CPU usage way high

[Briab Guy]

XP pro SP3
3GB RAM
P 4cpu 3.00GHz

I keep a pretty clean machine. Small amount of APP's starting at boot etc...
But lately after I start PC, it starts using crazy amounts of CPU usage. 95%...
It will go up and down, 60% - 90%, and I am not doing anything. No programs

running.
I noticed it trying to play Call of Duty (kept crashing).

I have scanned for viruses (Bit Defender 09), spybot search and destroy,
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. I run CCleaner to keep the history and temp files
etc... cleaned.

I am trying to find out what is starting when it boots that I may be missing. I
have Wintasks and SysinternalsSuite, which comes with a couple process
monitoring apps, and a app called Start Up List. Also I use performance monitor.
I would like to find an APP that will give me a log file as to what else may be
starting that I could use the process of elimination to see if any app is
causing this. But none of the ones I have give a log file that shows everything
that starts at boot. (that I see).

Not to go to far on a tangent, but what should I have the page file set to? Current is
Intial: 2000MB Max 3837MB (recomended).
I have read a hundred different rules to this.

I have no idea of what is causing this. I tried a sys restore without any

results.
Any help is greatly appreciated
B

Control, Alt, Delete, then select the process tab, that will show your running processes and the cpu usage of each process realtime.

[Briab Guy]

As usual I don't explain myself well. I know Control, Alt, Delete will show current running process's. There is a lot more stuff running that is not shown in Control, Alt, Delete
see:
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9647/startupt.jpg

That is the program Start Up List which shows everything running after booting up.
What I was looking for is a app that keeps a log file of when the PC starts. But the more I think of it the less I think its going to help me.
Something is starting that is eating my CPU like crazy, and up and down. Sometimes it stops all together only to start again for no apparent reason.
I am missing something obvious I think.
Thanks again

[Force Flow]

Anything that is currently running shows up in the processes tab (except for rare instances, certain malware infections). Keep an eye on that and you'll probably see what spikes.

[glc]

You are chasing your tail thinking about all these apps that monitor, log, etc. You can't beat the process list in task manager for seeing real time CPU usage by process.

I run my pagefile at 4095 initial and max, and I use Diskeeper Pro to defragment the pagefile and MFT, and to set the MFT size.

[dushuai]

If you check anything is right,just problem may be from the hardware,example cpu itself.

[Briab Guy]

Yes glc I am good for chasing my tail. I may have been reincarnated from a dog (if there is reincarnation).
The problem is that when it spikes and I go to the process list in task manager there is nothing going on any different then usual. And it "seems" as though it either starts up when the PC starts or it doesn't happen at all. And if it does start doing it , its not all the time. Its random.
System idle process sometimes looks like its spiking, but from what I read that is not a problem. Opera will jump a little, but not enough to do anything.
I use Diskeeper but never used the Paging File or MFT options. I just started reading about the Boot-Time defragmentation and will want to read it again before trying it.
And of course today its (PC) been on for over five hrs and nothing has happened.
Thanks for help, and I will let you know if the Diskeeper works.
B

[Briab Guy]

this is to say thanks
i know it belongs some place else but its neat and safe

You know that you should clean the outside of your computer screen every so often. However, did you know that you're supposed to clean the inside of the screen, too? Not many people know this or how to do it. So, here's a complimentary cleaning.


http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

its completely safe

[glc]

System idle process SHOULD spike - that's the unused cycles. When it DROPS, something else is eating the CPU and you have to catch it.

The sequence to follow for boot time defrag is this - first, adjust the MFT size, that's in configure diskeeper, diskeeper configuration properties, frag shield. Go by the program's recommendations. Then change the pagefile to a fixed size, then run a boot time defrag, that's in set it and forget it, boot time defrag. Defrag the pagefile and the MFT. I then set up the primary defrag job properties in set it and forget it to smart scheduling.

[Briab Guy]

thanks for the defrg info.
It seems to have stopped for now, why I don't know but can live without it.
If I ever figure out anything I will get back, or if//when it starts doing it again.
Thanks

[fwallis]

If it is not a perticular process that is eating up your CPU and if you have very few applications/softwares installed in your computer ,it could be an hardware issue.
Maybe the CPU Heat Sink Fan is not working properly.

The System Configuration that you have quoted above shows that your computer is fast.