High CPU Usage

JLDT

Solid State Member
Messages
7
I am looking at an AMD 2400+ with 512, and I just reloaded it - It is a friends computer - with xp home. For some reason it has a constant CPU usage of at least 30% and if I simply move the mouse it jumps up to 60+. I don't get it. It took a long time to load windows, 4 hours long time . . . I am wondering if I am looking at a problem with the processor or if it is something else - initially windows wouldn't load, so that is why I reloaded it and while it was loading, I thought it might be memory or trouble reading the hard drive as well. Which is it and How can I fix it?

Thanks

PS - PF is a constant 62.1 MB
 
Nope, the only thing is windows - and basic at that - there is no extras - I havn't even connected it to the net yet.
 
Is this like a new build or has he had it for quite a while now? Looks like the CPU is an Athlon XP and has 512 MB RAM (but 512MB is enough especially when you have no other programs isntalled). High CPU usage can be triggered if you have low memory, or if there are bad drivers, corrupt system files somewhere too. A lot of cheaper motherboards, there are a lot of integrated hardware such as the video, software modems, onboard sound, etc that must draw on the CPU in order to operate.

Is the System Idle Process usually pretty high? Go into the Task Manager and click on the Process tab. Look under the CPU part and tell me what's the highest number there. It will give you an idea what is causing the high CPU usage.

High System Idle Process usually means that you don't have an issue and this is normal. This process accounts for unused system time, that's it.
 
This is an older computer, they have had it for a while and I am afraid that I never saw it running before they started having trouble. Apparently it stopped working quite a while ago and I just found out and am trying to fix it. I am noticing in the processes tab that the PF usage isn't going above about 70 MB.

This Mother board doesn't have onboard video, but everything else is - audio and ports.

teh System Idle processes is sitting at 66 on the processes page with taskmgr.exe coming in second with 25 when the computer is just sitting? Does that help at all??
 
how old of a computer is it... cause sometimes on older computers windows xp will run really slow.


Chris
 
Not that old - the AMD 2400+ is only a few years old and the computer came with XP home
 
end task>go to the processes tab> on the very right colom under mem usage what program is taking up the most memory?
 
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