CPU busy, but shouldn't be!

[sabryant]

My machine was running slow, so I thought it was about time to reformat. I did that, reinstalled windows, updated to service pack 3, did a full virus/malware scan with pc-cillin...and its still not running smoothly. This time, firefox even crashes every now and then, even after reinstall. The main problem is that when I'm running just a few programs (itunes, ie, utorrent), the comp fouls up. I noticed today in task manager, that at one point, the processes that were taking up 99% were rapidly switching between teh different opened programs. Seemed very fishy to me.

Here are my spec's
2.0 ghz AMD athlon xp 2400
768 mb ram
2 HDD
nvidia geforce 6200

I've had some power supply issues and I will be replacing it shortly. Can a faulty powersupply cause the above problems, as in not enough power to the processor. Is there any software that i can run to check the processor?

Thanks,

Steve<!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- / message -->

[tk9780]

Re: CPU busy, but shouldn't be!

I had the same trouble with Utorrent a some time back, it seemed to take up any 'free' processing time within the system. Check the settings for Utorrent to makesure that you're giving up or seeding to much of CPU time.

[ANZAC_ELITE]

Re: CPU busy, but shouldn't be!

The main problem is that when I'm running just a few programs (itunes, ie, utorrent), the comp fouls up. <!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- / message -->

Hi Steve, I would suggest that you stop these programmes to eliminate them as a cause.

If your pc still remains slow then I would suggest a hardware problem.

You could run some stress software to test your hardware, namely memtest86+ (to check memory) and prime95 (to check cpu use the small FFT test, to check cpu and memory use the blend test), errors with either of these will indicate hardware issues. Both are freeware and easily found with a Google search.

A faulty psu could indeed cause your problems as the power demands of your pc increase it may not be up to the task of supplying sufficient voltage to your components, the only real way to determine if this is the case is to check the 12v rail with a multi meter.

If you think perhaps there may be a "rogue" software running you could run Process Explorer from Sysinternals (freeware and Google search once again) to identify it.

Good luck.