High CPU usage?

I wonder how much should be the CPU usage of notebook if you are not doing any task. i have installed many security appliances on my PC and now my notebookk is a bit sluggish. Just i saw mu cpu usage graphs and there are many spikes of 100% CPU usage. I want to know is this normal. I am using following real time security scanners, and other application

Norton internet security
Antihook
Winpatrol free
Prevx R1
Ms antispyware
ShadowUser trial
DU Traffic( a dial upmonitor)

I am just wondering if my CPU and memory usage is high. This graph is taken when notebook was idle with dial up internet connection working. Memory usage chart is taken with firefox open( 5 tabs) but no active browsing.

 

Vote: not normal.

open the 'processes' tab of your task manager. If you click on 'CPU', the processes will be ranked accoding to CPU usage. You should be able to find the culprit fast.

 

Could be. Although people think the more the better, with antivirus and antispyware tools isn't that case. In fact some combinations would lower the rate of the successfull interception. I think you should find the responsible for such behaviour and eliminate it. In my personal opinion Windows patches + Windows firewall as obligatory and Windows defender (previous antispyware) and some antivirus (avast perhaps) as an optional combination would be enough. I actually don't use any antivirus. Don't forget that any TSR program will slow down your overall performance. Not mentioning the overall memory usage. Combination might be even worse. Especially TSRs that check files as they load into memory - all the time, every file. The file that was checked 1000000 times before! So you might reconsider your policy of piling up the defenses and learn a thing or two about your enemy. It is much better in the long run.
Just to illustrate the problem - is it better to put on heavy armor that makes you hardly move and it is so clumsy that some parts of it stand in a way of other parts? Or be light and fast, with the knowledge of how to avoid the battle, and when it comes to it, use the best available weapon against that enemy at the time? I vote for the second.

Cheers,

 

Simple answer - remove Norton "anything"
Resourcehogs, which chew up RAM and commit random acts of violence on CPU usage as they check for stuff.
Personal choice= AVG+Spybot. Low resource use.

 

CPU usage by different processes.

 

First graph after turning off MS antispyware and second after turning of MS antispyware, ShadowUser and Ewido guard. All data is with dial up disconnected.

 

Norton is often blammed but you see my CPU usage, I am using Norton AV+ firewall+ IDS but still norton is not seen anyway using my CPU excessively. And spybot is on-demand scanner not real time, so you can,t compare with any real time scanner.

 

Could it be some Yahoo widget?

 

see my post # 5 and 6.

 

I saw it on your post #5, so that is why I'm asking! Maybe you have some widget that occassionally checks something and does that peak.

 

ya,but yahoo widget engine spike is 2%,less as compared to MSAS.
I have Yahoo widget engine with about 6 widgets on desktop.

Calender
Compact ACTIVITY, Battery and Memory
Clock
QuickURL

i like them but they take around 40 MB memory.

 

Those processor loads in #5 were down to 2% when the Antyspyware was unloaded? And what is that last peak? Because from your processes tab I can see sometimes yahoo comes quite up with the load. If it is only by 2% that is not the issue. I guess the only thing is to do the elimination. Sooner or later you will find the problem.

Cheers,