Really need help! CPU Usage 100%!

Reply #48

konane — Sun, 12 Sep 2004 17:55:01 GMT

Wow

Reply #47

Dr Pepper — Sun, 12 Sep 2004 17:02:18 GMT

I'm baaaaa

Reply #46

Dr Pepper — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 23:02:27 GMT

You folks are great. I'm about to go to sleep and do the Microsoft test from disk, but I've written down the other websites for when I wake up. I let you know

Reply #45

konane — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 17:00:36 GMT

Free prdvents spyware from being installed. No doubt being developed for sale, but for right now the price is right!! SpywareBlaster 3.2 released! (July 7th, 2004)Keep spyware from installing in the first place!Download the latest SpywareBlaster version and you'll be secured by the most powerful anti-spyware protection solution anywhere! More information and downloadhttp://javacoolsoftware.com

Reply #44

fenris — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 16:45:32 GMT

For the really adventurous you could try:http://www.bitdefender.com/bd/site/products.php?p_id=40This is an image that you burn to cd, then you boot with it. It will startup a completely self contained version of linux that is designed to scan windows and clean virii using the bitdefender anti-virus engine. This way there can be no virus running that may interfere with the scanning/cleaning.This is an interesting way to scan for virii. Now only if it could clean spyware, then it would be the ulti... [ More ]

Reply #43

fenris — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 16:32:15 GMT

Change browsers! That will stop 90% of spyware and malware that comes through IE.I like firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/For mail I use thunderbird: http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/With firefox I do not get anymore spyware (I check with adaware, spybot, xoftspy). If you are worried about getting email spyware, malware, worms or virii - thunderbird is immune to the ones that exploit IE.Another program that I highly recomend is registryprot 2.0: http://www.diamondcs.com... [ More ]

Reply #42

konane — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 14:52:06 GMT

Reply #41

konane — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 14:09:56 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by camden2004 on August 26, 2004www.download.comand then search for WEBROOT SPY SWEEPER IT LOVE IT, IT CLEAN MY SYSTEM AND ITS FREE!Free to try, $30 to buy.

Reply #40

camden2004 — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 05:08:37 GMT

www.download.comand then search for WEBROOT SPY SWEEPER IT LOVE IT, IT CLEAN MY SYSTEM AND ITS FREE

Reply #39

konane — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 04:01:48 GMT

Do not use a vacuum cleaner because you may accidentally dislodge something on the board. You'll see lots of little things sticking up on it when you go in. You also can't get in the crevices of your heatsink with a vacuum cleaner. Just wait til you get some canned air and a straw which comes with it to give the force it needs to remove the dust. Then is time for the vacuum cleaner!There is a scandisk but not in the normal place. Go to Start, then My Computer, click open. Right click Loc... [ More ]

Reply #38

Dr Pepper — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 03:25:36 GMT

konane, thanks for the Shields Up site. My computer is perfect and refused to respond to their attempted hacking. GREAT site for those who want to know if their computer is secure!I haven't yet blown out my PC ... no canned air. Would a vacuum cleaner do the job? (Seems like the 'sucking' would be any more damaging than the 'blowing.') My PC is a P4. I have XP Home, and there's no SCANDSK. Is that normal

Reply #37

konane — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 13:48:25 GMT

Hope some of your problems have corrected themselves, that it was only dust on your processor!!This came in email today for any who want to check their firewalls for free. You can check your system ports on the Internet. Go to Gibson Researchand run the Shields Up application. It will tell if your computer ishidden, or if your ports are answering pings. Gibson is at: color=#800080https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Reply #36

konane — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 02:33:54 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by Dr Pepper on August 22, 2004Well, I took everything off, but it didn't help. (Figured I could take it all off, see if it worked better, then add back ... to no avail.)Anybody else have a suggestion? (Please?) I'll try anything to get my computer back!!Found something else which can slow down your CPU, and that is overheating. Have you blown out your motherboard, processor fan and heatsink, video card fan???? Means unplugging, taking off all jewelry, opening the c... [ More ]

Reply #35

konane — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 01:21:04 GMT

You may wish to try this to check if a sector of one of your memory sticks (RAM) may have gone bad. Don't know if it would cause the problem you're having, but have dealt with bad memory (new stick) when putting together this computer so it is a possibility. Good Luck! Windows Memory DiagnosticThe Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running... [ More ]

Reply #34

Dr Pepper — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 01:02:07 GMT

Well, I took everything off, but it didn't help. (Figured I could take it all off, see if it worked better, then add back ... to no avail.)Anybody else have a suggestion? (Please?) I'll try anything to get my computer back

Reply #33

Dr Pepper — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 22:37:19 GMT

Thanks to everyone who has responded.konane, I'm going to try your suggestion. I'll keep you POSTED

Reply #32

konane — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 19:49:51 GMT

If more knowledgeable people here can't find anything that should not be in that log, please go to http://pestpatrol.com/ for a free scan which should tell you if there is a malicious program on your hard drive. Again, you have to buy the software for it to remove any problem it might find, however, the software is very effective.Another possibility is that Norton may be causing the problem by being in conflict with something you just downloaded. I personally have had exceedingly bad experienc... [ More ]

Reply #31

Dr Pepper — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 19:06:47 GMT

Any comments on Service Pack 2? What to say to Mr. Fix-It? Went to Kim's site to Highjack this ; anybody an expert on reading the log files as to what's good/bad?C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exeC:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exeC:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exeC:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exeC:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exeC:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exeC:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXBCES.EXEC:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exeC:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exeC:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXEC:\Progra... [ More ]

Reply #30

lottoarchitect — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 15:57:02 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on August 16, 2004I can almost guarantee it's Zone Alarm. That's one of the reasons I dumped it and went to Norton Internet Security, which I like a lot better. It seems the longer it is installed, the more often it spikes your CPUs utilization. Quite annoying.The combination of Norton Internet Security plus AdAware will give you great protection, and Norton tools are perfectly integrated. If you want to go a step further, you can add Norton SystemWorks.After... [ More ]

Reply #29

hypersoniq — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 13:33:01 GMT

THe thing about zone alarm is it never gets fully removed by just uninstalling...http://nh2.nohold.net/noHoldCust25/Prod_1/Articles55646/ManualUninstall.htmlI tried zone alarm back with windows98, it shut down my port 1433 which meant I could no longer get my SQL server to work. Out it came, but not after some registry tweaking and file hunting/deleting.I now run a 1-2 punch, Norton SystemWorks and AVG (a free virus checker from http://www.grisoft.com ) with norton's firewall. No matter how secu... [ More ]

Reply #28

CalifDude — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 13:09:20 GMT

Viruses come from web sites nowadays. You don't have to have an attachment on an email (but that is the most common).I have installed (via auto update) XP SP2, however all the advice I have read about it says to turn off the firewall and use a different one. The firewall with the Service Pack has caused some problems for some people.The 100% CPU usage is something that happened to me a few months ago, but not exactly as described here. It turned out that I had a stuck key on my mouse!! I bou... [ More ]

Reply #27

Colin F — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 12:28:05 GMT

Dr PepperDo what I said. It will cost you nothing.As for the other thing I have been in the service business some 30 years; if you charge to do something you have to rectify. He didn't fix it so he can't charge for all his time. With all my experience I still occasionally get problems where I can't charge for all the hours - maybe 8 or more. However, the next time I get the same problem or similar I can fix it in a jiffy. Pay him his callout fee and maybe a little more. Most technicians are happ... [ More ]

Reply #26

Dr Pepper — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 12:11:21 GMT

Well, Folks. Here's the latest. (I wouldn't think of NOT using antivirus. I don't know Linux from Charlie Brown's Linus!)I ran Norton in Safe Mode and found a Trojan called AdClicker. bvmunst2.exe. I called in a professional who took 3.5 hrs. to figure out what he should do to get rid of all the files associated with it. I don't know what all he did, but one new thing on my computer is BHODemon (whatever that is). Of course, after he'd been here two hours (at $60 an hour!), he said, Wel... [ More ]

Reply #25

Fwup — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:56:48 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by unseen on August 18, 2004 I went a year without any firewall on my computer without any problems but I wouldnt go a week without some type of virus protection and I dont even open attachments and what not. I have a firewall now but what I'm saying is it is horrible advice to go online without virus protection. Thats like sleeping with a bunch of people without protection...dventually it will catch up to you if you're using Windows and Internet Explorer and Outlook Exp... [ More ]

Reply #24

unseen — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 04:50:09 GMT

I went a year without any firewall on my computer without any problems but I wouldnt go a week without some type of virus protection and I dont even open attachments and what not. I have a firewall now but what I'm saying is it is horrible advice to go online without virus protection. Thats like sleeping with a bunch of people without protection...dventually it will catch up to you if you're using Windows and Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Now when I'm on my Linux partition I dont wor... [ More ]

Reply #23

whodeani — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 04:35:32 GMT

Norton Ghost is a wonderful thing. It is awesome not having to spend a whole day to do a complete rebuild of your system if something goes wrong or just isn't working right. A fresh new system in 15 minutes.

Reply #22

Todd — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 01:27:50 GMT

dvdiva,Yes, that's a great idea. I do something very similar for my backups. I just make clone copies of my hard drive onto an external hard drive using Norton Ghost, so if something goes wrong, I have an instantly available perfect backup. It's the cost of another hard drive, which is pretty cheap.For my Thinkpad I do the same thing by plugging a second TP hard drive into the superdrive port and do a ghost copy.It's paid for itself several times.

Reply #21

dvdiva — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 21:13:25 GMT

actually i'm in love with virtual machines atm. if it gets infected - i just delete the virtual hard drive and generate a new one. Cant even begin to tell you how many people have slow computers due to spyware. internet security 2004 is a good product for most consumers. 2003 had some issues though.

Reply #20

Todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 21:09:57 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by Fwup on August 17, 2004Todd,No system is 100% secure, and I wouldn't recommend that the owner of a multi billion dollar company use my methods to protect his servers. However, an average computer user on an average system that doesn't engage in high risk activities, and is complaining about low system resources, can use a router in place of software. I've run security checks on my system and compared it to reviews I've read for firewall software, and in every case my... [ More ]

Reply #19

Fwup — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 20:59:46 GMT

Todd,No system is 100% secure, and I wouldn't recommend that the owner of a multi billion dollar company use my methods to protect his servers. However, an average computer user on an average system that doesn't engage in high risk activities, and is complaining about low system resources, can use a router in place of software. I've run security checks on my system and compared it to reviews I've read for firewall software, and in every case my D-Link router performs better than the software. An... [ More ]

Reply #18

Todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 20:44:47 GMT

dvdiva: check out the Active Users page. You'll see just about everyone is running Windows of some flavor, and most people are using IE. (Even you are using XP.)That's why I think it's pretty safe to give general advice assuming XP + IE. Also, in order to have the processor sit at 100% continuously, I don't think it's a ram or processor issue, assuming they bought the PC sometime in the last 10 years. They probably have one of their firewall or virus programs running out of control, and it's... [ More ]

Reply #17

dvdiva — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 20:15:15 GMT

well if you are running openbsd with m0n0wall then you dont need any antivirus software on the openbsd platform. but if you are running windows its a great way of being infected with something right away.dont know why the original poster's computer is slow without knowing what processor, amount of ram, os ,etc. need more details.best advice for xp users is to use adaware and spybot - update them and run them. use alternative browers like firefox, keep your xp updates current.

Reply #16

Todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 20:09:16 GMT

Quote: O

Reply #15

whodeani — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 19:23:55 GMT

If you are familiar with using the MSConfig utility, go into the startup tab and see if you can keep some things from running when your computer starts up. You may have a bunch of stuff running in the back round that may slow your computer down. Also you can go into the registry (make sure you know what you are doing here) and keep some things from running. I am also not a big fan of running all the components contained in Norton System Works. Install and run only what you need. Running the whol... [ More ]

Reply #14

Fwup — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 19:13:14 GMT

Quote

Reply #13

LANTERN — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:53:53 GMT

And after you get everything fixed stay away from porno sites, people who go there pick up all kinds of things, that might be avery good reason as to why you are gettings so many porno pop ups all of the time, when you leave the porno sites you take the pop ups with you for good.Hackers love internet explorer and now also they are beginning to also love Netscape, the security of those browsers and specially Internet explorer is a joke.Your best security is to stay away from bad sites.And yes do

Reply #12

konane — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:35:41 GMT

Good site for good computer advice, especially concerning ad ware pests, keystroke loggers, viruses, all things having to do with your computer. Loads of links and reviews of both freeware and shareware. Kim Komando has a syndicated radio program, also on CNN with the latest stuff about how to make your computer run correctly. Also free newsletters.http://www.komando.com

Reply #11

konane — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:01:48 GMT

Quote: O

Reply #10

Todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 11:50:48 GMT

Quote: O

Reply #9

Colin F — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 09:15:25 GMT

The best costs about the same or only an ice cream or two more. www.nod32.comThirty day free trial; I guarantee you will want to buy it.Psst! It's what the professional virus eradicator people use. So many pluses that it makes the opposition look amateurish.Don't forget to put up a firewall and check your outgoing in relation to your incoming when you bring up the status for your internet connection.Colin

Reply #8

Fwup — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 06:02:55 GMT

Take a little time and learn about how your computer works, and then you won't have to run any of that stuff. Programs like Zone Alarm and Norton virus software aren't necessary, and just bog down system resources.

Reply #7

FloridaGirl — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 05:45:12 GMT

My puter is a real turtleand i know why .......i have dial up .......its very cheap and also very slow

Reply #6

Todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 02:51:02 GMT

Make sure you have rebooted as well.Also, the Windows XP Task Manager has a Performance tabe, which will show you the exact process that is utilizing the CPU. What is it

Reply #5

konane — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 02:39:43 GMT

Uninstall the Trend Micro PC-Cillin because it will be in conflict with Norton. It should have an uninstall function and should uninstall clean.After that, go to Pest Patrol and get a pest scan from them to see what might be lurking there. Your option as to whether to purchase the software, however, I have it and it is regularly updated so will find stuff others can't find.Have you updated your Norton virus software? If not you should do that and scan. I run Trend Micro PC-Cillin and have ha... [ More ]

Reply #4

Dr Pepper — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 02:29:19 GMT

Well, I uninstalled ZoneAlarm, but it doesn't help. I (finally!) downloaded the TrendMicro virus scan (it wouldn't scan from the website ... had to download a 30-day free trial); however, before it will install, it wants to remove Norton anti-virus which I paid good money for, and is valid for MORE than 30 days. What do you suggest

Reply #3

rabbitfoot — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 00:25:29 GMT

My computer recently slowed to a snail's pace and doing all kinds of crazy things. The best I could determine was that I had a virus in my registry file which I couldn't remove. I ended up making backups of everything I could and did a complete system restore.For protection, I,m now using Norton Spybot. Since then, I haven't had even a single pop=-up.Good Luck

Reply #2

konane — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 00:08:28 GMT

Go to http://pestpatrol.com/ and do a free scan to find out what may have downloaded in the form of ad ware, spy ware. That's what it sounds like to me.Also go to Trend Micro Housecall for a free virus scan. http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp Both are highly reputable companies. Good luck!Agree with Todd the newest Zone Alarm has had some glitches. Am running an older version with only an infrequent hiccup.However, do go to Pest Patrol for a scan because they take care... [ More ]

Reply #1

Todd — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 00:05:24 GMT

I can almost guarantee it's Zone Alarm. That's one of the reasons I dumped it and went to Norton Internet Security, which I like a lot better. It seems the longer it is installed, the more often it spikes your CPUs utilization. Quite annoying.The combination of Norton Internet Security plus AdAware will give you great protection, and Norton tools are perfectly integrated. If you want to go a step further, you can add Norton SystemWorks.After you install those, you can dump everything else.My... [ More ]

Really need help! CPU Usage 100%!

Dr Pepper — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 23:58:02 GMT

As I sit here, my CPU usage meter is running at 100%. Today it drops to about 43-50%, but then jumps back up to 100%, in perfect little upside-down mountains. Yesterday, it would go from 1-3%, then zoom up to 100% every 15-20 seconds ... a perfect little picket fence!It takes a minute forty to two minutes to open a web page (DSL). However, don't let this confuse you. If I re-boot the computer, opening nothing but task manager, I STILL have the picket fence. If I look at processes, I can see... [ More ]