PC "locking up". CPU usage 100% Please help?

Question

While browsing, after a while the PC "locks up". When I looked in Task Manager it was Firefox 2.0 on 97%. I tried to end process but it wouldn't work. So I tried browsing with IE7 but same problem. When I try to restart or turn off it won't work so I have to switch off at the mains. I am using Windows XP. I have run CA Anti-virus and spyware check. Also ran Spybot and ccleaner with no joy. Please advise in fairly simple terms as I am not very computer literate. Thanks

Answer 1

If your CP Usage is 100% then you have something that is hogging it. Get off line and boot up in Safe Mode. Then check your CP usage and see what it is. Then run your virus and spy ware scans while in safe mode and see if you pick up anything. If this just started, have you down loaded anything or made any changes to the computer? If so, try using System Restore to go back to a point before this started. Also check your start up screen to see just what is loading. At the start menu, click run, type in msconfig, hit enter and then click on the start up tab. See if there are any programs that are loading that you don't know about. You can clear all of them safely so they don't load at start up or just selected ones to see if that helps.

Ron

Answer 2

The best way is to download Ccleaner here http://bitly.com/UrALrK

Or you can go on Windows operating system locate the command prompt and go there to do the following:
Create a Recovery file of system and date it today.

Then begin by;
delete the 'Temp' folders..they have hidden subfolders so you need to set the attributes in order to bypass this. For each subfolder delete all cookies and rubbish left behnd after install-uninstalled programs. Do a 'dir' command to check your progress. Make sure the 'Temp' file is empty.

goto c:\windows\prefetch and delete everything in there..no exceptions

goto c:\windows folder and delete all the '$' files that have been installed by updates. They can all be succesfully deleted and just take up disk space.

Locate the Internet Temporary Files..Check to see how high the saving level is..some have it set at 30 days..but that stores faaaar tooo much data..though it slows down the system overal. Keep this to a minimum..suggest 2 or 5 at most.

Delete all 'cookies' all those you don't need.

Locate the windows directory and go through the folders you know and those you don't need. Check this once a week at least. Some programs will install under XP as NT and older systems where there is no check of systems weight.

Check to see that system files have not changed since last booting. Things like .ini files or .bat are important items.


Check for 'Hidden Directories' all over the disk...do this at the command prompt:

dir *.* /ah wil show these hidden directories

Check the 'dir' command for all parameters

Answer 3

There are a lot of programs that run in the background of your computer, if they work properly you don't notice them. Does the CPU usage stay that high for a long period of time? It is also possible that you're computer has some kind of virus on it that is acting on it's own accord. If you don't have any kind of antivirus software, avast! home edition is free, and the free version of zone alarm is a good firewall that will prevent more viruses from getting in your computer.

Answer 4

This may or may not be relevant to your usage, but since I noted a similar problem, and the cause of it, I put it here just in case it might help.

I was having a similar problem, firefox would slow down, then lock, CPU usage was way high. I then realized it was because, I was saving a lot of images as I browsed ... so I started closing my browser after I saved a hundred or so images (i was going back and forth to saved webpages, etc ...) and it solved the problem.

Answer 5

i would recommend using a different anti virus prog (AVG) then try using a registry cleaner. if niether of those work format the HD and reinstall windows. dont forget to back up ur files. usually that does the job, but if none of those things work. try increasing the ram.

Answer 6

try closing things down that you are not using this may help things like screen savers pictures ect you need more memory not hard disk space for your machine and this will sort out the problem

Answer 7

sounds like a trojan, get an anti virus prog to run through your pc

Answer 8

If you have a wireless connection someone could be stealing it.