CPU Running at 100% on new install - advice please

Hello

A friend asked me to format and re-install XP on PC with an ECS RS482-M m/b,
Athlon 64, on-board ATI Radeon Express and
512mb of RAM. It was starting to run slow but with without random crashes or
other problems.
The format was so long winded I had to do a quick format and the XP
installation took 90 minutes. I suspected the h/d was faulty and replaced it
with
a known good drive. This made no difference to the install time.

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no internet
connection.
The only way to get some of the drivers on was to hook up and old PCI video
card to take some load off the CPU but the task manager still reports 98%
under the
System Image name in Processes.

I have checked the Bios and all looks OK to me, resetting the defaults or
tweaking makes no difference.
The system sits there perfectly happily with the desktop displayed with no
crashes, blue screens etc so I reckon the PSU and the memory must be OK
and the system temperature is only 47C.

I have been building my own systems for 10 years and repairing family and
friends PCs so I reckon I'm fairly knowledgably but this one has got me
beat.

Has anyone got any suggestions / advice befor I bite the bullet and swap out
the m/board.

Thanks for any help.

Conrad

If you look at the task manager process list (not apps), which process is
consuming the most resources?

-g

"Conrad" wrote in message
...
Hello

A friend asked me to format and re-install XP on PC with an ECS RS482-M
m/b,
Athlon 64, on-board ATI Radeon Express and
512mb of RAM. It was starting to run slow but with without random crashes
or
other problems.
The format was so long winded I had to do a quick format and the XP
installation took 90 minutes. I suspected the h/d was faulty and replaced
it
with
a known good drive. This made no difference to the install time.

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no internet
connection.
The only way to get some of the drivers on was to hook up and old PCI
video
card to take some load off the CPU but the task manager still reports 98%
under the
System Image name in Processes.

I have checked the Bios and all looks OK to me, resetting the defaults or
tweaking makes no difference.
The system sits there perfectly happily with the desktop displayed with
no
crashes, blue screens etc so I reckon the PSU and the memory must be OK
and the system temperature is only 47C.

I have been building my own systems for 10 years and repairing family and
friends PCs so I reckon I'm fairly knowledgably but this one has got me
beat.

Has anyone got any suggestions / advice befor I bite the bullet and swap
out
the m/board.

My System idle process is showing 98%.
That means it`s just ticking over, doing very little.

What`s yours doing ?.

"1932" wrote in message
...

"Conrad" wrote in message
...
Hello

A friend asked me to format and re-install XP on PC with an ECS RS482-M
m/b,
Athlon 64, on-board ATI Radeon Express and
512mb of RAM. It was starting to run slow but with without random crashes
or
other problems.
The format was so long winded I had to do a quick format and the XP
installation took 90 minutes. I suspected the h/d was faulty and replaced
it
with
a known good drive. This made no difference to the install time.

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no internet
connection.
The only way to get some of the drivers on was to hook up and old PCI
video
card to take some load off the CPU but the task manager still reports 98%
under the
System Image name in Processes.

I have checked the Bios and all looks OK to me, resetting the defaults or
tweaking makes no difference.
The system sits there perfectly happily with the desktop displayed with
no
crashes, blue screens etc so I reckon the PSU and the memory must be OK
and the system temperature is only 47C.

I have been building my own systems for 10 years and repairing family and
friends PCs so I reckon I'm fairly knowledgably but this one has got me
beat.

Has anyone got any suggestions / advice befor I bite the bullet and swap
out
the m/board.

My System idle process is showing 98%.
That means it`s just ticking over, doing very little.

What`s yours doing ?.

What speed CPU? What speed does display show at boot? What speed shown
in Start-Control Panel-System-General tab? Try running Sandra and CPU-Z.
Mike.

Conrad wrote:

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no internet
connection.
snip
Thanks for any help.

Conrad


One possibility, would be if there was a broken piece of hardware
which was constantly interrupting. This article describes how to
add performance counters to the performance graph. I had a game
running in the background, and alt-tabbed out of the game to
the desktop, and the interrupts still seemed to be happening in
the background. About 2090 per second. Once I quit the game
and just have ordinary 2D applications running, the number is
around 130 per second (this is in Win2K). The second link below
is to a thread where someone reports something similar to your
symptoms.

(Note - Site has a "welcome page", which will disappear after 30 seconds)
"Monitoring CPU Performance Counters"
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...990/21990.html

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.co...56b416560ca143

HTH,
Paul

You have installed the proper motherboard drivers?

"Conrad" wrote in message
...
Hello

A friend asked me to format and re-install XP on PC with an ECS RS482-M
m/b,
Athlon 64, on-board ATI Radeon Express and
512mb of RAM. It was starting to run slow but with without random crashes
or
other problems.
The format was so long winded I had to do a quick format and the XP
installation took 90 minutes. I suspected the h/d was faulty and replaced
it
with
a known good drive. This made no difference to the install time.

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no internet
connection.
The only way to get some of the drivers on was to hook up and old PCI
video
card to take some load off the CPU but the task manager still reports 98%
under the
System Image name in Processes.

I have checked the Bios and all looks OK to me, resetting the defaults or
tweaking makes no difference.
The system sits there perfectly happily with the desktop displayed with
no
crashes, blue screens etc so I reckon the PSU and the memory must be OK
and the system temperature is only 47C.

I have been building my own systems for 10 years and repairing family and
friends PCs so I reckon I'm fairly knowledgably but this one has got me
beat.

Has anyone got any suggestions / advice befor I bite the bullet and swap
out
the m/board.

Thanks for any help.

Conrad

Paul wrote
Conrad wrote

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no
internet connection.
snip

One possibility, would be if there was a broken piece of hardware
which was constantly interrupting. This article describes how to
add performance counters to the performance graph. I had a game
running in the background, and alt-tabbed out of the game to
the desktop, and the interrupts still seemed to be happening in
the background. About 2090 per second. Once I quit the game
and just have ordinary 2D applications running, the number is
around 130 per second (this is in Win2K). The second link below
is to a thread where someone reports something similar to your
symptoms.

(Note - Site has a "welcome page", which will disappear after 30 seconds)

Not here, 'IE cannot open... operation aborted" once
the 'welcome page' goes, on two separate machines.

"Monitoring CPU Performance Counters"
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...990/21990.html

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.co...56b416560ca143

Paul wrote
Conrad wrote

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no
internet connection.
snip

One possibility, would be if there was a broken piece of hardware
which was constantly interrupting. This article describes how to
add performance counters to the performance graph. I had a game
running in the background, and alt-tabbed out of the game to
the desktop, and the interrupts still seemed to be happening in
the background. About 2090 per second. Once I quit the game
and just have ordinary 2D applications running, the number is
around 130 per second (this is in Win2K). The second link below
is to a thread where someone reports something similar to your
symptoms.

(Note - Site has a "welcome page", which will disappear after 30 seconds)

Not here, 'IE cannot open... operation aborted" once
the 'welcome page' goes, on two separate machines.

You can get it using
http://www.google.com/search?as_epq=...ndowsitpro.com
and selecting the first entry tho.

"Monitoring CPU Performance Counters"
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...990/21990.html

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.co...56b416560ca143

Paul wrote
Conrad wrote

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is running
permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open and no
internet connection.
snip

One possibility, would be if there was a broken piece of hardware
which was constantly interrupting. This article describes how to
add performance counters to the performance graph. I had a game
running in the background, and alt-tabbed out of the game to
the desktop, and the interrupts still seemed to be happening in
the background. About 2090 per second. Once I quit the game
and just have ordinary 2D applications running, the number is
around 130 per second (this is in Win2K). The second link below
is to a thread where someone reports something similar to your
symptoms.

(Note - Site has a "welcome page", which will disappear after 30 seconds)

Not here, 'IE cannot open... operation aborted" once
the 'welcome page' goes, on two separate machines.

You can get it using
http://www.google.com/search?as_epq=...ndowsitpro.com
and selecting the first entry tho.

"Monitoring CPU Performance Counters"
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...990/21990.html

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.co...56b416560ca143

Rod Speed wrote:
Paul wrote
Conrad wrote

When I finally got XP running task manager CPU performance is
running permanently at 100%. This is with no other programs open
and no internet connection.
snip

One possibility, would be if there was a broken piece of hardware
which was constantly interrupting. This article describes how to
add performance counters to the performance graph. I had a game
running in the background, and alt-tabbed out of the game to
the desktop, and the interrupts still seemed to be happening in
the background. About 2090 per second. Once I quit the game
and just have ordinary 2D applications running, the number is
around 130 per second (this is in Win2K). The second link below
is to a thread where someone reports something similar to your
symptoms.

(Note - Site has a "welcome page", which will disappear after 30
seconds)

Not here, 'IE cannot open... operation aborted" once
the 'welcome page' goes, on two separate machines.

You can get it using
http://www.google.com/search?as_epq=...ndowsitpro.com
and selecting the first entry tho.

"Monitoring CPU Performance Counters"
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...990/21990.html

http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.co...56b416560ca143