CPU usage problem

[Lester]

Hi

hope you can help.

I have a relatively new PC (bought from Trem) and although he told me it was a beast (!) after about an hours worth of activity on it, either gaming or general stuff it starts to stuuter and lag terribly. Not the Internet side, the actual programs. On task manager I can see that CPU usage is at 99-100% pretty constantly at this stage, even though there are no more than one or two programs running (i.e. Word and IE) I have had a look at processes running and stopped a few, but it doesn't seem to help.

It's doing it now and I only have this window open, and the words are taking a half second to appear in this window. Driving me bonkers - help!

 

[Trem]

Aww didn't you want to bother me with this problem?

Sounds like heat maybe, lets see what Kryten says first though.

Ran like a dream when I put the new mobo in it luv, left it on overnight as well.

For the record I used thermal paste and it has a Zalman uber heat sinc and fan thing on it turned up to full, so maybe it ain't heat.

What other programs you put on Lester? What else have you installed/changed?
Not saying its your fault just need a few pointers if possible.

 

[Mazling]

Ctrl-alt-escape or a right-click on the taskbar will get you to task manager.
Select the processes tab, then the "View" item on the menu bar, and click on "select columns". CPU usage is the one you want to have checked.
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm - good list of the stuff one can find in the task manager. http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html - good tweak guide and general starter on computarssss.
http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?&docid=172521&promo=100511 - some info on windoze's services, including what you may be able to disable.

Run spybot/ad-aware too if you can.

Oh, and BE BLOODY CAREFUL!

 

[Kryten]

Aye - if a CPU gets too hot, it will throttle itself - slowing itself down, therefore not too difficult for programs to consume any available runtime and making the system crawl to a halt. Do check the fans are in place - quite easy for some of them to become dislodged in shipping.

 

[Lester]

I haven't put anything amazingly odd on since Trem, BF2142 (AAARGH) and a couple of Dan's games, Age of empires etc. But nothing that is running in the background.

It's a pretty fresh PC. Trem, I haven't actually run it since you sold it to me a few months ago what with the Tumour (YES I SAID IT!) and having the study decorated, this week is the first time it's been on, really.

I removed that defrag thing, coz I thought it may be that. I installed a networked printer and that keeps checking for updates, so I need to stop that, but none of that should cause the level of slowness I'm suffering. PCs on the floor now (carpet) so maybe it is the heat thing...

 

[Trem]

Nah it won't be the carpet mate, unless your carpet is 12 inches tall. Maybe I need to have a fiddle with it and check all is in place, hmmmmm did I reconnect the Zalman fan control thingy.

Leave it off until Saturday if possible and I will sort it Sunday. Don't want it on if I forgot to connect the fan back up. Doesn't make sense as I did leave it running over night when it was done but maybe it has come undone.

Thats a fuck load of dones I just said there. Stella and wine ftw!

 

[Lester]

Nah it won't be the carpet mate, unless your carpet is 12 inches tall. Maybe I need to have a fiddle with it and check all is in place, hmmmmm did I reconnect the Zalman fan control thingy.

Leave it off until Saturday if possible and I will sort it Sunday. Don't want it on if I forgot to connect the fan back up. Doesn't make sense as I did leave it running over night when it was done but maybe it has come undone.

Thats a fuck load of dones I just said there. Stella and wine ftw!

Great, you're coming round, full of Stella and wine to "fiddle with it" and "check all is in place". You wonder why I didn't ask you about it in the first place.....

 

[Trem]

I was high on crack when I built it but it still worked until you got your faulty brained fingers on it

 

[Wij]

It's Ctrl-Shift-Esc

Bring that up. Click the processes tab and order them by CPU usage. The system will not use 99% CPU without some process actually using it. Google the process name that is using the most and you're done.

Then install Webroot Spysweeper 30-day trial to get rid of it

 

[Mazling]

It's Ctrl-Shift-Esc

*vigorously self-flagellates*

 

[Lester]

It's Ctrl-Shift-Esc

Bring that up. Click the processes tab and order them by CPU usage. The system will not use 99% CPU without some process actually using it. Google the process name that is using the most and you're done.

Then install Webroot Spysweeper 30-day trial to get rid of it

Wijlet, I had a look at the processes before and there were a couple at 15-20, so I closed them - one was the defrag thing an dthe other was task manager

The other consistently high one (90-100) is the System Idle Process....

So maybe the processor is running at semi-hard...

 

[Trem]

I'm thinking it may be an I/O thing. Which may be a mare to find.

Do you have a mail program running? If so try shutting that down and see what happens for starters.

I just hope it wasn't the CPU that caused the explosion in the first place.

 

[Lester]

I'm thinking it may be an I/O thing. Which may be a mare to find.

Do you have a mail program running? If so try shutting that down and see what happens for starters.

I just hope it wasn't the CPU that caused the explosion in the first place.

I don't use it for mail at all matey.

 

[Trem]

Whack Free Ram XP on as well and see if that does anything.

I will sort it but will be nice to have an idea of whats going on.

 

[SheepCow]

Wijlet, I had a look at the processes before and there were a couple at 15-20, so I closed them - one was the defrag thing an dthe other was task manager

The other consistently high one (90-100) is the System Idle Process....

So maybe the processor is running at semi-hard...

If task manager is showing 100% CPU usage and the system idle process is still using 90-100% chances are it's kernel time that's eating it up. Get task manger up and goto the performance tab, then View->Show Kernel Times.

If most of the bar is red that probably means there's an IO problem.

Tried checking the event log for anything juicy?

 

[Lester]

If task manager is showing 100% CPU usage and the system idle process is still using 90-100% chances are it's kernel time that's eating it up. Get task manger up and goto the performance tab, then View->Show Kernel Times.

If most of the bar is red that probably means there's an IO problem.

Tried checking the event log for anything juicy?

I wouldn't understand an event log if I could find it! cheers tho

 

[dumba_whoo]

I wouldn't understand an event log if I could find it! cheers tho

Start > run > eventvwr.msc

 

[Lester]

I had a look at the viewer and (obviously) can't understand it, so I copied it as a list. I can't upload it on here I but I could email it to someone if they could take a look at it?

I only have this window open, the task manager and CPU is at 95% (both CPUs)

I had a look at the Kernel view and that is basically at the same rate as the CPU useage. On the graph they are both at the top of the chart, so maybe it's this I/O thing?

Anyway, cheers for the help so far.

 

[SheepCow]

Can you attach a screenshot of taskmanager on the "processes" tab when this happens to this thread? Sorted by CPU usage would be best

Oh and the "performance" tab if you can

 

[Trem]

Email me them Lester, I will upload them here for you. Thought you had cracked this as well

(*norty norty: e-mails not allowed Tremlar, pay more attention to CoC *)

 

[TdC]

Lester sent it to me:

 

[Lester]

Biatch

 

[SheepCow]

Is that sorted by CPU usage? as erm .. nothing is using the CPU

gief performance tab too!

 

[TdC]

Trem says that were Lester to view that much pr0n at once he'd only "use" the "cpu" for about three seconds before it would "overheat"

 

[Lester]

"cpu" in this instance, meaning Cock Push Up Unit?

I'll forward the "real" ones to Trem when I get home tonight, (where I'll be counting my Trem poker winnings....)

cheers

 

[TdC]

you know, it took me a stupidly long time to discover the easy way to make that pic. I have no life

 

[Trem]

"cpu" in this instance, meaning Cock Push Up Unit?

I'll forward the "real" ones to Trem when I get home tonight, (where I'll be counting my Trem poker winnings....)

cheers

The money for that dodgy PC you bought off me was used to play poker with.


LOGBOOK!

 

[Trem]

Lesters logs in text format -

http://tremlar.co.uk/Lester/1.txt

http://tremlar.co.uk/Lester/2.txt

http://tremlar.co.uk/Lester/3.txt

 

[Lester]

Cheers,

 

[Trem]

No prob.

First one is System log, second one is application log viewer and third one is security log viewer for anyone that wants to know.