XP home at 95% CPU even when idle. wtf?

[shecky]

title says it all, with nothing running but the steam client my XP Home install on my MBP under bootcamp hovers between 80-95% CPU usage. i went to the task manager and it looks like "system" is between 20-40 at all times, no idea why. it makes it so that playing The Orange Box is impossible. also i just did a fresh install a few days ago in prep for Orange Box and it ran like a dream until this afternoon. i do not check email on this machine, and have only gone to a couple of websites. AdAware finds nothing.

any ideas?

 

[Eidorian]

What process(es) is(are) using CPU time?

 

[italiano40]

that is windows u need a mac

 

[shecky]

What process(es) is(are) using CPU time?

ok... well in typical unexplainable windows fashion, now its running just fine with system idle process between 90-99%; even tho earlyer in the day i had restarted a few times and it did not help, it seems as tho not using windows for a few hours did something. heck if i know.

one thing i have noticed is that when playing HL2:EP2, Portal or TF2 my fans crank up pretty quickly, i do not remember HL2 doing that to the extent it does now. maybe the issue was overheating?

 

[Rodimus Prime]

ok... well in typical unexplainable windows fashion, now its running just fine with system idle process between 90-99%; even tho earlyer in the day i had restarted a few times and it did not help, it seems as tho not using windows for a few hours did something. heck if i know.

one thing i have noticed is that when playing HL2:EP2, Portal or TF2 my fans crank up pretty quickly, i do not remember HL2 doing that to the extent it does now. maybe the issue was overheating?

Umm yeah that is normal.

All "System idle process" is just how much of you processor is not being used. It being at 99% means you are only using 1% of the cpu. Pretty much all System is just empty CPU cycles.

So you are getting work up over nothing. Heck I willing to be that you are wanting to smack you head when you read this.
System idle Process is just that. Idle cpu power and it telling you the % of your cpu not in use.

So like I said relax it supposed to be that way. To see what you CPU Usage is at look at the bottom of the task manger window you should see something that tells it along with the number of Processes.

*I am not responsible for any self inflect injuries that may result in one smacking there own head when realizing they where stressing over nothing.

 

[Eidorian]

I was going to reply with the same post as above until I read this line.

ok... well in typical unexplainable windows fashion, now its running just fine with system idle process between 90-99%;

I think they know what that process does.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I was going to reply with the same post as above until I read this line.



I think they know what that process does.

opps.
Well now the question is what process was going hey wire. Some times the best way to deal with it is just kill it. Now if it was one of the SVChost exe it would be a driver issue.

 

[Eidorian]

opps.
Well now the question is what process was going hey wire. Some times the best way to deal with it is just kill it. Now if it was one of the SVChost exe it would be a driver issue.

Which is what I asked above too.

I guess we'll have to wait for a more accurate assessment of the processes and their usage.