Windows 7: High CPU Usage - Problem??

Hey all,

After upgrading from Vista and using Windows 7 for a few hours on my laptop I decided to go look at the cpu usage and noticed that it was and stayed well over 40%.

I remember from using Vista that it rarely went over 20-25% even when I had a number of apps open.

I was just wondering if there is something running in the background that I am not aware of and that I don't need as surely the cpu usage shouldn't be that high??

I've only got avg running ontop of the standard items running in the back ground, and I've been through the tutorial to see if I could shut anything off, but it's not made a difference to the cpu usage.

Just concerned about my laptop over heating tis all, the fan hasn't stopped spinning since I first started using Windows 7.

I've attached a Screen Capture for your viewing pleasure, incase it helps!

Your thoughts would be appreciated folks.



Cheers

Squizzle

Well, not sure what is causing the high usage as yet, but on first boot up this evening the CPU usage is only about 3%, so I guess I'll just keep an eye on it.

I'll have the laptop on for a couple of hours atleast this evening, so I'll see if the CPU usage goes up during that time.

Squizzle

Hmmm, k, seems to be fine ... still cpu is low, nothing like yesterday, had the laptop running for a couple of hours now, been playing wow for a while too, still cpu is low.

Wonder what it could have been yesterday?

Squizzle

I was wondering what your CPU usage is like when playing WoW?
Mine is all over the map, between 30% and 70's.

Hmm, your snipped picture shows 9% usage, 91% idle. That's pretty normal. From where do you get the high numbers?

I've always gone by the percentage figure at the bottom of the tskmngr, it says 41% in that pic ..... I take it thats not right then!

Well, if the "System idle process" is 91%, the CPU usage cannot be 42%. I would go by the number that the performance tab shows.

You should check what the Resource Manager says. Maybe it's a system interrupts issue...

Well, all seems right at the moment, after installing Windows 7 on the first day and the CPU % use being high, it hasn't done it since, so who knows what it was.

Been monitoring the resource manager and performance manager and CPU usage is rarely above 5%, and only flits upto 40-70% when a program starts, so all in all ok then!

Cheers for the comments and advice thought peepz!

Squizzle

You may want to install a CPU meter on your Windows 7 desktop (old sidebar meter). It gives you real time information and you see immediately when something unusual happens. In those cases I launch Process Explorer to study the details.