More MBP problems!!!

sometimes when i am on my mbp (both battery and AC) for a couple of hours or so, the processor usage suddenly goes up to 99% and stays there, regardless of what apps i have open, or if i quit them. I can leave my mac with nothing running, and it'll still say the processor usage is 99%. This causes the mbp to get very hot and the fans come on full blast, only when i reboot it does the processor usage go back down to what it should be, and the fans die off.

what do you guys think the problem is? is something running in the background that i should know about? my first suspect was the anti-virus, but i've realized that even when i run a virus scan, the processor usage never goes above 60% or so, therefore why would it go up to 99% sometimes? and why cant i see it scanning?

My second suspect is maybe i have a virus or something, but i doubt that.

please help!

 

what software have you installed since you got it?

 

Did you use intense applications? Did you drop or had any accidental spills on it? You could completely shut off the computer, pull out the battery and AC, then put it back then.

Oh and if you didn't know, the correct way for using AC power is to plug it into your computer first, then into the outlet.

 

I've got photoshop, illustrator etc... that are my only "processor intensive" applications, but i could be using only safari and itunes and this will happen.

Also i keep it plugged in most of the time, sometimes this happens, sometimes it doesn't, regardless of if i have unplugged the AC or not. Also i treat my mbp like it's my baby, no spills or damage whatsoever.

the software ive installed on it are just the usual stuff, some widgets, some media players, microsoft office, adobe PDF, and software update to 10.4.9 (i never had this problem befor the upgrade, if that can be a cause).

 

Hmm, I have no idea, lol sorry. Good luck to you. Ask for some more help from other members here. They always put out good advice.

 

mine does something like this every now and then. Not to that extent, though. I'll get a 30% constant CPU usage after having used something that uses X11, or if I'm using a windows product(such as messenger or Office). If you have anything like that running you've found your culprit.

 

Are you running in OSX or Windows via Bootcamp because you mention Antivirus - you probably shouldn't have that if you're in OSX. You might try uninstalling that but if it's Norton then you're sol. It's worse than spy/adware

 

no I have Norton Antivirus in OSX, I dont have bootcamp or windows on my comp.

 

btw, do I need Norton Antivirus? I know macs dont get as many viruses as PCs but is it safe to get rid of the antivirus all together?

 

Yeah. I wouldn't use anti virus on a mac. It just wastes your resources.

 

It wouldn't even surprise me if Norton was the root cause of this problem. Norton software is flaky on windows, I doubt the OSX quivilent is much better.

 

It's not only flaky on windows but much worse on macs - it's like spyware or one of those relatives that you can't get rid off!