CPU trouble

[red indian]

I have had this problem before but its back again. I am showing 100% cpu usage constantly, according to the "system monitor" device on my computer.

There is no sign of my puter slowing down, but it has many weird faults such as......

1.Desk top icons not opening files or programmes

2.Difficult to shut down

3. Difficult to boot up (will fail to open programmes or goes to "safe mode")

4. Crashes fairly regularly

5. Web pages never open properly

6. Repeated warnings about insufficient memory even though I have only two processes open

7. Random pop ups telling me about obscure "errors"


Great! any ideas anyone?

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Do you know what processes are running? The CTRL-ALT-DELETE Task Manager should give you a list of everything running and should, with the proper columns set, show you how much each process is using. No matter what you should have more than two processes running. Windows, just to operate, requires about 15 processes on my system (After putting everything in minimalistic mode and ending any nonessential process).

Just in case that confused, here's a quick thing:

Press the CRTL, ALT and DEL/DELETE keys at the same time. The Task Manager should appear. Click the "Processes" tab. That is what is currently running. Look for a "Mem Usage" column. Click it once. Now all processes are organized from most memory use to least. Do the numbers add up to close to you max RAM capacity? The "Performance" tab has a summary that can also broadly tell this. If you want to see CPU usage on the processes tab and a "CPU" column is absent click "View" at the top of the window and select "Select Columns ...". Look for "CPU Usage" and check it. The CPU usage column works by showing CPU usage for each process based on 99 being all the CPU time and 0 being nothing/infinitesimal. It is normal for "System Idle Processes" to be at 99 or close to it all the time. That's just the system saying the CPU is that much idle or, put another way, that 99 percent of the CPU cycles are not in use.

 

[red indian]

Thanks for your reply mate! if it hepls any I am still running Windows ME so I dont recognise some of the tabs you are talking about.

Just to give a bit more background, I have a programme called "Process explorer" which shows the CPU working normally i.e. very low usage. What is going on? I dont understand how they can give such different readings.

 

[subZer0]

Thanks for your reply mate! if it hepls any I am still running Windows ME so I dont recognise some of the tabs you are talking about.

Just to give a bit more background, I have a programme called "Process explorer" which shows the CPU working normally i.e. very low usage. What is going on? I dont understand how they can give such different readings.

Firstly red, I would recommend that you upgrade to at least XP SP2. Save everything you need to discs and move on up. I've had many problems with ME, and upgrading was the best thing I did.

What virus/firewall are you running? That may be a source of your trouble. Also, your hardware configuration could be a big factor in the running of things. E.g. Is your CPU old? It may not be able to take the load. Do you know how much RAM you have? Drop me a PM if you want to talk more in depth, I may be able to point you in the right direction, and I have a whole ton of questions to ask that may help you in your quest sir!

 

[red indian]

Top man will do. (pm you I mean)

Processor Athlon 1.2

Total physical memory 255.43 mb

Total virtual memory 2.00GB

Available virtual memory 1.61 GB

Chances of Derby staying up? Nil.

I am running "Norton" firewall and anti virus, I also use "Adaware" and "Trend house call" they all tell me the puter is as clean as a Pentagon main frame!


C

 

[subZer0]

See your PM's matey. You'll get sorted, mark my words!

😀