XP gone haywire!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tim
  • Start date Start date
T

Tim

I have XP Pro, and it's been running fine for a couple of
weeks. Last night it went berserk!

I have CPU usage going from 0% -> 65% -> 0% every second
or so. No process shows up in Task Manager - System IDLE
is using 99% throughout. This recurs over (multiple)
reboots.

If I unplug the net cable, it all goes quiet and works
fine - but as soon as I plug the cable back in it goes
haywire again.
It's a local LAN, and all my other (non-XP) machines are
fine.

I noticed that my IP address (DHCP'd) is set to
169.254.58.242 (my local DHCP server assigns
192.168.0.80+)! Turning off DHCP and providing a static IP
doesn't help.

It's a simple setup with just vendor provided s/w
installed.

Any thoughts on this please?

Thanks

tim
 
Nope - I rely on an ADSL router/firewall. Basic XP Pro SP1
+ security updates. Hauppauge and mobo software and
MediaPlayer9. DVD s/w from Cyberlink.

As I say, all was well until around 9pm (UK).

Yesterday I installed M/S wireless Keyboard, and enabled
file-sharing. I de-installed the KB and disabled file-
sharing as part of my testing ... I also stopped every
service I could find (including scheduler).

I guess it's a rogue process - update? - but I can't find
it in the process list. Nothing shows up in the event logs
except the start/stop of the network when I plug in/out
the cable. I thought it might be the network browser, but
disabling this didn't help either. It has to be network
related ... but then most functions are now network based.

Why would I be getting such a strange IP address - it's
not the one assigned by my ISP either!

I generally know my way around systems, but this has left
me totally stumped!

Thanks for the thought.

tim
 
One of the benefits of Zone Alarm is that it will tell you what's accessing
the internet. I use it in conjunction with my router's firewall.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

A possibility: Your PC is loaded with spyware that is also hogging
resources.

There is an excellent article about spyware in PC Magazine:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,978170,00.asp

Their Editor's Choice is Spybot for spyware removal. It's free.

http://security.kolla.de/

Joe
 
There's one other possibility, although it's probably a remote one:

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=474623

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/28956.html

Joe

Joe727 said:
One of the benefits of Zone Alarm is that it will tell you what's accessing
the internet. I use it in conjunction with my router's firewall.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

A possibility: Your PC is loaded with spyware that is also hogging
resources.

There is an excellent article about spyware in PC Magazine:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,978170,00.asp

Their Editor's Choice is Spybot for spyware removal. It's free.

http://security.kolla.de/

Joe
Click to expand...
<snip>
 
That's a pun right? (remote :-) Good story though, thanks.

I think what's happening is that, although my network
controller is enabled, and the cable is physically
connected (so XP thinks all's well with the world), there
is a problem with it.

I guess the physical connection of the cable starts the
net-awareness of XP ... so net-browser/whatever runs and
fails! This then happens repeatedly (and frequently).

After trying a working cable, and still having no luck, I
assume it's the machine. I'll try a different OS first -
and then back to the makers I guess.

Thanks for the thoughts tho'

tim

PS XP hangs something rotten when the onboard LAN messes
up - I've had no end of trouble trying to disable
it/change drivers etc ... everything locks up!
 
Back
Top