CPU Usage at 100%

[G Mantel]

My CPU usage is fluctuating between 75-100%. There are a
lot of processes showing in the Task Manager.

How do I find out what these processes are so I may
safely end them?

Will ending these processes improve performance?

 

[Ron Martell]

My CPU usage is fluctuating between 75-100%. There are a
lot of processes showing in the Task Manager.

How do I find out what these processes are so I may
safely end them?

Will ending these processes improve performance?

What percentage of the CPU time is being shown for the "system idle"
process? That item is just a table entry used to account for the time
that the CPU is sitting idle doing nothing.

Hint: When you are using Task Manager click twice on the CPU column
header. That will sort the process list by CPU usage % in decending
order so that the process using the most CPU time will be at the top.
Makes it easier to identify the ones using the most time.

Make a list of the top half dozen or so processes, with their CPU
usage values, and post that back here. That will help us to determine
if you have a problem that needs fixing.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Amanda]

If I were you, I would ask myself: "Are my virus
definitions installed and up-to-date?; do I have anti-
spyware software installed and is it up-to-date?; when
did I last scan my computer for viruses?; when did I last
scan my computer for ad-ware, spyware, trojans and
malware?" This type of computer housecleaning might
make it unnecessary for you to stop processes that are
using your CPU. CPU usage might fall back to reasonable
levels.

 

[The Modern Driver]

Use msconfig.exe from the command prompt or search help
for the System Configuration Utility (XP), then open the
utility. Click on the 'load startup items' tab and
uncheck all that you don't need. Next time you reboot
they won't load, thereby saving your system resources for
the task at hand. I actually uncheck all the startup
items, since I never asked that they be installed in the
first place. My system runs at 2%-4% capacity, except
when loggin on the internet, which peaks at 60% for a
moment. While online I average 5% to 33% usage, but
that's because I increased my memory to 384MB on a Pentium
III. You might also consider installing more memory if
you are using XP, it is a memory hog, especially if you
are running more than one program simultaneously.
Regards, Matthew McGinley.