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Question

Has my service pack 3 been compromised?

Jan 11, 2014 1:41PM PST

I notice that my helpsvc.exe (PID 1360 on process explorer) goes to 100% of my CPU when my screen saver is on. I have Windows system XP service pack 3 and my updates are automatic. Has my system been compromised? If so, how do i fix it?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: CPU 100%
Jan 11, 2014 7:44PM PST

Strange. Microsoft already fixed it in SP2, according to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/839017. Maybe ask Microsoft if they recommend running that hotfix 10 years later?

The easy workaround: in stead of using a screensaver after x minutes, make it black (that's a screen saver setting) or turn the screen oiff (that's a setting in the Energy management applet of Control Panel). Both save the screen quite effectively and even save money (by using less power = less electricity = less money).

Kees

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Plus
Jan 11, 2014 11:03PM PST

Plus, just having the monitor shut off instead of running a screensaver will tend to prolong the life of the monitor.

Screensavers got started because originally computers were so expensive they would only be used in commercial settings where you might have a computer help control some bit of machinery and a plant foreman or something might need to be able to quickly check on the status of said machinery,so you wouldn't want to turn the screen off. At the same time, however, you didn't want the image to burn into the screen, so thus is born the screen saver. By the time it became possible for the computer to trigger the monitor to simply shut off or go into a low power mode, the screensaver became rather pointless except as a kind of art. Take Kees' advice and just have the monitor go into sleep mode instead of run a screensaver.