"System Idle Process" Using 98% of Resources???

[A Baffled User]

My HP Pavilion notebook computer, running Windows XP Home SP2 with 512 MB of
RAM, has been incredibly sluggish lately though I am using the machine in
exactly the same way I always have. It takes an extremely long time to
switch between programs that are running when I click on the buttons on the
taskbar. Programs that are already running emerge slowly on the screen
rather than appear instantly as they always have in the past.

I just looked at the processes that are running, via CTRL + ALT + DELETE,
and 93 to 98 percent of resources are said there to be taken up by System
Idle Process. Is that normal?

When I go to System>System Tools>System Information>Software
Environment>Running Tasks, I find tons of things that have no business
"running," if indeed they are:
c:\program files\common files\real\update_ob\realsched.exe, for example,
when I don't even have RealPlayer on my machine;
c:\program files\common files\seagate\schedule2\schedhlp.exe, appearing
TWICE, as another example, when my Seagate hard drive isn't even attached to
my computer;
c:\program file\itunes\ituneshelper.exe, when I'm not running iTunes, etc.,
etc., etc.

Something is sucking up my available resources. How can I track the culprit
down and get rid of it?

Many thanks!

Joan

 

[Holz]

Is that normal?

Yes, it is by design. Google the term and see what you come up with.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

My HP Pavilion notebook computer, running Windows XP Home SP2 with 512 MB
of RAM, has been incredibly sluggish lately though I am using the machine
in exactly the same way I always have. It takes an extremely long time to
switch between programs that are running when I click on the buttons on
the taskbar. Programs that are already running emerge slowly on the screen
rather than appear instantly as they always have in the past.

I just looked at the processes that are running, via CTRL + ALT + DELETE,
and 93 to 98 percent of resources are said there to be taken up by System
Idle Process. Is that normal?

When you say of someone that he's twiddling his thumbs
most of the time, would you consider him to be working
flat-out or would you think he's idle?

Your PC is twiddling its thumbs 98% of the time!

 

[Holz]

When you say of someone that he's twiddling his thumbs
most of the time, would you consider him to be working
flat-out or would you think he's idle?

Your PC is twiddling its thumbs 98% of the time!

I LOVE IT!!!!

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Gives new meaning to "bit-twiddling", doesn't it?

 

[A Baffled User]

When you say of someone that he's twiddling his thumbs
most of the time, would you consider him to be working
flat-out or would you think he's idle?

Your PC is twiddling its thumbs 98% of the time!

This may be humorous, but it doesn't help me figure out why my computer has
become so sluggish.

 

[Daave]

My HP Pavilion notebook computer, running Windows XP Home SP2 with
512 MB of RAM, has been incredibly sluggish lately though I am using
the machine in exactly the same way I always have. It takes an
extremely long time to switch between programs that are running when
I click on the buttons on the taskbar. Programs that are already
running emerge slowly on the screen rather than appear instantly as
they always have in the past.

I just looked at the processes that are running, via CTRL + ALT +
DELETE, and 93 to 98 percent of resources are said there to be taken
up by System Idle Process. Is that normal?

As others have said, yes, this is normal.

When I go to System>System Tools>System Information>Software
Environment>Running Tasks, I find tons of things that have no business
"running," if indeed they are:
c:\program files\common files\real\update_ob\realsched.exe, for
example, when I don't even have RealPlayer on my machine;
c:\program files\common files\seagate\schedule2\schedhlp.exe,
appearing TWICE, as another example, when my Seagate hard drive isn't
even attached to my computer;
c:\program file\itunes\ituneshelper.exe, when I'm not running iTunes,
etc., etc., etc.

Are you *sure* you don't have Real Player on your machine? Sounds like
you do. You're on the right track: One of the things that slows down
PCs is unnecessary processes running in the background. Some of these
processes use considerably more resources/memory than others. Your best
bet is to use Google and these sites to gather information as to what
they are and how best to disable them:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS
http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html and
http://www.answersthatwork.com (and click on the Task List button).

Using XP's MSCONFIG is good to see what is running each time you boot
up. Task Manager (Control + Alt + Delete) will give you information as
to which processes are currently running.

Something is sucking up my available resources. How can I track the
culprit down and get rid of it?

As mentioned above, Task Manager can give you this kind of information.
For more thorough information, I recommend you run Process Explorer:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

You may also want to run AutoRuns (which is *much* more detailed than
Msconfig):

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

I have to ask what is the malware status of your PC? Malicious software
(viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, etc.) is the number one cause of slow
computers.

In the event a read error caused your hard drive access to change from
Ultra DMA to PIO mode, reset it:

http://technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/

 

[Zilbandy]

This may be humorous, but it doesn't help me figure out why my computer has
become so sluggish.

Have you checked for malware recently? Spybot Search and Destroy, and
Ad-Aware 2007 can be downloaded and used for free. Also, make sure
your virus program is up to date and run it.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

This may be humorous, but it doesn't help me figure out why my computer
has become so sluggish.

Now that you know what the "System Idle Process" is, you should
have a closer look at your processor loading. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc,
then click the Performance tab so that you can see the CPU loading
chart. Now perform a few of the functions that you claim are sluggish,
then have another look at the chart. Does it remain consistently low
or does it show extended peaks in excess of 90%?

 

[A Baffled User]

Now that you know what the "System Idle Process" is, you should
have a closer look at your processor loading. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc,
then click the Performance tab so that you can see the CPU loading
chart. Now perform a few of the functions that you claim are sluggish,
then have another look at the chart. Does it remain consistently low
or does it show extended peaks in excess of 90%?

Thanks. When I press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, the computer cycles back and forth
through the programs that are running--i.e., for example, from Outlook News
Reader to Word Document 1, to Netscape, and back the other way. Nothing
related to showing a process occurs.

 

[A Baffled User]

Have you checked for malware recently? Spybot Search and Destroy, and
Ad-Aware 2007 can be downloaded and used for free. Also, make sure
your virus program is up to date and run it.

Thanks. Yes, I do the Ad-Aware thing regularly and am always up to date on
my antivirus DATs.

 

[A Baffled User]

As others have said, yes, this is normal.


Are you *sure* you don't have Real Player on your machine? Sounds like
you do. You're on the right track: One of the things that slows down
PCs is unnecessary processes running in the background. Some of these
processes use considerably more resources/memory than others. Your best
bet is to use Google and these sites to gather information as to what
they are and how best to disable them:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS
http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html and
http://www.answersthatwork.com (and click on the Task List button).

Using XP's MSCONFIG is good to see what is running each time you boot
up. Task Manager (Control + Alt + Delete) will give you information as
to which processes are currently running.


As mentioned above, Task Manager can give you this kind of information.
For more thorough information, I recommend you run Process Explorer:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

You may also want to run AutoRuns (which is *much* more detailed than
Msconfig):

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

I have to ask what is the malware status of your PC? Malicious software
(viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, etc.) is the number one cause of slow
computers.

In the event a read error caused your hard drive access to change from
Ultra DMA to PIO mode, reset it:

http://technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/

Many thanks, Daave, for all these links. I will try them all. I used to have
and use RealPlayer, but I removed it several months ago, after an update
seemed to cause the computer to run very slowly. I do malware removal
regularly and update antivirus daily.

 

[Daave]

Many thanks, Daave, for all these links. I will try them all. I used
to have and use RealPlayer, but I removed it several months ago,
after an update seemed to cause the computer to run very slowly.
I do malware removal regularly and update antivirus daily.

What method did you use to remove Real Player?

I read in another post you regularly use AdAware and Spybot S&D. That is
good (however, the possibility -- albeit low -- always exists that some
malware snuck in nonetheless). What do you use for antivirus?

 

[Daave]

Many thanks, Daave, for all these links. I will try them all.

You're welcome. I'm also curious how much you are using the pagefile.
Please perform the following:

When you are in Task Manager/Performance, look in the lower left-hand
corner. You should see three figures under Commit Charge (K): Total,
Limit, and Peak. What are they? Record these figures shortly after a
reboot and then again, after you have been using the PC for a while and
you notice sluggishness.

I know you have 512 MB of RAM. If your Total or Peak figures exceed
the amount of RAM you have, there is a good chance you are relying on
the pagefile, which will certainly cause sluggishness.

For a more accurate assessment, you may run Page File Monitor for
Windows XP:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

 

[Unknown]

When did you last run disc cleanup?

Many thanks, Daave, for all these links. I will try them all. I used to
have and use RealPlayer, but I removed it several months ago, after an
update seemed to cause the computer to run very slowly. I do malware
removal regularly and update antivirus daily.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Thanks. When I press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, the computer cycles back and forth
through the programs that are running--i.e., for example, from Outlook
News Reader to Word Document 1, to Netscape, and back the other way.
Nothing related to showing a process occurs.

You forgot to click the "Performance" tab!

 

[Daave]

You forgot to click the "Performance" tab!

Ctrl+Shift+Esc doesn't bring up Task Manager. That key combination is
the equivalent of clicking on the Start button. I assume you meant
Ctrl+Alt+Del, and OP already knows that this is what brings up Task
Manager.

 

[John John]

Ctrl+Shift+Esc doesn't bring up Task Manager. That key combination is
the equivalent of clicking on the Start button. I assume you meant
Ctrl+Alt+Del, and OP already knows that this is what brings up Task
Manager.

Did you actually try the Ctrl+Shift+Esc sequence, Daave?

John

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Ctrl+Shift+Esc doesn't bring up Task Manager. That key combination is
the equivalent of clicking on the Start button. I assume you meant
Ctrl+Alt+Del, and OP already knows that this is what brings up Task
Manager.

We're both partly right and partly wrong. Ctrl+Shift+Esc does
bring up the Task Manager, but only on machines that use the
"Classic Start Menu" (which is not the installation default).
I forgot about this little detail.

 

[A Baffled User]

You forgot to click the "Performance" tab!

Sorry--got it!