High CPU usage

[Callender]

More info:

Using those tools I linked you can see exactly what is running under each svchost. Get the problem svchost PID from task manager or Anvir TM and check services that are running underneath it.

Then check those particular services here and see if any are listed as a safe service to disable.

Black Viper’s Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Service Configurations – Black Viper | www.blackviper.com

Look at the "Safe" column. Don't even try to disable anything else.

Here's my list if you need a comparison.

View attachment services.txt​

 

[Callender]

However I can't really recommend the software shown in the screenshot as configuration is a tricky issue to explain. Maybe someone else knows of something that is simple to use?

I've noticed that Anvir TM keeps pretty much the same info in logs. Look at the logs tab.

Watch Resource Monitor in real time CPU tab > Processes List> Sort by CPU. Highest at top. Keep an eye on the top processes and compare with Anvir TM log.

 

[edassange]

Thanks a lot. Checked resource monitor against Anvir and it's definitely svchost (netsvcs) 2756 spiking, which includes 8 services, and as I said I've been able to stop all of them except Task Scheduler, but svchost 2756 still keeps spiking. When I try to stop Task Scheduler to check if it's the culprit it says 'Access Denied'. Is there any way I can bypass this and stop it temporarily? I understand it depends on Windows Event Log which I've also tried to stop but again, 'Access Denied'.

PS - one of the first things I did when I installed W7 last year was to pay a visit to Black Viper's site. Things are stripped down as much as I dare already - somewhere between Tweaked and Bare Bones.

 

[Callender]

It's probably not wise to attempt to disable Task Scheduler but maybe you should check tasks. The easiest way is to use:

TaskShedulerView​

It's another one of those programs that VS or any AV's ususally will not like but it's perfectly safe. The manufacturer makes xome products that could essentially be used as hacking tools if installed by another user unknown to you so sometimes all products from the manufacturer get a blanket ban or unsafe rating.

Most experienced members here have used Nirsoft products at some point.

Anyway if you care to run it = right click and run as administrator. Sort columns by "Last Run" and then look at the "Next Run" column to see if anything is scheduked to run regularly.

Also check "Run on event" column.

There are probably some tasks that could be disabled. You can export the list and upload it for us to look at if you like.

Again here's my list for comparison.

View attachment ST.txt​

I'm just thinking here.... Do you use Windows Defender or any AV that disabled Windows Defender? Or do you disable windows Defender? It's just that with WD disabled there's sometimes still WD related scheduled tasks that run and I believe that WD definitions updates arrive via Windows Updates when a scheduled task runs.

Maybe that's not the problem or maybe it's not even correct but it's something to look into.

EDIT: File safety info:



https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/...ee29c1ddf32817fbc9b42fdf8cc9046b433/analysis/

​

Only 2 hits = False Positive detection. Still it is your call.

Maybe read this info on VS false positives:

VoodooSoft VoodooShield - VoodooSoft VoodooShield 2.0

 

[edassange]

Thanks a lot. Really appreciated. Gotta break off now but I'll report back as soon as I can.

 

[edassange]

Reporting back. I'm surprised I didn't spot this before but it's actually Anvir Task Manager that's causing the 15% every 15 sec CPU spiking via, I think, the Application Information service within one of the svchost processes. When I stop Anvir the svchost spiking stops.

I won't mark the thread as solved yet because there may still be an unresolved issue with the all too common Windows Update but at least one of the issues has been resolved. Thanks again for the assistance.

 

[wtxdir]

OK, the upgrade is important.
upgarde to 8 ,10

 

[edassange]

Reporting back with some more information. Unfortunately I still have high CPU usage under certain situations. The base level for much of the time is OK, often below 5% CPU, but about every 10 seconds I get a dllHost.exe spike of about 10% CPU which on its own doesn't seem that bad, but I understand this can indicate a cause of high CPU with other processes.

A number of processes cause 100% CPU, including Zemana Antilogger when it updates or scans, and the BBCiPlayer site when I watch a show, which maxes out at 100% CPU and keeps on freezing. Until a few weeks ago it always used to be fine. YouTube videos aren't as bad,normally about 50% CPU and don't freeze, but these too used to use much less CPU. Visiting almost any site, whether in Chrome or Google, also causes a 100% CPU spike.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate some more help from the sevenforums community.