Windows 7 high CPU Usage (virus?)

[Nightjay0044]

Hi I have a high cpu again (100%) fluctuates from low to high. Sometimes it stays at 100% CPU gets hotter.

Perfomance is slow also when this occurs. Here is an image of my windows with not a lot running.

And I only have "Avast" antivirus running.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[soybean]

Whew, that image file is a whopper!  1.5MB!  It's at least 10 times larger file than necessary. 

Have you monitored the processes in Task Manager to see what's consuming CPU resources?  I see Firefox using 38%, per your image.  Do you notice this spike in CPU usage while browsing certain websites?  What about sites with Flash content?  Do they cause a spike?

[Allan]

Please follow the instructions in the following link and post your logs in the thread you create (NOT in this thread):
http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,46313.0.html

[Nightjay0044]

hi; actually I think I'm handling the CPU process thing better. Good programs to use are "hijackthis", and "process explorer". Process explorer works really well its' a very detailed CPU process that gives you real-time process even better then task manager does. 

[soybean]

So, what have you learned about the cause of the high CPU Usage?

[Nightjay0044]

It's not necessarily a virus. After running Antivirus scans and problem isn't fixed, you need to try to find the source of the process. Because the CPU process runs high for a reason. My pc is acting better now. It still gets up to 100% sometimes but that's mainly cuz of the browser I'm using. But I'm controlling it. that's what counts. 

[soybean]

So, web browsing is the culprit.  How are you "controlling it"?  And, what about:

Do you notice this spike in CPU usage while browsing certain websites?  What about sites with Flash content?  Do they cause a spike?

[Nightjay0044]

yea; like say if I'm on a flash site or play videos; it attracts my CPU to spike Or sometimes if I have multiple tabs opened up in the browser causes spikes. Playing facebook apps. The browser alone sometimes causes the 100% spike that sometimes goes on for a little bit depending on what you're doing.

I take the "Process explorer" to read more in depth details about what is causing spikes, then I take those causes and search for unknown ones that I need more info on.

So basically the way I am controlling my CPU is looking at the in depth processes and look at it when ever it spikes up; decide if it's a malicious activity or not and then I kill the task. Basically it's just monitoring my CPU processes.