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    Abnormally high CPU usage, even when idle...

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by eleron911, Oct 10, 2008.

  1. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    I just finished installing RAID 0 on my XPS, 2 320/7200 WD Scorpios...and after a while, I noticed that game ran like crap.
    Imediately , I checked the clocks on the GPU, they were ok. So I went to the CPU usage in task manager, and I got a huge 50-60% usage when idle, and 100% CPU usage with all games, like Crysis or Crysis WH...

    Process Explorer tells me that 30% of the usage is for hardware interrupts...
    I`ve uninstalled the chipset drivers and the ATA one, reinstalled the proper ones, and still, CPU usage is HUGE...
    Check this out...
    Should I reinstall again everything or is there anything I can do to fix it?
    I`m worried of a hardware problem, which would definitely suck...
     
    eleron911, Oct 10, 2008
    #1
  2. 72hundred

    72hundred Revolutions-Per-Millennia

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    Ah its yourself 911. I'd run a virus scan.
     
    72hundred, Oct 10, 2008
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  3. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Dunno what HW interrupts are.

    Can you upload a screenshot of the Processes window ?
    (Click on the CPU tab once/twice to arrange the processes in decreasing order of CPU usage)

    (60 processes in XP ?!)
     
    Andy, Oct 10, 2008
    #3
  4. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    Virus I guess...formatted and reinstalled,it`s ok now :|
     
    eleron911, Oct 10, 2008
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  5. ArmageddonAsh

    ArmageddonAsh Mangekyo Sharingan

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    thats what im getting right at this poin im using 1.22GB ram and im at 83% CPU usage, everyhting runs slow

    im running windows defender as we speak to see if it can find anything, then ill run AVG as its the free version

    any other ideas what i can do to get thing back to normal
     
    ArmageddonAsh, Oct 11, 2008
    #5
  6. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Well, check tskmgr, for the processes eating up the CPU and memory. Click on the CPU and memory tab once/twice, to get the processes in descending order of utilization. (And also check "Show processes from all users")
     
    Andy, Oct 11, 2008
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  7. ArmageddonAsh

    ArmageddonAsh Mangekyo Sharingan

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    the one thats uses the most is comodo firewall its using 87,000
     
    ArmageddonAsh, Oct 11, 2008
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  8. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    87,000K isn't that bad. It must be busy doing its job.
    Which process/es with the highest CPU usage ?
     
    Andy, Oct 11, 2008
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  9. ArmageddonAsh

    ArmageddonAsh Mangekyo Sharingan

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    media cente is using 88,000k (watching TV)
    firefox is using 93,000 with just two tabs open

    host process for windows service is using 68,000 and 45,000
    and MS windows such indexer is using 33,000

    not much else the rest dont go above 30,000

    but comodo is now using just under 3,000
     
    ArmageddonAsh, Oct 11, 2008
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  10. ScuderiaConchiglia

    ScuderiaConchiglia NBR Vaio Team Curmudgeon

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    Forget which about the memory, concentrate on CPU use. Which tasks are causing the CPU to stay at 87% use. THAT is the source of your slowdown, not the amount of memory they consume. A process with a small memeory footprint can bring a system to its knees it it uses the CPU at a high rate. Like wise an app with a HUGE memory footprint can have little effect if it's CPU use is low.

    Gary
     
    ScuderiaConchiglia, Oct 13, 2008
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  11. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    I used Process Explorer to determine the usage.
    As I said, Hardware interrupts and the 30% usage by NOD32 made my idle usage over 60%.
    Wiped out everything, now runs smooth.
    Must`ve been something bad with both the RAID setup and those nasty *** viruses...
     
    eleron911, Oct 13, 2008
    #11
  12. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    Well, it`s back again.
    Checking with Process Explorer and Hardware Interrupts cause like a 30% usage, and that may explain my poor performance in many CPU intensive games.

    Seriousely, I am getting really really pissed...
    How could I find out exactly what interrupts are using 1/3 of my CPU power and kill them or disable them ? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:v
     
    eleron911, Dec 15, 2008
    #12
  13. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Have you updated your BIOS and all other firmware? Also, check for an update on the GPU VBIOS.
     
    Shyster1, Dec 15, 2008
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  14. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Just thinking.
    If NOD32 is anything like Kaspersky - have you run one full scan?

    If you don't run a full scan with Kaspersky once it slows down your computer like I don't know what - after you've run the scan its much faster.

    Also: I believe NOD32 is wuite good from waht I've heard in here - if it is a virus it should show up.

    (Could be a faulty driver or registry entry too...)
     
    DetlevCM, Dec 15, 2008
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  15. arjunned

    arjunned Notebook Deity

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    If it was a virus then NOD32 would have caught it. Its most definitely a hardware problem.
     
    arjunned, Dec 15, 2008
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  16. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    Oh woopty doo.
    Hardware problem..just what I needed now, close to Xmas.

    So how the heck do I identify it? :confused:
     
    eleron911, Dec 15, 2008
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  17. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    Hardware issue indeed : the Ageia card,that I disabled was causing the problems..
    Enabling it made the hardware interrupts go down to 0.5 % ... SSSSSSSSKJDfjhsgfkjsdfkd :mad: SINCE SEPTEMBER I couldn`t figure this one out...
     
    eleron911, Dec 15, 2008
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  18. ScuderiaConchiglia

    ScuderiaConchiglia NBR Vaio Team Curmudgeon

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    That is bizarre, enabling the card caused hardware interrupts to go down? Very strange designers, these Ageia folks, very strange indeed.

    Gary
     
    ScuderiaConchiglia, Dec 15, 2008
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  19. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Is it the hardware itself or the driver?
     
    DetlevCM, Dec 15, 2008
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  20. duksandfish

    duksandfish Notebook Consultant

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    This happened to me a while ago, and it is not the hardware, but a driver issue.
    I had just done a clean install, and was using newer drivers. Here is the thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3949673
    I ended up blacklisting it as the video driver, so I just clean installed again with the new one, and it was fine.
     
    duksandfish, Dec 15, 2008
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  21. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    The driver was installed, but I disabled the card from the device manager.
    Simply enabling it made the hardware interrupt requests go down to 0.5 CPU usage...
     
    eleron911, Dec 15, 2008
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  22. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    In that case you were probably getting a lot of delay from the hardware interrupts as the driver tried to poll its hardware on a regular basis and, because the hardware was disabled, ended up hogging the system until it timed out instead of "realizing" that the hardware had been disabled.
     
    Shyster1, Dec 15, 2008
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  23. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    I couldn`t have put it better myself :D
     
    eleron911, Dec 15, 2008
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  24. zfactor

    zfactor Mastershake

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    btw eleron nod has a issue where it will use 50% or more of the cpu at times and just sit there.. trust me i dont run nod anymore. and the guy who said if it was a virus nod would have caught it.. sorry. i have had systems i removed nod from and immediatly installed avira, kaspersky or others and they found things nod missed. see the forums over at wilders since version 3 things have been downhill

    just for the heck of it try disabling the ekern.exe and see if it drops down
     
    zfactor, Dec 15, 2008
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  25. zfactor

    zfactor Mastershake

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    zfactor, Dec 15, 2008
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