CPU usage = 100%!!!!!!

[ajbrun]

Should I Be Worried?
Sometimes (usually when I open a PDF document online), the CPU usage is 100% when I press CTL, ALT + DEL. Is this a problem, and if so, what can I do about it?

I only just built this computer a few weeks ago, and am using an XP 2600+ CPU.

I really starting to worry because I'm sure it shouldn't get to 100% .

[steve threlfall]

Possibly a virus. Have you got any software to check?

[Byatt]

I'd be extremely tempted to blame acrobat..I wouldn't worry excessively unless it happens a lot other than when you do that.

[ajbrun]

I've got this thing called PC-cillin that came with the motherboard, but I'm not sure if it's any good. I'm thinking about getting norton.

[ajbrun]

Yeah - as far as I can remember, it has only happened when a PDF document was either loading, or was just open. Usually if I wait a while, it goes back to normal.

[Paul Adams]

Next time it happens and you have the Task Manager up, go to the processes tab - if it's "AcroRd32.exe" that is taking all the CPU time then it's just being a CPU hog.

Unfortunately, Acrobat Reader is a product that has suffered terribly from "bloatware syndrome" - it used to be sleek and swift, now it's a resource hog.

[Byatt]

Yeah - as far as I can remember, it has only happened when a PDF document was either loading, or was just open. Usually if I wait a while, it goes back to normal.

Yeah - acrobat has a hog of a launch procedure - it's fine once it's loaded, it just has major problems with sharing the cpu...there's a few guides on how to make it start quicker + better somewhere, will link if I find them.

EDIT: Click here

[turkster]

Do you mean it spikes to 100% or it is locked at 100%.
The act of opening a program can make the CPU usage spike to around 100%. If I try opening task manager now on my xp2500 at 2.2GHz with a few instances of firefox running it reads 90% immediately after opening it then drops back to 7%.

[chiyau]

i get the 100% usuage problem on my machine sometimes, when i look at the task manager everything is fine and system idle process is 99% and yet when i look at my performance tab its 100%, and i generally have to reboot.

[Lexeus]

I've got this thing called PC-cillin that came with the motherboard, but I'm not sure if it's any good. I'm thinking about getting norton.

PC-cillin is the best virus checker you can get, better than Norton. Whatever you do dont remove it !
It even has a manual update facility (they don't shout about it ) so you dont really have to even take out a subscription, and you still get everything up to date

[blockers]

system idle process is 99% and yet when i look at my performance tab its 100%, and i generally have to reboot.

system idle doesnt run anything/use resources. When the CPU isnt doing anything the idle process kicks in which allows other processes to be run. Typing this system idle is at 99% and CPU is at 1/2%.