system process using 100% of CPU

Hi guys,

I am currently running Windows XP SP3, and I am having trouble with the "system" process taking up 100% of my cpu. This is not the "system idle process" that should be expected to show CPU usage when the CPU is not in use. Rather, this is the process called simply "system" that controls basic windows drivers and login, etc.

I have looked at the threads in process explorer, and it seems that the cpu is mostly being used by ntoskrnl.exe. I googled this process, and it seems like this is an essential windows process. However, there are multiple threads of ntoskrnl.exe running under the system process, and they all consume approximately 12% of cpu. One other thread listed that is using approximately 10% of cpu is ACPI.sys+0x10b10.

From threads on other forums, it seems that this problem is sometimes caused by old or faulty drivers. To test this, I unpluged all non-essential peripherals and rebooted the computer in safe mode without networking. However, process explorer still showed the system process using all resources.

It is always possible that this is a hardware problem, but this is a netbook. Therefore, if there is anything major wrong, I'm probably more likely to trash it then bother replacing any hardware. So, hopefully that is not the case

I have scanned the computer for viruses and malware using Avira and spybot, and nothing out of the ordinary was found. I also ran HijackThis, but I really did not see anything out of the ordinary.

The funny thing is, this whole thing seems to slow down my system a little, but it does not slow it completely as if the entire CPU were really being used. For instance, I can still open a browser within a few seconds or MS Office 2010 in about 6-7 seconds using my measly Atom processor.

So, I'm kind of at a loss about what this is all about. If anyone could offer any suggestions, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your time,

Eric

 

UPDATE:

Hi guys,

I have narrowed the problem a bit. I figured out that the system process only runs rampant when I have my external monitor plugged in. I have updated the drivers for both the onboard video (it is a netbook) and for the monitor, but this has not helped.

In light of this new info, any suggestions about how I could go about fixing this? Thanks for your time.

 

The problem is narrowed down, but I don't know what to do about it. Here is the issue specifically:

Netbook running xp SP3. While using laptop screen, all processes behave normally. I plug in the vga cable to connect the monitor and power the monitor on, and all processes still work normally. However, as soon I right click the desktop > graphics options > Output to > Monitor, the display properly switches to the external monitor. At this time, the system process skyrockets to using all of my CPU. If I change the option to output back to the netbook screen, the problem goes away instantly.

I do not think that this is a hardware problem because the devices are otherwise working perfectly. It sure seems like a driver problem, but I have updated both the monitor and video drivers (and have tried multiple versions of each including the Windows plug n play version and the manufacturer's versions). I have used a different VGA cable, and this does not change anything.

This sure seems like a driver problem, but I have no idea what the next step is. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your time.

 

Which model netbook? --Use the tag on the bottom to get as specific model number as possible--

There may be a specific issue with this model.

 

Not sure what the model number is specifically, but that is another issue entirely. Basically, it is difficult to tell on these old Aspire models, and Acer is of no help.

Nevertheless, I have discovered something very strange. Even though the signal is going to the monitor directly (nothing going to the laptop display)...the system process goes all the way to 100% when the laptop lid is CLOSED. However, when the laptop lid is OPEN, even though there is nothing being sent to the laptop display, the system process behaves normally (goes back to 0 or under 1% cpu usage)!

Can anyone explain such an occurrence? I guess the problem is "fixed", but i don't really want to leave the laptop open all the time. There is a lot higher probability that it will get broken if I do this.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

It may be design. In the comments here two people have the same experience.

I'll take a look around and post back if I find anything useful.

 

Do you have kpowersave icon in the tray? Might be worth a look at options there for what happens when closing the lid.

 

Thanks for your help with this, sach2.

Unfortunately, I already had the laptop set to do nothing when the lid is closed. The only other options are to sleep or hibernate the laptop when the lid is closed.

The only suggestion offered in the site you linked to was to extend the desktop onto the monitor and leave the display running (i.e. have 2 displays running). While this would certainly work, it is not exactly a solution. I want to simply use the monitor and keep the laptop closed.

For the time being, leaving the blank-screen laptop open is definitely a set up, but if anyone has any further suggestions, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading.