System slowdown: Explorer.exe at 99%??

[Monte Comeau]

My WinXP system has slowed to an ubearable crawl.

task manager says explorer.exe is using 99% of the resources and the cpu is
maxed out at 100%.

Any ideas?

 

[Detlev Dreyer]

task manager says explorer.exe is using 99% of the resources and the
cpu is maxed out at 100%.

Check the system for malware and install SP2 if not already done.
"Explorer.exe Process Uses Many CPU Cycles When Windows Is Idle"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/317751/en-us