CPU Performance

[Yasser]

I have laptop with 2.6 GHz celeron CPU and 512 MB of RAM. I note the following, when i just double click on "My Computer" or "My Document" or any other local folder for the first time after the CPU performance is UP to 100% in CPU usage history in "Task Manager"? is this case is normal, or i have something not normal in my CPU?? i don't know if just double-click on any hard disk or folder make the CPU usage up too the full?

[GX1_Man]

There is definitely something wrong. WHat are the running processes that take so much of that?

[Dilbert]

Hit Ctrl-Shift-Esc to bring up your list of running processes. Tell us what programs are taking up the most memory, and how much they are using.

While you are at it, click the "Performance" tab. On the top-right of four boxes, there should be this:

Physical Memory (K)
Total
Available
System Cache

How much is a available?

[Yasser]

Thanks alot
this is the information:
Processes: 45
Physical Memory (K)
Total 522580
Available: 192640
System Cache 26330

i take this numbers while running FireFox and Yahoo Messanger only but i dont have any antivirus right now , i had kaspersky and the system was so slow and i removed it and i will install it again (may be). another thing, i wanna say that it up to 100% and back normal after moment

[Neil]

Provided you don't notice a slowdown on your computer, this is unlikely to be a real problem, especially if the jump is momentary.

What IS a problem however, is your lack of virus scanner.

Free scanners:

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

or

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

[Track]

I have laptop with 2.6 GHz celeron CPU and 512 MB of RAM. I note the following, when i just double click on "My Computer" or "My Document" or any other local folder for the first time after the CPU performance is UP to 100% in CPU usage history in "Task Manager"? is this case is normal, or i have something not normal in my CPU?? i don't know if just double-click on any hard disk or folder make the CPU usage up too the full?

Did u check that the opening of the specific folder made the CPU usage reach 100% and that it wasnt at 100% before u opened it?
Sometimes there are bugs on Windows XP that create the process called "System Idle Process" and in the task bar it says that its using 99% of the CPU, but its just an illusion.

Check to see wich process is using the 100%. If its EXPLORER.EXE then it is the opening of the folder that elevated the CPU usage.

In any case, if ur CPU usage WAS at 100% then u couldnt do anything, the PC would just freeze and not allow u to open anything, and since u can get IE to work, this is not the case.

The only thing that can make it so that the CPU usage would be so great is if ur CPU wasnt good, and Celeron is difenetly NOT good, but at 2.6Ghz it cant be that bad either, even though i have no experience with Low-end CPUs.

[Neil]

"System Idle Processes" is not a bug - it is a feature... really, this time!

[soybean]

Did u check that the opening of the specific folder made the CPU usage reach 100% and that it wasnt at 100% before u opened it?
Sometimes there are bugs on Windows XP that create the process called "System Idle Process" and in the task bar it says that its using 99% of the CPU, but its just an illusion.

Check to see wich process is using the 100%. If its EXPLORER.EXE then it is the opening of the folder that elevated the CPU usage.

In any case, if ur CPU usage WAS at 100% then u couldnt do anything, the PC would just freeze and not allow u to open anything, and since u can get IE to work, this is not the case.

You seem to be contradicting yourself.  Anyway, the last statement above is incorrect.  I have seen my Task Manager display 100% momentarily and my system did not freeze.  Right now, I got a full system virus scan running, along with other applicatoins running, to try to force it up to 100% for awhile.  Again, I can make it spike to 100% but this has no adverse affect.  

Normally, my CPU usage will hover around 1 to 3 percent.

[Neil]

Memory usage at 100% would probably force your computer to freeze and crash. CPU at 100% simply means your computer is working as hard as it can, and it will probably reach 100% several times during usage.

[soybean]

Memory usage at 100% would probably force your computer to freeze and crash. CPU at 100% simply means your computer is working as hard as it can, and it will probably reach 100% several times during usage.

Did you leave a 3-letter word out?  Did you mean to say Memory usage at 100% would probably [highlight]not [/highlight]force your computer to freeze and crash?

[Neil]

I meant what I said. If the computer has used up every single possible bit of memory, but a program requests 1 more byte, then I can't imagine it would be good for the computer. Instructions for the processor on the other hand, just have to stand in line and wait their turn.

[soybean]

Well, as I said in a previous post, I had my computer hitting 100% today and no sign of instability.

[Fed]

I think it's normal, opening the Task Manager on my computer spikes it to nearly 100%.
Outlook Express spikes to 30% and notepad spikes to 25%.

[Neil]

Well, as I said in a previous post, I had my computer hitting 100% today and no sign of instability.

And as I said in my previous post, I was talking about RAM usage, not CPU usage.

[Yasser]

I would like to thank every one post a reply, and i am sorry coz i late in answer coz personal problems.
any way..
My Cpu usgae always up to 100% with no hard programs, or sometimes i did not open any program but it up and down, and this cause slow down in the performance of the PC, i noticed the windows is very slow, and take so much time to open programs, i dont know if any programs run in background cause this behaviuor of CPU.. but it never freez or stop responding, just slow, very slow, when i writing this reply i noticed the curve of CPU up to 80% or more then back to down without any new program running?
Is the reason is virus or what?