High CPU Usage?

Question

Well, after fixing my tearing problem with my video card (new power supply) i ran into a new problem, very high cpu usage, i have a P4 3.20 GHz processor, 2gigs of RAM and im lagging as i type this right now, with no processes open that arent required, no programs in the backround but internet explorer. it goes up and down on the chart and when i open, say, WoW it goes to 100 and lags really bad when normally i get 70 FPS it gets 5-10. i have defragged, system scanned, registry repair, virus scan, spyware scan and removal yet none of those have fixed my problem. unfortunately im coming to the conclusion its my CPU but hopefully someone can point me in a diffrent direction so i dont have to RMA it.

okay, well after watching the CPU column in task manager, it looks like iexplore causes a spike now and then, but if im not doing anything it sits there and still the CPU usage goes between 32 and 60% with programs showing 03 CPU usage at most, i think it could be a driver of some sort, or a hidden task that doesnt show up. is there a way to see hidden tasks?

i forgot to add, this just started today, i also just remembered i downloaded a "hotfix" from microsoft and it was installed, before that i didnt have this problem! thats what did it i bet, how do go about undoing that hotfix, im not sure.

i forgot to add that i also had a corrupt ipod attached >< upon removal and reboot my problem was fixed. thanks for the help everyone

Answer 1

I think this may help you read but also check board maufactures website i have heard of patches that address this problem

Answer 2

Hello,
It sounds like you are on the right track and have done all the preliminary checks.
A couple things.
1. As long as your CPU is running at 75% or below, that is quite normal and would not be the cause of lag.
2. There are times, following opening and closing large programs, that the computer fails to “recognize” that you have closed the program. This happens frequently, when the program was closed before it completely finished loading. AND I would NOT be surprised to find that happening right after a Hotfix download, since that process is automatic.
3. THE SOLUTION is just to RESTART your computer.

DO NOT delete a hotfix unless you go to MS and read and determine that you do not want this particular one.
More often than not hotfixes are essential, and/or CRITICAL updates that help your pc Operating System run smoothly.

Do the RESTART, anything “stuck” in memory will then be forced to close. And all should be well afterward.

h2h

Answer 3

Open Task Manager by hitting CTRL-ALT-DEL, and then click on the task manager button. Click on the " Processes" tab and you will see all running programs that are causing CPU usage. You can even sort by clicking on the CPU header. The offending program will give you some idea what's going on, but you might need a better utility to investigate further.

Answer 4

I agree with unrhuly429, HOWEVER my experience has been that these periods of CPU lock at 100% are often caused by a device driver rather than an errant application, and TaskMgr doesn't list those. I'll try to locate one and update this response accordingly. Alternatively, search for "windows driver cpu usage" or some combination like that.

Answer 5

Hi. I agree with your first answer. Try ending processes that use a high percentage of CPU cycles (one at a time) until the performance improves. Then look up the process on Google and see what it is being run by.