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re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 1:50 am Posted by MartinM (3453 messages posted) I know its obvious, but I think you have to try and spot, in Task Manager, what processes are using the CPU at these times. Otherwise you'll be searching forever for the answer. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 2:43 am Posted by bob (24 messages posted) That is just the problem. there is nothing eating up the cpu except for the system idle process, nothing spikes above 2 for the cpu. On Monday, August 18, 2008 at 1:50 am, MartinM wrote: > >I know its obvious, but I think you have to try and spot, in Task Manager, what processes >are using the CPU at these times. Otherwise you'll be searching forever for the answer. > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 2:47 am Posted by Spexx (1951 messages posted) I have dealt with at least three cases on here recently with CPU spikes at regular intervals. Each one proved to be due to a network device enabled, but currently unused. For example, an onboard LAN device/port enabled but the PC was using a wireless link, or an add-on network card installed but with nothing connected to it. Could this be the case with your PC? Cheers. Spexx. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 3:18 am Posted by bob (24 messages posted) I don't believe so. I am using an on-board network card, I installed the driver and it seemed to work fine for a few days. The performance that is. Just today it started with the slowing down of the entire computer. I haven't really changed any settings. On Monday, August 18, 2008 at 2:47 am, Spexx wrote: >I have dealt with at least three cases on here recently with CPU spikes at regular >intervals. Each one proved to be due to a network device enabled, but currently unused. >For example, an onboard LAN device/port enabled but the PC was using a wireless link, >or an add-on network card installed but with nothing connected to it. Could this >be the case with your PC? Cheers. Spexx. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 6:38 am Posted by MartinM (3453 messages posted) So where are you getting this information from: "It will quickly spike to 60% plus " ? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 4:33 pm Posted by bob (24 messages posted) My performance tab in windows task manager. It gives me a graph over time and it will stay relativly flat hovering around 5-6%, and then jump to 60% for 5-10 seconds slowing everything down, but as far as I can tell no processes are eating the information. On Monday, August 18, 2008 at 6:38 am, MartinM wrote: > >So where are you getting this information from: "It will quickly spike to 60% plus >" ? > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 4:49 pm Posted by cogs (193 messages posted) disconnect from the internet, check usage. turn off antivirus, check usage. turn off firewall, check usage. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Monday, August 18, 2008 at 4:55 pm Posted by cogs (193 messages posted) turn them back on before reconnecting to internet. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 1:59 am Posted by MartinM (3453 messages posted) If its showing up in Task Manager's performance tab then I think it must be showing up in the Processes list - both use the same information. Obviously you have to sort the process list by CPU usage (click on the column header) but after doing that once the list is dynamic and you may be able to spot the cuplrit that way. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 4:07 am Posted by Spexx (1951 messages posted) In Task Manager, Performance tab, select View and check "Show Kernel Times". When the CPU is "spiking", does the CPU time show up in mostly red or mostly green? If green, you may be able to identify a troublesome process in the Processes tab as the cause. If it is in red, you may have a bad device driver or something like that. Some types of anti-malware programs, such as Spybot TeaTimer, will do periodic scans which show up as CPU spikes, but these are generally at low priority and should not interfere with normal use. If you would post up a copy of the bootlog I would be happy to go over it for you to check for a suspect device driver. Cheers. Spexx. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:33 am Posted by wolfmaster (1 messages posted) Did that, it did nothing. I have always had this issue even with my old laptop and thought it was inherent in all computers designs. But then i started seeing other computers didn't have the issue. Then I built a new computer myself and it has the same issue. It will idle at 10-20% because Firefox, AIM, Itunes, etc all use about 5% each and it fluctuates. If i send an IM it will jump to 10 for aim, for example. Whenever I move a window it will go to 20-100% just for that window depending on the speed of movement!! (This happened with my old laptop as well) Does this mean a video card issue? If so, how do i fix? On Monday, August 18, 2008 at 4:49 pm, cogs wrote: >disconnect from the internet, check usage. turn off antivirus, check usage. turn >off firewall, check usage. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Jumpy cpu usage Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 10:41 am Posted by Spexx (1951 messages posted) That sounds like normal behaviour. I am often surprised by how much CPU time that Firefox uses for example, even when apparently idle. The faster the CPU and other equipment in the PC, the less noticeable these things tend to become. Hope this helps. Cheers. Spexx. [Reply or follow-up to this message] Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread Search this forum Start a new thread on a different subject Report abuse of the forum Return to the Windows XP Discussion Forum