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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Help! Very high CPU usage
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Showing posts 1 - 13 of 13, (reverse)
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 12/02/2006 02:25:28 PM · #1
i just tried to make a call on skype, but the call quality was extremely bad and in the end i had to hang up. skype gave me a message saying CPU usage was too high- and sure enough when i tried to call again with the 'Performance' window showing CPU usage up, as soon as i make a call it jumps to 100%

it has literally only just started doing this today. i have neither installed any new programs, downloaded anything or made any changes- and i have scanned for virus's and adware with no luck.

please could somebody offer advice? i dont really know where to go next

i googled the problem and found this but i have had SP2 installed for XP since i got my laptop over a year ago with no problems.

Message edited by author 2006-12-02 14:26:14.
 12/02/2006 02:27:28 PM · #2
had you used skype in the past w/o issue?

or is the first time you've tried it?


12/02/2006 02:32:13 PM · #3
i've used skye for over a year and a half on this laptop and the only issues i have ever had have been internet/wireless speeds, but thats all fixed now.

any help would be greatly appreciated

edit: to give you an idea, refreshing the forum pages made it jump to 44% and just opening skype without calling made it jump to about 38% from a steady 4/13%(fluctuating evenly)

Message edited by author 2006-12-02 14:34:39.
 12/02/2006 02:35:17 PM · #4
Have you determined which process(es) have high CPU usage?

12/02/2006 02:43:01 PM · #5
i have looked but im a little unsure of which ones are crucial windows running normally

highest:
IE x2 running at about 25,000k each
Communications_helper running at 17,000 (dont know what it is)
explorer.exe running at 19,000k
fssm32.exe at 18,000
Skype at 38,000k (open but only using 'chat' text writing feature)
svchost.exe at 27,000k
MsMpEng.exe at 27,000k

those are the main ones, thanks

12/02/2006 03:00:18 PM · #6
Usually, when the CPU is intolerably overloaded I have to take the hard drive to the "shop" to have its memory wiped & reload the programs. However, I, too, would like to know if there is a short cut to turn off some of these crazy programs permanently that use up so much memory, especially if I want to run the computer detached from the internet? Or if we plan to be photographers with any consistency, do we just buy 4 Gb RAM & be done with it?
 12/02/2006 03:11:16 PM · #7
Originally posted by 777STAN:
Usually, when the CPU is intolerably overloaded I have to take the hard drive to the "shop" to have its memory wiped & reload the programs. However, I, too, would like to know if there is a short cut to turn off some of these crazy programs permanently that use up so much memory, especially if I want to run the computer detached from the internet? Or if we plan to be photographers with any consistency, do we just buy 4 Gb RAM & be done with it?


the thing is its only just started doing it today, i've never had this problem before and havn't loaded anything new :S i wiped cookies and temp internet files in the hope that it might help but nothing. im not sure what those processes i listed normally run at (im using a laptop) or what they even are (with a few exceptions of course). i have a relativly large amount of space left on my hard drive and i always try to keep programs obviously open to a minimum.

thing is i dont know what processes are usually running so i cant identify any new ones that might be malicious.

12/02/2006 03:22:00 PM · #8
in the task manager does the amount of total memory match what is installed in the machine? could be a bad RAM chip - ie: you are using it up faster because some of it isn't available.

Message edited by author 2006-12-02 15:22:20.
 12/02/2006 03:31:57 PM · #9
I would suspect MsMpEng.exe. It's part of Windows Defender. If you Google it you will find that it is a resource hog when it is running. Go to START, Find the castle wall icon and open it, select Tools, Options and check the settings. If you have it set to around 2pm for a "full" scan, choose a different time, and a "quick" scan, instead. I had the same problem a while back and that cured my machine.
 12/02/2006 03:49:37 PM · #10
Originally posted by andersbs:
i just tried to make a call on skype, but the call quality was extremely bad and in the end i had to hang up. skype gave me a message saying CPU usage was too high- and sure enough when i tried to call again with the 'Performance' window showing CPU usage up, as soon as i make a call it jumps to 100%

it has literally only just started doing this today. i have neither installed any new programs, downloaded anything or made any changes- and i have scanned for virus's and adware with no luck.

please could somebody offer advice? i dont really know where to go next

i googled the problem and found this but i have had SP2 installed for XP since i got my laptop over a year ago with no problems.


Post what % CPU each app is using that is not 0% when you are making a call. The memory use is irrelevant if you are saying your cpu spikes to 100% and the machine grinds to a halt.

Skype, being free, is one of those get-what-you-pay-for apps. Some people never have problems with it, some people (like me) constantly have it crashing and acting up. Quick fix might just be to uninstall and reinstall skype. Regardless, hard to say what is consuming your cpu without seeing the numbers.
 12/02/2006 04:22:14 PM · #11
yes, what Routerguy said. The amount of RAM a program is using does not necessarily correlate with the amount of CPU time the program is using.
 12/02/2006 04:38:43 PM · #12
thanks so much for all the quick replies people.

ok i just got off skype making a call and it was behaving, i had the task manager open the whole time so i could keep and eye on it and during the call it hovered around 55% but with great call quality so i guess its ok.

it spiked at 100% again when i opened the app, but then goes after that.

i've never really had any problems with skype before (i call a landline using skypeout) today but it seems to be bahaving again now. i'll just keep apps running to a minimum for the time being and see what happens.

thankyou so much for all the quick replies guys, really appreciate it (i dont really know squat about computers)
 12/02/2006 05:02:08 PM · #13
Open Task Manager and click on the Processes tab, then find the CPU column and click on the column header to sort the list by CPU usage. Each time you click the column header the sort order will switch between ascending and descending order. Click it until the list is sorted in descending order. This will place the processes using the most CPU at the top of the list. Normally, the ‘System Idle Process’ will be at the top of the list, usually consuming 99% of the CPU. If that isn’t the case, then you have a problem.

In my experience, when a process starts using large amounts of CPU it usually means that one or more of the threads in the process is stuck in an infinite loop. In other words, the application has a bug and there̢۪s nothing you can do to fix it. You can shut down some processes, but many are system processes and cannot be shut down by the user. Some will be service processes. Services can be stopped using the Service Control Manager, but that̢۪s probably not a good idea, unless you know what you̢۪re doing. Often, such bugs are intermittent and only occur under certain conditions. Determining the exact set of conditions that cause the problem can be a real bear. Once you know which application is using an abnormal amount of CPU, then you might try a google search to see if anyone else has reported a similar problem. You may find that there̢۪s a fix or workaround available that will solve your problem. If not, then you should contact the company that made the software to see if there̢۪s a fix for it.

Good luck!


I guess I type too slow. Anyway, it looks like you fixed the problem. You're a genius! :D


Message edited by author 2006-12-02 17:04:34.
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