explorer.exe using a lot of cpu

[Guest]

So about last week or so, explorer.exe would start, completely randomly using
50% cpu. It was about 20% on one core, 30% on the other, and i would have to
log off, restart, or end the process. I tried linking it to one program, or
doing one thing, but i can't. Also, my network adapters stopped working, so
i ended up reinstalling windows. I ended up fixing the network adapters, but
explorer.exe will pop up all the time now. I thought it was due to .avi
files, for many people have said that. It does happend with .avi files, but
it never did before a week ago, and it also does it with a lot of things.
Running firefox, random programs, and even at idle. I have no idea what is
causing this, a friend says it sounds like a hardware issue, but i would
rather not replace a part. any help is very good.

Thanks

 

[Leonard Grey]

Do you suppose you might have a malware infection? These days malware
can be very tough to pinpoint - you often need to try several different
good quality scanners before you're able to identify what hit you, and
even that might not do it.