Whenever I copy files the CPU Usage is 100%. Why does it do that?

Question

I have an Intel Celeron D 336 (2.80Ghz) CPU and 512Mb RAM.
It is fine all the time I'm not copying files.
Here is a Picture of when I am copying files and when I am not: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/deanpcmad/YahooAnswers/photo#5090101027982077026

Answer 1

Most of the time, the CPU is sitting around just waiting for something to do. A copy is a decent example of a task that will keep the PC busy, because the software is continually issuing instructions to the CPU while the copy is taking place. Under the hood, the operation goes something like: fetch page from disk, store in memory, copy from memory onto disk, rinse and repeat many thousands (or millions) of times.

For comparison, browsing the internet doesn't generally take much CPU power because the majority of the time, the computer is waiting for input from the user (you) or the network (much much slower than the CPU).

Answer 2

Before you attempt to copy

Open windows Task Manager and click on the Processes Tab.

Click click on CPU until the Image Name with the highest CPU usage appears at the top. This will keep changing; but, the highest usage Image Name will alway be first.

Start a copy and watch which process is utilizing your CPU. I suspect it may be your virus/spy/ad-ware software.

Good Luck and update your question.