100% CPU usage?! What can I do to boost performance. - Page 2

Dude...I did. Frankly, if your not going to be more helpfull, kiss my ass and leave.

I never did here what ICQ is, so didn't check that. Compared major system hogs to the lists on the windows library and came up with nada.


To update:

Rollback did work. Finally I noticed what I think is happening....my AIM does from time to time try to "share with other computers" according to my firewall (zonealarm). It does not give me an option to disallow this, and it rates it a very low priority risk. Nonetheless, 2x now it has happened and then is followed by lagging system resources. I suspect from reading some time ago (years) that AIM has a backdoor users are using to put in spam and stuff. I need to figure out how to better close some of the "doorways" of stuff without slowing down (too much) my internet activities. For instance, once I put security setting (under internet options) on "medium-high", my surfing speed goes to total crap with any site that uses cookies (pretty much every site).


In the previous instances, my antivirus scans before restoring yielded no results. However, today it did pop up with a Trojan adware program. Problem is...the program itself doesn't appear to be hogging my resources, whereas the damned antivirus alert will not shut down.

According to norton it can't fix it, "access to file denied". Attempts to quarantine have been unsuccessfull. CPU currently running at 44-74% atm with 2 explorer windows and a few background processes running. There is a removal tool that I downloaded...that, ironically, can't find the virus to remove at the same time as I'm looking at an up-to-date notification of the virus's presence. Symantic really has a great product here (sarcasm), I need to find a better security suite for sure.

Oh, and one more thing...the removal software wanted me to disable system restore....which wiped out it's memory, so I can't use that fix for this anymore either. SON OF A BITCH!

If anyone has anything insightfull to add, please feel free. Oh, the virus is Trojan.Vundo too, btw....currently in about 30 different places on my computer.

Scanning now. As far as the CPU usage thing, i can only find how to do the mem usage. Been all over the task manager and haven't figured out how to switch that...it does show CPU, but they're all at "o". I'm running the rather Craptacular Windows Media Center with full bloatware, and since I am planning to swap out to Pro soon I haven't learned too much of the media center stuff. If you can tell me exactly how to get the info your looking for, let me know and I'll get back to you. What I mean is, when i get that screen you put up...none show the CPU usage over 1, if at all.

Running PC Cillin in safe mode now, we'll see how that works.

Yeah, PCillins test gave me no love, couldn't find it. Upon restart though, Norton is again pooping its britches over this thing, convinced it's still there.

In weeding out my start up folder, I killed AIM and all the other bloat, but did, upon googling, find another type of virus software loaded there that was registered on the windows library, NOT the earlier one. Since neither PCillin or Norton is registering that, this stuff is really starting to cheese me off.

Also, why the hell is my computer so open to this crap? WIth firewalls and all that, I don't download porn or music or anything high-risk (video game updates, trusted sites from school stuff, really about all). I don't understand how this got on here to begin with, much less why with all this I can't get it off.

So...I have about 80 days left on my Norton trial, think I should bail on it and get PCillin? I know it and ZoneAlarms suite are supposed to be better than Mcaffee and Norton, but don't know which is THE best.

I'm sorry, did just notice that my System Idle Process is indeed showing a variable CPU usage number, between 55-98.

Winlogin also going up to 41. How did you get that pic up here? Couldn't find a way to snap a shot of it either to post on here.

That and the norton stuff are the only things moving at all though...even the norton is staying under 17. I have CPU usage varying up to 60% right now with Norton, Task Manager, and an IExplorer window open.

It's not crippling, but it is screwing up my framerates on COH, which is a fairly low-intensity game. About every 3 seconds I get a computer pause while it sorts something out.

Did a complete wipe and am now reloading crap...zonealarm firewall is up, but should I use pcillin instead of the included norton?

So...used the dell "return to original status" thing (like a complete wipe, but from a hidden partition on ...oh, you guys probably know about it).

Installed ZoneAlarm.

Am currently weeding out start-up crap while I wait for a response to this post.

I'll be able to put $70 or so towards a complete security suite here in a month or so, but before I put XP Pro on here I'm just looking for a 30-60 day free trial.

Um...what's the problem?

I did a complete wipe (just used dells disc-less version, not the usual way of re-installing).

Loaded ZoneAlarm.

Virus are cleared, I just want to know what a good suite is before I install it to. Also, I'm trying to figure out how to close off my system enough...I'd like to continue to run AIM, but not if this is the result. Can I disable or password protect file-sharing, cause I haven't been able to find a place to do that.

While I appreciate your help, a better attitude would be nice. Your last message before (2 messages ago now) wasn't terribly freakin clear at all, and I got an 800 on my verbal SAT and did all my college english level coursework in high school. I have no frikin clue whether you were saying you have norton and zonealarm as well and think they are cool or you like the built in windows firewall.

I did pcillin for now, I'll try it out. CPU usage running 2-5%, with an occasional spike up to 50%.

As for processes, I've never had less than 50 running, though I expect some of those to disappear once I use a clean copy of XP Pro. Boot up is faster, and I have all those annoying reminders and nanny programs where they won't go off, though I won't erase them (talking about stuff like "try quickbooks pro today!" and all that other bloatware that dell ships it with).

I've never heard of that other antivirus, think I'll look it up and keep it in mind if something like this happens again.

Still running good....pc-illin seems fine.

Is there any way to close the loopholes in AIM? More I talk to ppl, more trouble they're having with it as well.