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CPU usage skyrockets when idle...

post #1 of 6
3/5/06 at 9:27pm
Thread Starter 
That's right, my CPU usage skyrockets to 100% when my screen shuts off due to inactivity. I have the screen set to shut off after 10 minutes of non-use. After an hour of non-use the lappy goes into standby. The other day while doing work, my screen went blank, a few minutes later I heard the fan go to high, odd. I moved the mouse, opened IK8fanGUI and noticed that the entire time the screen was blank my cpu usage was at 100%!! WHY?!?!

I don't have any programs set up to run when my lappy is idle. How can I figure out what is eating my CPU time?

(Obviously did all the virus & spyware scanning [AVG, SpyBot, AdAware].)
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post #2 of 6
3/5/06 at 11:41pm
What model do you have?
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post #3 of 6
3/6/06 at 9:53am
How about opening Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and clicking the Processes tab and then letting it go to sleep as usual? Then once you're ready, open it up real quick and look down the list to see which process is eating up your memory.

My first thought was some sort of spywarewhatnot, but if you've checked, then I don't know what to tell you. Might try Microsoft's anti-spyware setup. It found a keylogger on my Sony VAIO once that nothing else ever caught.
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post #4 of 6
3/6/06 at 10:25am
Indexing service, perhaps?
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post #5 of 6
3/6/06 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DELL-Machina
What model do you have?
i6000d. 1.6 CPU, 1 gig ram, 128 mb x300, etc.

Oh, and this happens in my user account (which I use 99% of the time); don't know about Admin account (will check). And will try FriedToast's suggestion.
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post #6 of 6
3/7/06 at 1:41pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks all for your help, but now that I changed the screen turning off times, it doesn't happen. It happened on several occasions (I would notice my CPU light flashing when the screen was off) but never thought any ill of it until the fan went to high one day.

When I can successfully emulate this problem, I'll come back and enlist your help again. Thanks all; I love this forum.
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