CPU keeps going to 100%--any suggestions to remedy?

clean up your startup with this detailed step by step informational video!http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1004943/decrap_your_computer_optimize_memory/

30 day free trial: works wonders! http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/

I have experienced this problem too, and what I did was to use the task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) looking within the processes to see what is abusing your poor cpu. My problem was actually my anti-virus, scanning and constantly checking for updates whenever i turned-on my laptop. I hope this helps trace the source of your problem.

I had the same trouble and searched back to an HP Network Devices Support. After I disabled this particular process in MSCONFIG (type the same in the RUN window) I have hardly had any problems. In the processes tab of Windows Task Manager it showed up as an scvhost.exe. When I shut down the one using 90% plus of my cpu it would stop. Did this for a long time until I used procexp to find which program was the problem. That did it.

I also deleted Firefox as I found it used a lot of system resources also.

Use the task manager program to discover which programs are consuming your system's resources.

To start the task manager, hit the following 3 keys at the same time

CTRL ALT DELETE

to bring up the task manager. Task manager shows a list of running programs, and, most importantly, under the CPU column, it shows how much of the processor's power is being consumed by each task. If most of the processes show 0 or 1 or 2 in the CPU column, we know that they are not resource hogs - seeing 10 or 20 or more in this column pinpoints this program as being a heavy resource user. If you are able to pinpoint a resource hog, then you must decide if you need to have that program running or not. If you decide that the program does not need to be running, then you must determine how it is started and remove that startup item.


My own preference was to disable the file indexing (XP indexes all file locations in order to speed up file searches). To disable:

o click on My Computer
repeat for each disk:
o right click on drive icon
o select properties
o at bottom of window, see "allow indexing ....." uncheck.

Hi there
I have a GeForce FX 5500 graphic adapter and when i installed its driver i found my PC reaches 100% percent after a while. And when i searched for the problem i found that it installed a file that uses the whole CPU when i work with it after a few minutes. The name of the file is Rscmpt.exe in blow directory:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Rscmpt.exe
Simply disable this file by a program like tune up utilities or system Mechanic or you can do it with MSCONFIG!!!
I hope it works
Taghi from the night!!!

Your problem might be as simple as you do not have enough memory or , you just might have too many programs [Such as Virus,Spyware Scans or program updates] running in the background at the same time. This answer might not solve your problem but,it might turn you in the right direction before you start fooling around with your registry.
A.W.

Anthony,

This is most certainly a software issue. Whether it is related to device drivers or Windows applications and services is hard to say at this point. Luckily, it is fairly simple to start the diagnosis.

Here is what I would do:

1. Continue to use your computer until the next time it starts to slow down due to the processor being overused.

2. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your keyboard to bring up the Windows Task Manager.

3. Go to the "Processes" tab in the Windows Task Manager.

4. Sort the list of processes by "CPU". This is a percentile representation of how much processing power each program or service that is running under Windows is using. A service is a program that runs invisibly in the backgrowund.

5. Determine which program is using all your computing power. It will be at the top of the list with a high percentage if you sort it by descending processor usage.

6. Once you know the name of the program that is hogging your juice, Google around a bit to answer these questions...
6.a. Do other people have the same problem?
6.b. Is this a virus, trojan or spyware program?
6.c. How is it fixed?
6.d. If it cannot be fixed, how is it removed?
6.e. What is the answer to the universe?

---------------------------

In conclusion, there are one or more programs on your computer that are misbehaving and you can mostly likely fix the situation by doing one or more of the following:

A. Applying updates to your software.
B. Modifying your configuration for either Windows or the afflicted program.
C. Removing the afflicted program.

It is not necessarily true that this program is in any way malicious, and I would not be too alarmed at this point. Some further investigation (With the power of Google and CTRL+ALT+DEL) will shed a lot more light on the situation.

Good luck, Anthony.

- Rob

I read your query with interest as I have a similar problem myself. It seems to be very much worse if I dare to try to use media player to watch any files I have saved on my computer. The computer freezes and needs rebooted. This also happens if I try to move files I have recorded on to the computer (video files from an old camcorder recorded through a tv card). I am also running XP pro second edition and the problem seemed to develop mainly after the last media player upgrade so if you decide to roll back to the preious edition and it helps I'd like to know!

I had the same problem. I fixed my problem by running Spyware Doctor Spyware after the start-up. It has been a very useful tool in clearing the system of spware...viruses...rookits.

After Spyware Doctor, I run CCleaner & Reg Cure. Auslogic have a free version of Disc Defragment that have several tools that clean redundant files and System check that correct problems by deleting files and restoring lost files. After the crap has been removed, the speed become incredible.

I learned that when my computer crashes, it is because of a virus or annoying tracking cookies. Running the fore mention programs will solve your problem.


Robaire E.

I had this same problem and did a lot of research on it, and the fix I found worked 100%!!! What you should do is disable windows automatic updates, and that should fix the problem. I don't know why, but all I know is that it works. For some reason when they are enabled it makes one of your SVCHOST.exe programs run like crazy and take all of the CPU. Before you disable the updates do a ctrl+alt+del and view the processes running to see which one is taking up all of your CPU. If you aren't running any programs then the highest CPU should be by the system idle program. BUT if your problem is the one I described, then the SVCHOST.exe will be the highest and can be fixed by disabling windows automatic updates. THATS IT!! Hope you find your answer!

Hi
I had the same problem last year I was running zone alarm as a firewall and it was having a problem when I checked the task manager it was running up to 100% and I had to do the same as you full reboot and it was fine until the next time I downloaded zonealarm again reinstalled it and no problem since
what ever your problem is check the task manager it nearly always comes up eeven when you think the pc is frozen just give it a while then at least you will see what process is locking you up
good luck

Richard

I have two computers (1) os XP (2) OS Vista both computers were running slow and I installed a free reg cleaning program "AusLogics Registry Defrag\regdefrag" and it did wonders for speeding up both of my computers. I found it here at C/NET and it was FREE.


AusLogics Registry Defrag\regdefrag

The sympton you got maybe because your XP windows has the Indexing Service working.
Try to turn off this service may cure the problem.
To turn off indexing:

1. Open up "My Computer."
2. Right-click on your hard drive (usually "C:") and choose "Properties."
3. Uncheck the box at the bottom that reads "Allow Indexing Service to..."
4. Click OK, and files will be removed from memory. This removal may take a few minutes to complete.

To disable the indexing service:

1. In the "Start" menu, choose "Run."
2. Type "services.msc" and press Enter.
3. Scroll-down to "Indexing Service" and double-click it.
4. If the service status is "Running", then stop it by pressing the "Stop" button.
5. To make sure this service doesn't run again, under "Startup Type:", choose "Disabled."

Have a good day!

i find that some of the problems when my CPU goes crazy can be helped by opening the task manager and stopping the processes that are using most of my memory. you will have to be careful of which prcesses you end as if you stop processes that are run by SYSTEM, you might mess up the computer up a bit. the problem with doing his is that it an take a while for windows to think about closing the process so you would have to check the processes before your computer starts to freeze

Last weeds question can be the same or simular problem I've run into over the years as technical rebuilder.
I use to be that you saved all the information on another drive or disk and wiped the old drive clean, but not so any more.
Nortons offer a program, and still does at a price, that would completely wipe the drive clean.
Today you have to register to be able to use this program,because of national security.
I have heard of a place after you register you can send the harddrive wiped clean, which is registered.
Back to what I was saying, all programs that are not registered as government clean wipe, can not clean deep anough in to the disk to take out all of the information.
Thus, eventually the drive will slow, takes a couple of years, and check it it will not show that it is full of data, because the scrambled data left is not being read by the system. I like to think of this data, as the unknown data, that all harddrive develope, if they are not cleaned deep government clean.
That is how the government keeps all your data, wheather you want it or not.
You see if the government wants to know what I've been doing on my computer for 2-3 yrs, the data, unknown, is still there for the government to read, this is a requirement that the federal government requires of all computer manufactures now!
To solve the problem, without deep government wiping, all you can do is save all information, new hard drive or to disk.
Note! Now "all used harddrives are required, to be wiped, before being resold"!
I hope this helps both last weeks, and this weeks!
One last note!
Life is not far to all equaly, and the government is never wrong!
Sincerely,
petite1945 Software
petite1945@att.net

my friend ever had this problem..i think this is cause by hardware.you have to try installed a new cooler to your processor to make it more cool..try this out..soe cases are from the processor's fan that is not working properly.glad to help you.bye

I am also runnibg XP Pro SP-2 and I have run into that problem. I have tried almost everything I could think of to solve this, but eventually the thing comes to a stand still and won't even boot or if it did I would get errors... The only solution I have found that works every time is to save the stuff I want and reinstall the OS. I have an old Compaq that came with a restore disk that works great. I know it sounds radical but it does work every time (I've done it three or four times in the past 7 years.)