Constant 100% CPU Usage

[qwerty1343]

Hello there, I am new to this forums and was unsure of what category this classified as, so please forgive me if I am doing something wrong

I am running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with an AMD Sempron 145 at 2.80GHZ. I built my PC back in 2013, and was on a limited budget, so I had to choose wisely, hence the low end CPU.

I have had this problem for a few weeks now. My computer CPU usage (even if I'm not doing anything) will just stay at 100%. When I boot up my PC, it will spike up and down but then spike up to 100% and just stay there.

It is locking up and crashing quite reguarly. I upgraded the RAM from 2 gig to 8 gig and my PSU in hope this would make a difference but it hasn't.

This is a clean install of Windows 7. The only programs I have installed are the following: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, CPU Thermoeter, and my Nvidia driver.

I am in despair at the moment, and I am considering just building a new PC. Any help will be appreciated.

Many thanks,
Alex

 

[archer]

Hi, Welcome to SF

Try:
press ctrl+alt+delete
click "start task manager"
go to the processes tab
click "show processes from all users" (on the bottom)
click the top of the CPU column to sort by what processes are using the most CPU
google what that process is and/or post it here

 

[qwerty1343]

One of the highest processes seems to be Mozilla Firefox, running at sometimes 300,000k! But it is still 100% even when I close it and have no apps. I have closed the highest CPU used svchost.exe. The usage will go down below 40% but the process will then regenerate. I am sure it is not a virus as I opened its file location and it was in system32, which I believe is legit.

 

[archer]

Try uninstalling the Firefox. Or, uninstall it first and then check if the PC is running without high spikes.

 

[lehnerus2000]

If it isn't Firefox, it's probably the Windows Update bug.
How to fix: Svchost.exe (netsvcs) memory leak or high CPU usage problems - wintips.org - Windows Tips & How-tos

 

[Garod]

I'm also seeing short 1-5 second spikes of CPU to 100% which basically slows everything to a standstill and then works just fine again.
This started last night after an update, so may very likely be related.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I'm also seeing short 1-5 second spikes of CPU to 100% which basically slows everything to a standstill and then works just fine again.
This started last night after an update, so may very likely be related.

It doesn't sound like the same symptoms as my PC had with the WU bug.

You could try this:
http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-...ing-over-gb-ram-constantly-3.html#post3144156

Remember to create a backup image (or at least a Restore Point) first.