System using 99% CPU

[jonesygirl]

Hi everyone,



I could use some help. When I look at the processes under the task manager,
the system is using 99% of the cpu. The system idle process as 0% free
Now I don't have anything applications running. I have checked to see if
there are any spyware or viruses, and everything is fine.. did the defrag and
cleaned the registry, and so I am not sure what the problem is. I can also
say that the 2 usb ports on the front and the 3 on the back don't work, i am
not sure if this is related?? or if i can disconnect them or how to fix
them. they show up under the device hardware, but when i plug anything into
them nothing will work. I have installed a separate usb card internally, and
the devices work fine with those usb ports. so i don't know... any thoughts,
ideas, suggestions???? thanks - ness

 

[JS]

It could be a sub-process or application that's running in the background
and taking all
the CPU resources, which could be the cause of your problem.

To find and display what could be the problem try Process Explorer:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/ProcessExplorer.mspx

Once you have Process Explorer installed and running:
In the taskbar select View and check 'Show Process Tree' and 'Show Lower
Pane' options.
Then expand the process named 'Explorer' (click on the + sign)
In the column on the left named 'CPU', look for any high CPU usage.
Next click on the CPU column to sort the processes by %CPU usage (Highest to
Lowest).
Move the mouse cursor over any process, you should see a popup with some
detailed info.
Then mouse over the process that's using most or all the CPU %.
Then click on that process to highlight it,
Now that it's highlighted, right click and from the options listed select:
Search Online
This should display what out there on the web about that process.
You can also double click on any process to open up a more detailed
'Properties' window.
Note: some entries like Explorer, System/Services, Svchost may need to be
expanded to show the detail,
(sub processes), in this case click on the + located to the left of the
entry.

An alternate method using Process Explorer is to double click on the Graph
just below the Menu bar.
This will open the 'System Information' window, which has a larger display
of all three graphs.
Move your mouse over any spike in the CPU Usage graph to see what
process/application or service
was the cause of the spike.

JS

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I could use some help. When I look at the processes under the task manager,
the system is using 99% of the cpu. The system idle process as 0% free
Now I don't have anything applications running. I have checked to see if
there are any spyware or viruses, and everything is fine..

Exactly how did you check for spyware and viruses? What software did
you use? Even though you've said you've checked, spyware would be my
first guess.

did the defrag and
cleaned the registry,

Ugh! Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
it may have.

Whether your using a registry cleaner has caused your slowdown I can't
be sure, but it's at least possible.

and so I am not sure what the problem is. I can also
say that the 2 usb ports on the front and the 3 on the back don't work, i am
not sure if this is related??

It's highly unlikely that that's related.

Download and run the free Process Explorer at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/ProcessExplorer.mspx

or http://tinyurl.com/ys2zq2

That should tell what is using the CPU.

 

[jonesygirl]

okay, i'll check that out and see what it comes back with.. thanks for the
link and info..

 

[jonesygirl]

hmmm, well it's part of the McAffee System works program, if that sounds any
better lol.. it goes through and cleans up the cache and temp internet
folders, registry and such.. for the spyware i used adaware, after taking
close to 4 hours for a full scan, it didn't find anything. someone also
recommended trying windows defender??

thank you for the link.. i will look into that!

 

[Gerry]

jonesygirl

Is there a McAfee System works program?

McAfee offer various security packages but "System Works" is normally
associated with Norton i.e. Norton System Works.

I was not aware that McAfee or Norton provided products that "cleaned
the registry" but I guess someone more familiar with their products will
point out one does.

McAfee products can make heavy demands on the system CPU and memory. You
might check to see whether you are using Site Advisor from McAfee and
whether this is the cause of your problem. There was I think a McAfee
update last year to fix a memory leak for those using Site Advisor. You
might also check to see whether you have all freely available McAfee
updates.

Process Explorer will be able to pinpoint whether it is a McAfee product
that is causing your unexpected CPU usage.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

hmmm, well it's part of the McAffee System works program, if that sounds any
better lol..

The only thing that McAfee sounds any better than is Norton. They are
the two worst vendors of security and utility software around. I don't
trust either and wouldn't have either on any of my systems.

it goes through and cleans up the cache and temp internet
folders, registry and such..

As I said, stay away from registry cleaners.

for the spyware i used adaware, after taking
close to 4 hours for a full scan, it didn't find anything. someone also
recommended trying windows defender??

Note that just using one anti-spyware program is *not* good enough.
Eric Howes, who has done extensive testing on Anti-Spyware products,
states:

"No single anti-spyware scanner removes everything. Even the
best-performing anti-spyware scanner in these tests missed fully one
quarter of the "critical" files and Registry entries" See
http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm

thank you for the link.. i will look into that!

You're welcome. Glad to help. If Process Explorer doesn't solve your
problem, I recommend that you begin troubleshooting by going to MVP
Malke's malware removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and
following the instructions there.