system process eating all of cpu

cpu is running at 100% all the time and it is always the "system" process (not "system idle" process) eating 95+ %, everything is slowed to a crawl. HP Pavilion a1410y with Celeron D and 712K memory running XP SP2… I downloaded process explorer, it only showed "system" process eating all of the cpu… none of its children. I still killed all the child processes I could no relief. I uninstalled every piece of software on the box no relief. I disabled all services from starting, also came up in safe mode still see the problem. Finally I reinstalled completely via the HP recovery partition still no relief! The recovery partition installs SP2….I tried upgrading to SP3 no help. Now I'm thinking hardware. I unplug/take out everything…CD-ROM, extra memory, all extra cards etc, no relief. I ran the built-in HP hardware diags and the PC-Doctor hardware diags everything runs clean. I'm at my wits end on this one can anyone help?

Edit reason: Gave non-permissiable advice, sorry. Abydos

[external image: Posted Image] Timush,

Please download CodeStuffStarter

• Run the software
• Startup tab
• Save as HTML
• Attach it to your next reply

Please also clean out your dust bunnies. If you have not done this for sometime your system could be overheating.

Go to this link to test your Hard Drive for errors.

What free space have you on your Hard Drive?

Keep us posted with the results please.

kind regards,

Edit: Just to add this link that may help you. There are a myriad of answers out there that could be the reason for you problem. This one (the last post in particular) is a little old, but you never know it could help

Has MS04-011 (835732) been installed when you updated your computer? If so remove it please.

All that System properties tell me is that I am at Service Pack 2. (I was at SP3 at one point but I since reinstalled) "Add/Remove programs" doesn't show anything else. So I do not think that I have MS04-011. I attached the codestuffstarter output: 📎yamo.html.html Cleaned dust bunnies, no help. Is there a way to tell if it is overheating? Hard drive is free of errors. 59.5 G free space Couple other things to point out: Couple times now, once in the middle of the Hard Drve check, the machine goes into standby mode and won't come out of it, I have to power cycle it. I have also noticed the sceen flashes occasionally… I cloned the hard drive the machine has the same problem when booting from the cloned drive.

Please download TSO by Artellos from one of the below links.
Link1 (zip)
Link2 (exe)

• Save TSO to a place you can remember and run TSO.exe. (If you downloaded the zip version you will need to extract it first.)
• In the main screen, press the Scan button.
• Then please check the following checkboxes:
  DxDiag
  Ipconfig
  Ping
  Netstat
  Services
  Hosts file
  Boot check
• Once checked, hit the Run Scan! button and wait for the program to finish the scan.
• A notepad file will pop up, Please copy and paste the content of the notepad into your next reply.

Note1: If you try to interact with the program once it's started scanning it might appear to hang. The scan however will continue.
Note2: If for some reason you close the notepad, your log can be found at C:\TSO.
Please download the EXE of version 1.3

Hi timush,

• Right click on My Computer
• Properties
• There you will see the details of your system
• Please post them back when you reply

I gave you this link which will tell you if your computer is overheating as soon as you run it. At the very top in Celsius.

How long is it since you defragged your Hard Drive, ran your temporary file cleaners and generally cleaned up your Add and Remove utility?

Others may come by with their suggestions to you, but in the meantime try some of the above to hopefully clear your issue with the CPU overload.

Best regards,

📎TSOLog_2257_20_12_2008.txt How do I do a screen/window capture? Here I will transcribe it: System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2 HP Pavilion Intel® Celeron® D CPU 3.20GHz 3.20 GHx, 708 MB od RAM Oh I didn't notice that thermometer..it says 31 degrees Celsius,,, As I said in my original post, I had already uninstalled all the software on it, then I completely reinstalled it, so I don't think defrag or junk on the hard rive would be an issue….

How do I do a screen/window capture?

Strike the Print Screen key when you want to take a screenshot
The key usually have this info it: Prt Scr / SysRq

This will save the screen to your clip-board (Note that holding down the ALT key
and then Print Screen, lets you capture only the active window)
Open up Paint or your graphic editor of choice.
Press CTRL-V to insert, or rightclick and choose paste.

Done. Now save it in the format you want and you are ready to go to either
post it or manipulate the image with cropping, text bubbles etc.

I use a simple little program called EasyCapture
instead of windows own. But thats because this little program can so much more.

Regards and Happy Christmas

Abydos

I had tried the printscreen key. It doesn't seem to work on this mahcine for some reason. So I downloaded easycapture, thanks. Can we get back to the system process eating all of the cpu issue? Thanks, Tim

Hi
It looks as though you have done already what most technicians would do if it came in the workshop….
However before you consign it to the skip..for recycling of course! it would be wise to:

1 remove all peripherals ( as you have already done in the past,) but also swop out your keyboard…for a known good working one with a PS2 connection
2 Run chkdsk /r from the start run, accept the warning and let it run on restart you need 2 consecutive runs with no problems found in all 5 passes before this is OK (keep running it until you achieve that).
3 I assume you have run memtest…if not let it run overnight
http://www.memtest86.com/download.html
4 change your hard drive cable for a known good working one and disconnect your optical drive cable and Internet connection (physically pull the plug)
5 Reset BIOS to default and see how you go
6 Finally before you strip it all down and have the mobo running on the bench (removed from the case) to rule out any shorting…download on another machine a live distro of Linux
7 Live versions will run from memory and the CD and do not need to access the hard drive………available from here:
http://www.linux.org/dist/ …If you are not into Linux then get the latest Live version of Ubuntu available from here:
http://www.ubuntu.com/ This is practically the same as Win XP , but just so much better!…………:if you can't run Linux from a live CD then it's definitely hardware and a strip down of your mobo, re seating RAM re seating CPU + heatsink and new thermal paste, checking capacitors for bulging tops and any fluid leakage, swopping out the PSU etc will be needed before you contemplate the next step
8 if you have a mobo tester then try it…….if you don't have one try and borrow one from your friendly neighbourhood computer technician…or as a last resort have a look on eBay for one as some cheap imported ones sometimes work quite well and are pretty inexpensive now.

Let us know how you get on…but this lot should keep you busy over Christmas!
Regards
paws