As part of an attempt to find out what was causing my desktop PC's processor to overheat, I noticed that under CPU tab in Apllications in Task Manager, a particular item referred to as System Idle Process was showing 98 to 99 while other processes showed either 00 or 02 of CPU.
Could this be a reason why the processor is overheating ? If yes, then how to stop this particular process that is overloading the Processor ?
2007-05-19 07:12:48 · 3 answers · asked by venomous smile 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Great answers - these first three !
That makes my understanding better. It seems that the CPU fan is not spinning as much as expected [only 1085 RPM]. I tried blowing off the dust using a vacuum cleaner. But that didn't help the processor cool down. Tried uninstalling extra software. Tried virus and spyware scan in safe mode. But the fan is spinning low. And the PC is only 6 months old though extensively used for home.
2007-05-19 07:30:23 · update #1
The system Idle process is the CPU kicking it's heels while it waits for something better to do.
So you add up all the % CPU time for all the active processes, subtract from 100 and that is the system idle time.
2007-05-19 07:22:57 · answer #1 · answered by Simon T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
System Idle Process is what windows does with the rest of your processing power... it being at 99% is a good thing because that means that all the other programs are only using 1% of your processing headroom.
Its not the reason it's overheating... open it up, make sure the fans are spinning and get rid of the dust and lint (that alone can raise your core temp but as much as 5 or 10 degrees). If the computer is older, i advise replacing the cpu fan and applying new heatsink gel between the processor and it's heatsink.
(btw: the heatsink is that giant hunk of metal between the process and the fan that absorbs heat from the processor, the gel (Arctic Silver is what they call it or someethng) is a heat transfer gel applied between the processor and the heatsink).
2007-05-19 14:21:28 · answer #2 · answered by massiv_x 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No this process would not cause the CPU to overheat. It is a process that is active when the CPU is Idle.
More than likely your processor is overheating due to a clogged fan somewhere. If you can, get some canned air and open the computer and blow out all the fans.
2007-05-19 14:20:14 · answer #3 · answered by Shemp 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋