CPU usage

  • Thread starter Thread starter Darren Calvert
  • Start date Start date
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Darren Calvert

I'm using a Pentium 4 2.5ghz with 512mb of RAM and I've
had it for about a year. Ever since I got it, just running
Windows XP and no other programs, the CPU usage has been 0-
4%. But very recently it's gone up to about 16%, again
with just Windows running. I checked for viruses, spyware
and trojans, and I had 3 trojans which I deleted. Then I
restarted Windows, and my CPU usage was still about 16%. I
noticed the processes using processing power were "P2P
Networking.exe" (12%) and "svchost.exe" (4%). Are these
really necessary, and if so should they use this much
processing power? I know this isn't a major problem, but
I'd appreciate some help.
 
Hey Darren,

P2PNetworking.exe must be some kind of internet file sharing program. Do you
use internet file sharing ?

There should be a number of svchost processes, they house the services
tasks.

You don't say if you have home or professional.

If you have professional, make a note of the pid number in taskmanager of
the svchost using the cpu.

Then go to a command prompt and run

tasklist /svc

This shows which service tasks are running in each svchost process.

Paul
 
Hi Paul,

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually using Windows XP Home,
so I don't know if what you said about "svchost.exe" would
work with the home edition. I'm more concerned about
the "P2P Networking.exe" process though. I'm just an
average internet home user, so I don't think I use
internet file sharing. You've inspired me to try ending
the process and see what happens when I try connecting to
the internet. But do you think this could be dangerous to
my system?
 
It shouldn't cause any problems, but it sounds like its
something that has been installed with something else and
now runs in the background.

If you deactivate it and you have no problems, but it
reappears when you restart windows goto run and type
msconfig, when the system configuration utility loads
goto the startup tab and if the P2P program is there
deactivate it...
 
I tried ending the process and it just reappeared, so I
tried three more times and it kept reappearing. Then I
disabled it in the startup tab of "msconfig", but when I
restarted Windows the process was still there using 12%
CPU power. It looks like it's something I'll just have to
put up with. Recently I had to update my broadband modem
driver(s), so it might be something to do with that.
Anyway, thanks for your help - I really appreciate it.
 
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