High CPU usage only if boot up offline?

[Guest]

Booting Windows XP Pro without an ethernet cable in port results in high CPU
usage at 53% despite no extra programs running. When I boot the system with a
live Ethernet cable in the port, the CPU usage is only 1% and the computer
works perfectly. Also when I compared the processes running in Task Manager
with the computer booted both ways, they are the same ie there must be some
program running that is hidden or some system program crashes on boot up
using up CPU? I have scanned for spyware and viruses but as I said, the
computer CPU works perfectly if I boot it with a live ethernet cable in the
port. It is a new hard drive with a fresh Windows XP Pro installed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Guest]

I'm just guessing here, but it seems that your system is trying to locate
some resource on the network that is no longer accesible. I've had similar
problems when my network has gone down. Try checking for mapped drives, etc
while troubleshooting your network.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for the prompt response.
I follow what you are saying but why would the computer boot up properly
when there is an active ethernet cable in the port even though that line is
not on my work network? So if my computer needed that "resource" to boot up
properly or access to mapped drives were necessary for proper boot up, the
computer would not be able to find these paths/resources on other networks so
it should also crash if that was the problem. It doesn't matter what LAN I am
on, even if the LAN is not got access to the internet, as long as I plug in a
live ethernet cable into the port, the computer boots up perfectly well using
only 1% CPU. But when I try to boot up with no live ethernet cable in the
port or even if I try to boot up in a docking station that is networked to my
work LAN, then something goes wrong and the CPU idles with no programs going
using 53%. Any other thoughts?
Again thanks for your help.