Phantom CPU Usage

Ok, so this issue is getting really old for me, but here's the jest...

While seemingly doing nothing only one core will show 36-42% CPU usage, and there is no process in the task manager that shows over 2% CPU usage. Here's a window capture:



Now here is a shot of the current running processes, prioritized highest usage first:



I've found that this issue goes away after a restart, but always ends up coming back sooner or later. There have been no hardware changes, or new programs installed. Also, this has lasted through 3 consecutive Windows 7 installs on the same notebook, an Acer 3680. On the second install I tried to run only on drivers supplied by Windows and Windows Update. That experiment yielded nothing. I've tried updating all my drivers and BIOS to no avail. I can't continually monitor my CPU usage as I'm usually quite busy, and I only notice it when everything slows to a crawl. I've also disabled a number of Services trying to find the cause, and while WMPNetworkSharing service has caused trouble in the past, at least I could see it in the Task Manager. Plus it's not a virus/malware issue if it's lasted through 3 re-formats. If anyone has ANY ideas, please... I'm at my wits (and nerves) end.

 

I'd have thought a system process - but you have "ahow all processes" checked...

Try using process explorer from the Sysinternals Suite - it will tell you which process it is if you point your cursor at the graph (that it creates)

EDIT:

You haven't scrolled to the top.... (in task manager)

 

Good eye. I didn't take that snapshop right I guess.lol Though I promise the problem is there. I'll try the sysinternals suite though, thanks for the suggestion! Only problem is, I have to wait for whatever is doing it to resurface as I HAD to re-start a couple of minutes ago.

 

Hi.

try this gadget , it show the top five processes using the most cpu power , i`ve been using it for months.

http://download.orbmu2k.de/download.php?id=39

 

TY for the suggestion! But.... I've uninstalled the gadget platform. Never have been a big fan of them.

 

Open the resource monitor from the task manager, and go to the CPU tab to know more.

 

Another thing you might look at is CPU TIME. In Task manager, in the "View" menu there is a "Select Columns" option. Enable the "CPU time" one and sort on it. It shows the cumulative amount of cpu time rather than the snapshot that "CPU" does and MIGHT shed some light.

Gary

 

Look in the services tab. I had a similar issue with an AV suite that was consuming full processing time on 1 core + its virtual thread for routine background scanning. Doesn't show up in the process list, so it might show up in the services tab. As coolguy noted, I isolated it by looking in the resource monitor to figured out which executable was causing the processing consumption, and ultimately uninstalled it.

 

So the Resource Monitor worked. It isolated it to an svchost.exe. Is there any way to tell what a particular svchost is doing?

 

Each svchost.exe in the resource monitor should have a description enclosed in paranthesis. You can also select a svchost.exe, click on the "Associated modules" to get even more information about all the files loaded.

I wouldn't worry about a svchost process consuming high CPU usage occasionally. It happens with Windows always, and should be normal, unless a malware is causing it.

 

Another way to go about it in resource monitor might be to check hard drive access to see which file is getting hit so often and backtrack to the process from there. This assumes the service is constantly accessing a file though.

 

If you run process explorer in admin mode you can go to the preferences tab and find ou which file is causing the CPU load.

Also in process explorer if you hover over the offending process it will tell you which tasks run in it.

(Process explorer is part of the sysinternals suite)

 

Thanks so much for the help! Through Process Explorer it seems to be the Network Location Awareness service. Though it doesn't sound like anything I'd need, would disabling it cause any noticeable side effects? The notebook in question rarely, if ever, leaves the house because the battery is toast..lol

 

You could check out MS's page on it:

Network Location Awareness

 

Thanks very much. I completely forgot technet! That answered my question, so I'm disabling it. Let's see if this is gonna be the fix. I hope so!

 

In resource monitor where did you see "Associated modules", I can't find what you are talking about?

Starting in Resource manager, the only way I know how to find the services associated with an instance of SVCHOST.EXE is to first note the PID associated with the instance. Then go back to task manager and on the "Processes" tab, find that PID and right click on it. Then select "Go to Service(s)". It will switch to the service tab and highlight the service or services controlled by that instance of SVCHOST.EXE.

Occasional high use for some services, yes can be normal. But I think the OP's initial description of the issue indicates something sub-normal.

Gary

 

Yes, that CPU usage of the one core wouldn't let up until a restart. BUT... why would this last through 3 clean Windows 7 installs? Could this indicate a hardware problem?

 

I am not so sure that disabling it is safe. Look through some of the other links in this search:

"Network Location Awareness Service" - Microsoft TechNet Search

If this was a desktop machine that was in a fixed location attached to a domain, MAYBE you could disable it. But with a laptop that is likely to conect to different networks at different times. I think diabling it could be a problem.

I think you need to find out WHY it is behaving this way rather than just turning it off. Just the quick look I dd on bing and google, indicates there are other services dependent on this service.

Gary

 

Associated Modules tab is hidden at the bottom of the Resource monitor. Click/ select a process and click/ expand the "Associated Modules" tab.

 

Rajesh,

I still don't see what you are talking about. See attached screen shot.

Gary

 

Nevermind. I just found it. You have to switch from the OverView Tab to the CPU tab.

Thanks again Rajesh! Nice find.

Gary

 

H.A.L.,

Did you ever figure this out? My father has a Latitude E6400 and he has the same thing. SVCHOST will occasionally drag the whole thing to a halt. It started on XP 32, and has persisted through a clean install (and perhaps two, IIRC) of Win7.64. I am not always around to help him. Usually a a restart or two will make it go away, but it is something I'd like to solve once and for all.

If you ever solved this, please report back here.

 

svchost can be anything. For example, I have 14 svchost.exe's running currently. It's just a way to run any program as a service, so you need to figure out what program is running as the svchost process, and then deal with that.

You may need a program called Process Explorer to know what svchost is running.

 

I know it can. About 8 or 10 months ago I dug into it as much as I could when I had the computer for several hours straight (which hasn't happened since, but may again soon). I used Process Explorer. I can't remember the details anymore, but I sort of hit a wall. It wasn't able to tell me anything specific enough. The fact that is doesn't happen all the time, and that I couldn't purposely induce the behavior, makes it more difficult.

I was hoping that the OP would report his findings. The fact that his model is the same as my dad's and that his issue was present through numerous clean installs, something hardware-related isn't too far fetched. Whether that is the case or not, I'm curious to hear if there is any light that can be shed before I jump back into this.

 

You're creating an issue where there is none. I took my car in to the dealer 3x when it was brand new because I heard the engine tick-tick-ticking. Turns out it was just the injectors doing their thing. The svchost "issue" is the same deal.

 

I'm not sure what I said to give you that impression.

Periodically, while doing something as simple as watching a youtube video, or working in Excel, the computer will grind to a near-halt. The laptop gets very hot, and svchost will be at %95+ cpu usage. It will remain like this, all but unusable, until the computer is forced to shut down.

It isn't an aberrant spike, and it certainly isn't an imagined "ticking" sound. It is real and it has persisted between CLEAN installs of multiple versions of Windows.

As I said, it doesn't happen all the time, and I wasn't able to determine a cause. The Process Explorer didn't lead me to anything conclusive. Unfortunately enough time has passed that I don't recall the details.

I'm sure you mean to be helpful (maybe I'm wrong), but I am not creating an issue out of thin air. If you don't want to help, that's fine, but it isn't necessary to discourage others who read this from trying.

 

Mine, upon further investigation, turned out to directly correspond to the amount of concurrent open TCP connections. I tracked it down to an issue with my network controller hardware reporting incorrect values to the driver so I just replaced the board. It worked, because it hasn't been back, and I've tested it... so apparently it was a hardware issue. Don't know what caused it though.

 

That's fantastic. Complete care is still active. I'll have the mobo replaced. Thank you for the insight.

 

No problem I hope you get it fixed! I know it bugged the heck outta me until it was fixed.