Pentium M processor -- high CPU usage problems?

After having worked on a number of Pentium M-based laptops over the past several years, I'm curious --have other people experienced odd issues where the processor goes to 100% CPU usage? The applications vary for me, but the processor is always the same --some variant of the Pentium M. I haven't had this issue with P-3, P-4M or Core variant laptops.

So far, I've had issues (depending on the laptop) with the Automatic Updates service, Windows Defender, and Mozilla Firefox. The CPU goes to 99-100%, and one can barely get to the Task Manager to close the offending process. It continues to make me wonder if there is a weakness in the Pentium M's design, as the systems have all had plenty of RAM. Even a clean install hasn't fixed problems when I've had them; they come back the moment the offending application is installed.

I was just curious to see if anyone else who works on machines has had similar issues.

 

Are there any background processes regularly requesting tasks from the CPU? That could be a problem.

 

Nope. I'm pretty picky about weeding them out, although in the case of Automatic Updates or Windows Defender, it is the resident background process of the app itself that causes it. In the case of Firefox (on the current system I'm working on) it only happens under certain scenarios, like browsing through the comments on some of CNN's blog posts. Only two tabs open at the time, but as I opened more and more comments (you can open 25 at a time) I hit a magic number apparently, and Firefox goes to 100% like that.

I also forgot to mention one other thing --the models I remember having issues with are Dell. Not all the same model (Inspiron 6000, and several Latitude D6xx series units), but mainly the same vendor. I had a theory that it was an issue that dual-core mobile CPUs don't have due to their multithreading capabilities, but I haven't had these types of issues on P4 mobiles either, so that kind of throws that out.

 

Maybe the Pentium Ms are starting to show their age...

 

I had similar issues on my old PM750, but I had discovered what was causing it on my system. Often, when I was accessing a web-page with a lot of flash-animated banners, the CPU usage by Firefox was jumping to 99% and stayed there until the moment I either switch the tab or close the page. However, it had no problems playing flash video and flash-based games. I guess some flash-designers don't do their job properly, probably, having missed a couple of conflicting functions or whatever else, and in result the CPU would load itself up to the neck doing some useless calculations.
It well might be just an issue with my system in particular though...

 

NJoy, I think you're right on this one.

I'm typing from my desktop at the moment, and AdBlock Plus is showing that CNN's comment section appears to be done with Flash somehow. Sounds like a really silly way to do things from my point of view, but apparently, when you get about 75 comments open, it really loads down Flash in FireFox. Interestingly enough, Internet Explorer 7 isn't affected.

I'm still unsure why Windows Update and Windows Defender did the same thing, but perhaps it truly is because the Pentium-M gets overloaded by certain types of processes. It would explain Intel's move to add more cache going from the Banias core to Dothan as well (since Banias' big weakness was a lack of cache). But that's just speculation on my part.

 

Can't say anything about IE7, not using it))

About cache... ehrr, Intel wasn't able to put more that 1meg of cache on Banias core, as it would increase power consumption and tdp. Intel used .13micron process to manufacture Banias, and move to .09 with Dothan cores allowed them to double the cache and increase clock speeds whilst having the same tdp and power consumption values.

 

If the computer is running xp checkout helpsrv.exe. I got Pentium M for 3 years now and every now and then this service start and processor goes by 100%.

 

And, by the way, Core Duo (Yonah) were essentially a dual core evolution of Dothans.

 

I somehow have a feeling that this is something to do with Data Execution Prevention (DEP, NX, EDB) not being supported in hardware on the older PMs.. lately I'm being raped by popups even when I'm not connected to the Internet (though I must mention that this computer doesn't have a firewall, antivirus, antispyware of any sort).

 

i know nothing about DEP and how it works... but i guess your problem is exactly due to having no AV. Get one!

 

I always use Firefox with FlashBlock after discovering that an open flash-enabled web page would keep the CPU busy, even if off line and caused a serious hit on the battery life (I think that's described in my Samsung Q35 review).

So are we talking of a CPU with high usage even without processes keeping it busy? The processes tab in Task Manager is very informative, particularly if leave the computer running for a while and then rank the processes by CPU time. (for example, on my current screen, System Idle process is top with 91 hours, then FireFox (which has 25 tabs open but FlashBlock running) with 2:13, PaintShopPro with 1:30 and RMClock with 0:38.

If the CPU is so busy with background processes that it's difficult to get its attention then something isn't working properly. It may be a broken piece of software that is going round in a perpetual loop and going nowhere. The 1.33GHz Core Solo in my Sony G11 is effectly a slow tweaked Pentium M. There's a bit of lag at times because its is only single core, but it doesn't lock up.

If you are running XP then I would give SP3 a try. There are plenty of hotfixes and something might relate to your problem.

John

 

I had the same problem on my macbook pro, xp pro SP2. when it happened, i needed to switch to leopard and then back to xp

 

True, however, the additional core allowed for multithreading support that might have mitigated situations where CPU usage would max with the Pentium M. Just a theory of mine.

The laptop I'm working on has a Dothan-core Pentium M with DEP support; DEP is enabled in BIOS.

To John Ratsey: When this occurs, it's just one single process that goes to 99-100% --and then stays there until terminated. I've waited five minutes and never seen CPU usage drop. It has happened with just enough Pentium M laptops (and none others I've worked on, not in this way at least) that I decided to find out if I was the only one, or if it was a more common occurrence. In the case of Windows Update, I had to disable the Automatic Updates service (wuauclt.exe) to fix it (which killed Windows Update); I tried reinstalling Windows XP clean on that system, and things were fine until I had to download some updates to Windows Update from Microsoft to continue getting patches, which caused the problem all over again. With Windows Defender, uninstalling fixed the problem (it was harder to trace, because it was running as one of the many svchost.exe processes), as its background process was no longer active. With Firefox --well, I think it's an Adobe Flash issue, so it's a bit different there.

I find it odd that I haven't seen similar issues on P4, Core Duo, or Core 2 Duo laptops (nor on Sempron or Turion models for that matter, but I haven't worked on as many of those).

 

I found it! The process is called "idle")))) 99% CPU usage straight after a reboot lol)

 

I had this problem with my original install on my L100. Flash pages caused opera to use all the CPU and the system would effectively lock up, being a single core Celeron-M. I think it has something to do with drivers... I'm not sure but a re-install cured it and I've not seen it happen again on any of the Celeron-M or Pentium-M machines I've owned.

 

Right click on the taskbar,task manager,identify culprit,terminate it
IE would do this to my T7500 , and it`s something related to pages with lots of flash objects.

 

you forgot to mention which drivers

 

ATi x200m running on toshiba website drivers then upgraded to omega, but with a fresh install and omega drivers from the beginning it didnt happen again.

I think it may have something to do with driver installs over one-another?

 

can i ask ... do you have a hp printer?? very important question...
if so This could be the solution:
Go to services (start –> run –> services.msc) and put the following service to manual:
HP network device support.



and this is another fix: Deleting the Value “NetworkService = DnsCache” in HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WinNT\CurrentVersion\SvcHost

 

also for xp users:

How to stop svchost.exe using up 100% system resources (Windows XP Only):

* Visit the Microsoft website and Download Windows Update v3 WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe and save it to your C:\ drive
* Download this file http://www.technibble.com/downloads/windows-tools/fix_svchost.bat (right click and choose save as..) and save it to your C:\ drive
* Download this file http://www.technibble.com/downloads/windows-tools/WindowsXP-KB927891.exe (right click and choose save as..) and save it to your C:\ drive
* Reboot the computer and log in to Windows XP in safe mode. To do this, press F8 just before the WindowsXP logo shows up during boot and press up to choose “Safe Mode”
* Once Windows has loaded and you have the option of which user account to use, log on as “Administrator”.
* Click Start > Run, choose the Browse button and find the fix_svchost.bat file you saved before, press Open, then OK.
* A black screen will pop up and white text will scroll past. Wait for this process to finish as it could take several minutes. It will close itself when its finished.
* Once the black screen disappears, Click Start > Run, choose the Browse button and find the WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe file you saved before, press Open, then OK. Follow the prompts as it installs.
* When Windows Update Agent finishes installing, Click Start > Run, choose the Browse button and find the WindowsXP-KB927891.exe file you saved before, press Open, then OK. Follow the prompts as it installs.
* Reboot the computer

 

DNS has nothing to do with the problem, and caching addresses reduces their access time as according IPs are cached and your system doesn't have to go through domains every time asking "what is Google's IP?" IMHO

 

i know these have fixes have worked on many systems with older cpu's running at 100% all the time.. not saying they will work everytime but i have used all three with great success on different machines