criteria doesn't give enough data. Everything seems to be as
always has been.

But the hard disk access light is permanent blinking showing disk activity.

My updated antivirus don't show anything strange.

How can I analyse this issue deep inside to solve it?

Thanks,
--
Gabriel Menini

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IT Support
Guarani Aquifer System Project

 

[Guest]

does your pc seem to function ok in safe mode....? Or is that sloooow
tooooooo....?

 

[Ron Martell]

The task manager shows 96%-99% of activity but can't realise what
process is taking so much processor. Sorting the process list by CPU
usage criteria doesn't give enough data. Everything seems to be as
always has been.

If you click twice on the CPU column header the list will be in
descending order by CPU usage, with the highest usage items at the
top.

Post the names of the 4 or 5 top items back here. That may provide a
clue as to what is going on.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hello, list

I run MS-Windows XP SP 2 and since yestarday the PC is showing an
unexpected activity.

Everything is slooooow: openin a file, printing, dragging windows,
browsing local folders, setting volume, et cetera.

The task manager shows 96%-99% of activity but can't realise what
process is taking so much processor. Sorting the process list by CPU
usage criteria doesn't give enough data. Everything seems to be as
always has been.

But the hard disk access light is permanent blinking showing disk
activity.
My updated antivirus don't show anything strange.

How can I analyse this issue deep inside to solve it?

Thanks,

The most likely problem these days is malware infestation. What anti-spyware
apps do you run, and
are they up-to date? Also read here:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

 

[Gabriel Menini]

If you click twice on the CPU column header the list will be in
descending order by CPU usage, with the highest usage items at the
top.

Post the names of the 4 or 5 top items back here. That may provide a
clue as to what is going on.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

Hello, Ron

The list is dynamic but the first place always is
"Proceso inactivo del sistema".

My system is in Spanish, I can translate this string as "Inactive system
process" but not sure if that's the name in English based Windows.

This process is owned by user "SYSTEM" and using 16Kb of memory.

The following processes switch from taskmgr.exe and seamonkey.exe.
I don't find anything strange in this list, though.
--
Gabriel Menini

||| replace domain spamhole.com with sg-guarani.org |||

IT Support
Guarani Aquifer System Project

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hello, Ron

The list is dynamic but the first place always is
"Proceso inactivo del sistema".

My system is in Spanish, I can translate this string as "Inactive
system process" but not sure if that's the name in English based
Windows.

Presumably that's "System Idle Process." "System Idle Process" is not any
problem at all. That's just the name for what the system is doing when it's
not doing anything. It's there to make the total add up to 100%

 

[Gabriel Menini]

does your pc seem to function ok in safe mode....? Or is that sloooow
tooooooo....?

In safe mode the PC works great. But, of course, it's safe mode. I can't
run in safe mode for all day work.

Have ran anti spyware and anti virus tools but I'm clean.
Back in normal mode the disks is showing the activity I described before.
Can't work with the machine so slow.


--
Gabriel Menini

||| replace domain spamhole.com with sg-guarani.org |||

IT Support
Guarani Aquifer System Project

 

[Gabriel Menini]

Presumably that's "System Idle Process." "System Idle Process" is not any
problem at all. That's just the name for what the system is doing when it's
not doing anything. It's there to make the total add up to 100%

Hello, Ken.

The System Idle Process isn't disturbing me. It has always been there
and no problem.

But from three or four days untill now, I can't get my PC to stay quiet.
It's always doing something and writing or reading the hard disk.

I am getting tyred of waiting for a window to show up or a program to
start or a mail to be sent. I spent much of the time waiting for the OS
and the windows to respond.

What else can I do to go back to normal velocity?

Thanks.

--
Gabriel Menini

||| replace domain spamhole.com with sg-guarani.org |||

IT Support
Guarani Aquifer System Project

 

[Guest]

understanble. Safe mode was not designed to work/function in a normal
fashion. Instead, it says a lot about your problem. If you are running ok
in safe mode but not in normal mode, then you can ascertain some conclusions
as to what can be contributing to your problem.

As you know safe mode does not load any drivers for software and hardware
nor does it load any programs via msconfig

My guess is that the constant activity of reading your hard drive is
utilizing a lot of processor time / energy. Some softwares can actually be
cataloging your files, maybe searching for financial data or passwords. Its
possible that the indexing service is not functioning. So many things that
it could be. However, it is not the windows operating system that is the
problem.

If you leave your task manager turned on, you can see which process goes to
the top of the list which will also be the one utilizing the proecessor
time/energy. If you kill the process, you might get some progress.

I suggest you unload/disable all of your startups from msconfig and turn off
your internet connection and reboot. Before booting into windows, I would
disconnect all you cables from the back of pc except mouse, kb and monitor.
Between disabling the startups and ensuring minimal hardware, you can see if
Windows is funtioning better. If so, you can begin enabling and or plugging
in your hardware one at a time. Maybe one per day if you can, that way you
can monitor each change.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On 10/08/2006 19:29, Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

Hello, Ken.

The System Idle Process isn't disturbing me. It has always been there
and no problem.

But from three or four days untill now, I can't get my PC to stay
quiet. It's always doing something and writing or reading the hard
disk.
I am getting tyred of waiting for a window to show up or a program to
start or a mail to be sent. I spent much of the time waiting for the
OS and the windows to respond.

What else can I do to go back to normal velocity?

The most likely problem these days is malware infestation. What anti-virus
and anti-spyware apps do you run, and
are they up-to date? Also read here:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

 

[AJR]

Do you have a data backup program running automatically (icon in tray)? It
may be your problem - will not be indicated so by task manager.

 

[Gabriel Menini]

The most likely problem these days is malware infestation. What anti-virus
and anti-spyware apps do you run, and
are they up-to date? Also read here:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

I've answered that question before.

--
Gabriel Menini

||| replace domain spamhole.com with sg-guarani.org |||

IT Support
Guarani Aquifer System Project

 

[Gabriel Menini]

Do you have a data backup program running automatically (icon in tray)? It
may be your problem - will not be indicated so by task manager.

AJR,

There's no backup program running automatically as my tray shows.
BTW, I used to run rsync in my Windows box as a service in order to send
files to a backup server. This server runs rsync client mode in order to
fetch the files.
When my files where being backed up, I used to experience the same delay
in the machine operation. As I experiment now...

But I've stopped the backup service 4 days ago!!
There's no rsyncd service running in my Windows box now, there's no
backup server requesting files (the backup software's been shut down),
so there's no files being transmitted through wire right now but the
disk is working....

--
Gabriel Menini

||| replace domain spamhole.com with sg-guarani.org |||

IT Support
Guarani Aquifer System Project