So my laptop is really slow. According to the task manager, like 100% of my cpu is being used at all times & really all im running is chrome (1 tab), windows media & task manager to keep tabs on the cpu usage. The laptop uses Vista Home Premium (32-bit), dual core cpu, 2gb ram (maxed out). Any ideas or possible programs I can use to get the cpu usage down? This is a hand-me-down laptop that my dad once owned. I do plan to get my own laptop once my loan is paid off. Any and all suggestions welcome. Feel free to ask me any questions.
Laptop issues
- Thread starter pillar
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Well - If you havent tried already - Reboot the laptop fully.
If that doesnt work then you probably have a virus or something else that is causing your computer to max speeds. I suggest defrag'ing the hard drive and possibly doing a rollback on your computer.
I believe its called system restore and look at your latest one that didnt allow you to run the CPU usage at max.
If that doesnt work then you probably have a virus or something else that is causing your computer to max speeds. I suggest defrag'ing the hard drive and possibly doing a rollback on your computer.
I believe its called system restore and look at your latest one that didnt allow you to run the CPU usage at max.
Ya im gonna download the latest updates on my antivirus, then do a scan on it. Frankly im surprised that I havent had to repay on the subscription on this (not sure if its still on my dads current account or not). Also im gonna download smart defrag to let me check it out. Also youre right, this laptop hasnt been fully restarted in quite a while.
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Smart defrag is a little weird. I am just saying wipe out your entire hard drives partition and reinstall windows and everything else you had.
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I agree with Cloak in that it sounds like a virus, unless you have a severe hardware failure of some sort.
I would also try completely flushing the laptop of any power to rule out a possible energy problem. Unplug any AC adaptor and the battery, then hold the power button on the laptop down for about 15 seconds. This will make sure your components are completely powered down, ensuring you have a completely clean reboot and clearing any caches and/or capacitors that may not be clearing properly by themselves.
-Blue
I would also try completely flushing the laptop of any power to rule out a possible energy problem. Unplug any AC adaptor and the battery, then hold the power button on the laptop down for about 15 seconds. This will make sure your components are completely powered down, ensuring you have a completely clean reboot and clearing any caches and/or capacitors that may not be clearing properly by themselves.
-Blue
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I used to get something called svchost.exe popping up every so often which used about 96 CPU. Not sure what it does, something to do with a program installing weird on my machine I think. I just used to end the process every time it popped up but I'm not sure if there are any side affects. Don't have the problem on my new PC.
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reboot laptop, then if you are having the same pcu consumption issue, check to see what processes are running, make note of them & anything that doesn't look like it should be there.
Next reboot laptop in safe mode & if you are still having the pcu consumption issue, check processes again.
While in either case it could very well be a virus or trojan issue most (not all ) don't load during safe mode.So this can help narrow down wether it's a virus or other issue (hardware or software).
Also what Anitivirus are you using ?
If you determine or feel it is a virus issue, it's really best to back up important docs & wipe HD & reinstall fresh.
But if your not up to that atm you can try and trace down & remove the virus. Might give speedypc Pro a quick try (i'm not saying it's the greatest but it can work, note it's not FREE only the scanning is FREE)
Best of luck
Next reboot laptop in safe mode & if you are still having the pcu consumption issue, check processes again.
While in either case it could very well be a virus or trojan issue most (not all ) don't load during safe mode.So this can help narrow down wether it's a virus or other issue (hardware or software).
Also what Anitivirus are you using ?
If you determine or feel it is a virus issue, it's really best to back up important docs & wipe HD & reinstall fresh.
But if your not up to that atm you can try and trace down & remove the virus. Might give speedypc Pro a quick try (i'm not saying it's the greatest but it can work, note it's not FREE only the scanning is FREE)
Best of luck
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"In the spring of 2007, a major problem arose with a Windows update that caused svchost.exe to use 100 percent of CPU because of an issue with Automatic Updates. To correct that bug, be sure that Windows is fully patched with the most recent updates."
From a CNET post.
From a CNET post.
Everyone has their method I guess but first thing I would do is open the start menu and type in msconfig in the search box. When you see msconfig show up on the list, right click it and then left click the run as administrator option to open system configuration. Once you're there, click on the startup tab and deselect anything that you don't want to run when the computer boots. Some of the startup items are unnecessary but some might be depending on what the software is doing for you. I would look each of them up before changing the startup option just to be safe. Technically you could deselect everything in the startup window and reboot safely with a working computer but again some entries might be of importance such as an antivirus program.
To troubleshoot a slow computer this is the first step I do and then reboot to safe mode and proceed to scan the machine with multiple malware, rootkit, antivirus software JUST to be absolutely sure that malware is out of the equation as this can be a simple fix if it is the cause. If the computer checks out and is clean I would then suggest only enabling startup items that you absolutely need to have running at startup. Keep in mind that deselecting items in your startup list does not mean that you can't open the program later and use it, it just means it won't start and run in the background when you boot your computer up. After you deem this laptop to be clean of infections you can also download a free program that is trusted by many called CCLEANER and run that cleaning program (not the registry cleaner option) to get rid of built up junk that collects from installing software, updates, temporary files and cookies.
This should get you started down the right path to getting a smoother, faster computer (or should I say operating system). If you need further assistance or want to know more of the method I take to remove malware and what software I use, feel free to contact me. Everything I use is free to the public, trusted by millions and is easy to obtain.
The problem with system restore, if it is infected with malware, is that infections do sometimes get backed up in a restore point. There are some pretty persistent infections out there and you need to nuke the restore points during the cleaning process. If the computer is not infected then a system restore would be the last step I take once I've tried everything else.
To troubleshoot a slow computer this is the first step I do and then reboot to safe mode and proceed to scan the machine with multiple malware, rootkit, antivirus software JUST to be absolutely sure that malware is out of the equation as this can be a simple fix if it is the cause. If the computer checks out and is clean I would then suggest only enabling startup items that you absolutely need to have running at startup. Keep in mind that deselecting items in your startup list does not mean that you can't open the program later and use it, it just means it won't start and run in the background when you boot your computer up. After you deem this laptop to be clean of infections you can also download a free program that is trusted by many called CCLEANER and run that cleaning program (not the registry cleaner option) to get rid of built up junk that collects from installing software, updates, temporary files and cookies.
This should get you started down the right path to getting a smoother, faster computer (or should I say operating system). If you need further assistance or want to know more of the method I take to remove malware and what software I use, feel free to contact me. Everything I use is free to the public, trusted by millions and is easy to obtain.
The problem with system restore, if it is infected with malware, is that infections do sometimes get backed up in a restore point. There are some pretty persistent infections out there and you need to nuke the restore points during the cleaning process. If the computer is not infected then a system restore would be the last step I take once I've tried everything else.
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