CPU usage gone wild and every app stutters or fails

[penny drop]

I have a Toshiba lappy with XP Home and a Realtek sound device.

After the Windows update debarcle a few days ago I have sorted the problem with the Hotfix that seemed to fix most peoples systems.

But now my whole system struggles to even play a song or movie in WM without stuttering. Most other apps also stutter or fail completely (like Protools ect;) within a short time.

I notice that my CPU usage fluctuates wildy and does not seem ever to stop, even when idle. When I open any app, even just Media Player, CPU is pegged at 100%.

I have more than 50 proccesses running at idle which i dont remember ever seeing before (but cant be sure) , I dont know if this relevant?

...and I notice a comment like "TPM gone or TMP Not working" during boot up, again i cant be sure but I never noticed it before and know if it is related.

I really need some help and guidance please, so I can get back to work, all I seem to be able to do now is check mail and browse help forums...

Cheers!

[Jeremy]

What are your system specs?

Download and run Dial-A-Fix (check everything off) and click "Go".

Go into your Event Viewer:

Start > Run > eventvwr

...and look up any errors (Red X's) under Application and System and take any relevant Event ID numbers to EventID.Net and match up the descriptions for the the error with the one you are receiving.

Make sure your device drivers, including chipset, are up-to-date. As a troubleshooting step you could reinstall them to see if this resolves your problem.

If you have Norton installed, please use this tool to remove it.

Use CCleaner to clean out the temp/cache on your PC. If you're not one to clean things out on a regular basis, you'll likely clear out anywhere from 300 MB to 5 GBs of files. You can also clear out your start-up entries with this program. Remove all that look unfamiliar.

Use JKDefrag v3.7 or a trial version of Ultimate Defrag, Diskeeper or PerfectDisk to defragment your HDD(s). Make sure to perform a Boot-Time defrag as well.

Spyware:

Download, install and update both Ad-Aware SE Personal v1.06R1 (or Ad-Aware 2007 Beta 4) and Spybot S&D v1.4. Do full system scans with both and clean/fix any infections they report.

Viruses:

Download, install and update Kaspersky Anti-Virus v6.0.2.621. Do a full system scan and let it clean anything it reports. Reboot if an infection cannot be initially cleaned/deleted.

Kaspersky's trial lasts 30 days. If you wish to use this product for one year legally, use ActiveVirusShield, which is the exact same thing but with AOL's name on it.

Do these steps help your problem?

Edited April 7, 2007 by Jeremy

[penny drop]

Thank you for your suggestions

i just spent ages reply and my session timed out and deleted it...

in short, I have tried all you suggested and the rest I have covered.

CCleaner / Dial a fix / No Norton / Nothing relevent in Event Viewer matches descriptions / Regulr defrag / PCcillin security just did a scan /

latest drivers/ killed a bunch of start ups/ NO CHANGE infact the system seems to be getting worse.....

Computer cant keep up with typing and mouse is staggering at times / Printer has stopped printing.

TOSHIBA T1350 lappy. Intel 1.86ghz, 758 RAM, Mobile Intel 945GM express chipset.

Any more info would be appreciated

[Jeremy]

Download the Ultimate Boot CD v4.0, burn it to CD, boot to it and test your memory with MemTest and also do a HDD test with the appropriate tool just in case.

I would also recommend you do a virus scan with a different scanner such as Kaspersky / ActiveVirusShield, Avast or AntiVir (very high detection rates) as I am not sure about PC-Cillin's detection rate, it could be missing something that Kaspersky would detect and thus you would remain infected despite an A-OK from PC-Collin.

Edited April 7, 2007 by Jeremy

[penny drop]

a svchost.exe process seems to be the major numbers cruncher....pegging CPU at 100% regular.

how do I sooth this thing?

[IcemanND]

try applying the patch from kb927891, it has fixed a number of systems for me that exhibited this type of problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891/

[penny drop]

Thanx for that little fix ICE... it seems to have soothed things a little but the problem is still certainly there.

It has eased the CPU a little but apps still stutter...

This problem started at the same time as the MS/ Realtek update issue back round the 3rd of April and I did a system restore also at the same before i realised there was a hotfix.

Anymore suggestions would be welcome.

[Zxian]

I'm guessing that your hard drive has been kicked into PIO Mode. Go into Device Manager and check under the IDE controllers to see what mode your hard drive is under. If it says PIO Mode, then that's your reason. Set the option to DMA if available.

If that doesn't stick after a reboot, you'll want to look into reinstalling your chipset drivers. These can be found on the Toshiba homepage.