XP high CPU usage

A

AM7

Have a problem with XP high cpu usage.
When nothing is running it's at 50%.

When browsing the internet it's hitting 100% and can go down to the 50% + range depending on the website.
Ran 3 different virus scans and nothing detected.
Task manager is not thorough enough to show what is causing it.

Strange thing-I restarted the computer and pressed F8 for the advanced options menu and rebooted the computer and the cpu usage went back to normal.
With nothing running it would show 0% cpu usage at times and when on the internet cpu usage was way less and the computer was faster and not running as hot.
This worked about 3 times and now doesn't work anymore.

How can I fix this XP high cpu usage problem?
 
Your scenario smells strongly of something resource-hungry running in the background unbeknownst to you. Virus and malware scanners have their limits, in particular (but not only) if the unwelcome guest is very old or very new.

A screenshot of Task Manager running while the problem is active would be a good start to guess the culprit's name and then to adjust the aim by turning off brutally one by one the processes that sound too little familiar.

Running a long obsolete StartEd or some other program able to identify the processes that get started at the boot might also provide useful information. Here under 'utilities' you should find something like that. If you don't, just ask :).
And while you are at it you may as well find and download a process monitor better than Task Manager, there are plenty.

Two questions:
1 - does the problem persist if you physically pull the internet connector?
2 - do the hard disks sound as if they were accessed repeatedly without apparent reason during the abnormal CPU usage?

You made me curious... ;)
 
Managed to find and fix the problem.
Avast free antivirus was causing the high cpu usage.

I ran Process Hacker and it showed Avast services being the culprit.
I suspended the process and the high cpu usage stopped and went back to normal.
The computer is a lot faster and the cpu temp is 10*+ cooler.

I uninstalled Avast free antivirus.
I wonder if the Avast program became corrupted as I mentioned rebooting the pc three different times which stopped the high cpu usage while Avast was still running.
I don't know and I'm not a advanced computer user so I'm just guessing.
 
AM7 said:
Managed to find and fix the problem.
Avast free antivirus was causing the high cpu usage.

I ran Process Hacker and it showed Avast services being the culprit.
I suspended the process and the high cpu usage stopped and went back to normal.
The computer is a lot faster and the cpu temp is 10*+ cooler.
Click to expand...
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
AM7 said:
I uninstalled Avast free antivirus.
I wonder if the Avast program became corrupted as I mentioned rebooting the pc three different times which stopped the high cpu usage while Avast was still running.
I don't know and I'm not a advanced computer user so I'm just guessing.
Click to expand...
That's rather hard to tell from afar. Might as well be some unknown malware that targets and corrupts the AV software first, but here my guess is as good as the next fortune teller's.
If you feel like experimenting you may download a fresh copy of free Avast from a trusted source, install it and see what happens. If (or when) the problem shows up again, at least you already know who the culprit is and how to kill it ;)
 
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