Member Avatar for vitycent

Hey all, I'm having problems with my laptop. Usually around 3ish where i work my laptop CPU usage shoots up to 90% even when i'm not working on anything. here is a copy of my log:

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 3:55:31 PM, on 10/4/2007
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\inetsrv\inetinfo.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7DEBUG\MDM.EXE
C:\notes\ntmulti.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\Program Files\Novatel Wireless\Sprint\Sprint PCS Connection Manager\OSCMUtilityService.exe
c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\sqlwriter.exe
C:\Program Files\RealVNC\VNC4\WinVNC4.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\WLTRYSVC.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\bcmwltry.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WLTRAY.exe
C:\WINDOWS\stsystra.exe
C:\Program Files\Apoint\Apoint.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Distillr\Acrotray.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\jusched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Citrix\GoToMeeting\190\g2mstart.exe
C:\Program Files\Apoint\HidFind.exe
C:\Program Files\Apoint\Apntex.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\sqlmangr.exe
C:\Program Files\Citrix\GoToMeeting\190\g2mcomm.exe
C:\Program Files\Citrix\GoToMeeting\190\g2mlauncher.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
\\h\RESTORE\Vincent\HiJackThis.exe

R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Conversion Toolbar Helper - {AE7CD045-E861-484f-8273-0445EE161910} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Adobe PDF - {47833539-D0C5-4125-9FA8-0819E2EAAC93} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Broadcom Wireless Manager UI] C:\WINDOWS\system32\WLTRAY.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [igfxtray] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [igfxhkcmd] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [igfxpers] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxpers.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SigmatelSysTrayApp] stsystra.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Apoint] C:\Program Files\Apoint\Apoint.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /installquiet
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NVHotkey] rundll32.exe nvHotkey.dll,Start
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Acrobat Assistant 7.0] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Distillr\Acrotray.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [updateMgr] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AdobeUpdateManager.exe" AcStd7_0_8 -reboot 1
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [GoToMeeting] C:\Program Files\Citrix\GoToMeeting\190\g2mstart.exe "/Trigger RunAtLogon"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Uniblue RegistryBooster 2] C:\Program Files\Uniblue\RegistryBooster 2\RegistryBooster.exe /S
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Acrobat Speed Launcher.lnk = ?
O4 - Global Startup: Service Manager.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\sqlmangr.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert link target to Adobe PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIECapture.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert link target to existing PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIEAppend.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert selected links to Adobe PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIECaptureSelLinks.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert selected links to existing PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIEAppendSelLinks.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert selection to Adobe PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIECapture.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert selection to existing PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIEAppend.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert to Adobe PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIECapture.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Convert to existing PDF - res://C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll/AcroIEAppend.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {3DC2E31C-371A-4BD3-9A27-CDF57CE604CF} (MSN Money Charting) -
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) -
O16 - DPF: {E06E2E99-0AA1-11D4-ABA6-0060082AA75C} (GpcContainer Class) -
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\Parameters: Domain =
O17 - HKLM\Software\..\Telephony: DomainName =
O17 - HKLM\System\CS1\Services\Tcpip\Parameters: Domain =
O17 - HKLM\System\CS1\Services\Tcpip\Parameters: SearchList = trinityconsultants.com
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\Parameters: SearchList = trinityconsultants.com
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\1050\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: LiveUpdate - Symantec Corporation - C:\PROGRA~1\Symantec\LIVEUP~1\LUCOMS~1.EXE
O23 - Service: Multi-user Cleanup Service - Unknown owner - C:\notes\ntmulti.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
O23 - Service: opsComAdminService - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\ESP\opsEnvironmental 6.1\Services\opsComAdminService.exe
O23 - Service: opsDataTklMnComService - Electric Software Products, Inc. - C:\Program Files\ESP\opsEnvironmental 6.1\Services\opsDataTklMnComService.exe
O23 - Service: opsGarbageCollector - Electric Software Products, Inc. - C:\Program Files\ESP\opsEnvironmental 6.1\Services\opsGarbageCollector.exe
O23 - Service: opsRoverMnComService - Electric Software Products, Inc. - C:\Program Files\ESP\opsEnvironmental 6.1\Services\opsRoverMnComService.exe
O23 - Service: opsTaskMnComService - Electric Software Products, Inc. - C:\Program Files\ESP\opsEnvironmental 6.1\Services\opsTaskMnComService.exe
O23 - Service: opsTickMnComService - Electric Software Products, Inc. - C:\Program Files\ESP\opsEnvironmental 6.1\Services\opsTickMnComService.exe
O23 - Service: OSCM Utility Service - Sprint Spectrum, L.L.C - C:\Program Files\Novatel Wireless\Sprint\Sprint PCS Connection Manager\OSCMUtilityService.exe
O23 - Service: VNC Server Version 4 (WinVNC4) - RealVNC Ltd. - C:\Program Files\RealVNC\VNC4\WinVNC4.exe
O23 - Service: Dell Wireless WLAN Tray Service (wltrysvc) - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\System32\WLTRYSVC.EXE

--
End of file - 8166 bytes

Thx for any help!

  • 4 Contributors
  • 10 Replies
  • 325 Views
  • 6 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

Dani AI

Generated

Recurring, clockwork spikes like this usually come from a scheduled job, a vendor/management agent, or a runaway background thread — not from the system being mysterious. , and are pointing in the right directions; the next step is to capture the offending process and a stack trace while the spike is happening so you can see what actually does the work.

When the spike next occurs, do this:

  • Run Process Explorer (Sysinternals) as administrator and sort by CPU. Double‑click the top consumer, open the Threads tab, sort threads by CPU, then click Stack to see which module or driver is executing. That stack usually identifies the service or DLL causing the loop.
  • If you can’t run Process Explorer, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), choose “Show processes from all users” and add the CPU Time column so you can spot long‑running consumers.
  • Check Event Viewer (System and Application) for entries around the spike time; many schedulers and agents write start/stop messages there.

Also investigate scheduled work and the environment:

  • Look in Control Panel → Scheduled Tasks, check AV/maintenance utilities, Windows Update settings and any vendor management/backup agents. If the machine is domain‑joined, corporate inventory/backup/patch jobs often run on a fixed schedule — ask IT if necessary.
  • Try a clean boot (msconfig → Hide Microsoft services → Disable remaining third‑party services; disable nonessential startup items) and monitor for a few afternoons. If the spike disappears, re‑enable groups of items to isolate the culprit.

If you still can’t identify it, capture a Process Explorer screenshot or create a process dump while CPU is high and post the process name plus the top thread stack and the exact time. Don’t indiscriminately kill or disable services — collect the evidence first so the offending component can be disabled or reconfigured safely.

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for disophisis

In the processes menu of the Task Manager it should list all the processes and how much CPU each process is using.

Maybe you've got something scheduled in the background or something?

Member Avatar for vitycent

In the processes menu of the Task Manager it should list all the processes and how much CPU each process is using.

Maybe you've got something scheduled in the background or something?

I looked at those alrdy and didn't find anything running in the back ground. no norton or anything scheduled.

Member Avatar for disophisis

is this after extended use, and while it's plugged in?

Member Avatar for vitycent

is this after extended use, and while it's plugged in?

Its after extented use.

Member Avatar for hollystyles

You need to look in the right place, to identify the process using 90% cpu it *will* be there that's step one. I attach screen dump to get you to the right place. Tell us what you find.

Member Avatar for vitycent

You need to look in the right place, to identify the process using 90% cpu it *will* be there that's step one. I attach screen dump to get you to the right place. Tell us what you find.

I did look at that, b4 anything else. Sorry i didn't post a picture of it, but when it happens again i will try to take a picture. The picture you provided with the system Idle is also what i saw on mine, only it was taking like 60-70% of CPU usage. I wasn't sure what that was.

Member Avatar for hollystyles

System idle will take a high percentage of CPU when you are not doing much. 100% is divided amongst X number of processes. Something has to represent the remaining % that's *not* actually being used (all the percentages must add to 100) so the system idle process is a bit of a dummy entry really because it means the opposite of the others it means 60 - 70 % (or whatever) of the CPU's time is doing nothing.

Member Avatar for disophisis

According to that task manager the cpu usage is only 22% (down on the bottom it says CPU USAGE: 22%)

Member Avatar for jbennet

Is automatic updates on?

My XP eats ram like crazy when its time to check for updates. See when its set to update under the system applet in control panel

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