100% cpu usage at all times??? aaargghh

sup all
im trying to fix my parents' pc...

the following process are utalising 100% of the cpu at all times so much so that the mouse pointer's movement is laggy.
- system idle process
- winlogon.exe

Now what I understand is that none of these is actually a virus or adware, but then how the hell does it keep the whole system clogged up??

The system isnt a beast either:
celeron 400
256mg ram
6 gig hd
4 meg video card
running XP

surely even that system could do better right? can anyone shad a light pls?

ps. winlogon.exe just crashed and closed....

 

System Idle Process = what is NOT being used by the cpu. It is essentially a 16k loop. For ex. if your System Idle Process is 90% then your cpu is only at 10%. My explanation is pretty horrible! For a better explanation, try Googling System Idle Process.

Also, take a look at your mouse & pointer settings - Start>control panel>printers and other hardware>mouse>pointers tab.

You might want to run through MG's spyware tutorial for good measure:
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

Best,
PP

 

cool thanks

the reason i asked about the idle process cuz the green gauge that shows ure cpu usage was at 100%, shouldnt it be 0% or something small if ure not doing anything?? On my pc it shows 0% unless i move the mouse which makes it 2%.

on a similar note, i cant get my Desktop manager open. As soon as it opens it shuts dow. Could that be because of a spyware?

god i hate those who creat viruses, spywares...grrrrrrrrrr

 

plus, what about winlogon.exe? why is that one taking up 40-80% of cpu power???

 

Wow I don't know why it would be using so much. winlogin.exe on my machine is only using 0% CPU & 412k Memory. Where as System Idle Process is using 97-99% & 16k Memory. Go figure. Gotta love Windose.

 

system idle process will most always be high. It's a reverse, actually, of what is being used by other processes. Think of SIP as 100% CPU resources.. Everytime some other process uses the cpu , it takes, from SIP, a part of that 100%. Make sense now?

 

ok but if that was the case it kills the purpose of having a percentage now doesnt it cuz it would always show 100%? simple maths

 

not possible. There are numerous processes running in the background that take up CPU resources. At best, youi'll frequently see 98%, 99% "used" by the SIP. It's really a simple concept. All it's saying is X % of the CPU is idle. That's all you need to know.