CPU Busy

[macnext1]

Not sure if this is the right forum but couldn't think of where to put it. This involves my Toshiba laptop (Satellite C655 with 3 Meg Memory running Windows 7. The problem goes like this --- I bring up Internet (Facebook Home Page). Look at Task Manager - CPU Busy 9% Physical Memory: Total 2939 Cached 1179 Available 1174 Free  204 (this varies a lot). Open another browser tab. Log In which logs in both tabs. Start Camelot (a Facebook game) in both windows.  Everything is great - CPU Busy around 32% Cached and Avail still about the same. Free maybe as high as 261 now? Response time is great -- I'm on top of the world. Check back with Task Manager -- CPU Busy has climbed a little - 45% now and Free has dropped a little.  I leave (laundry or whatever). Come back -- screen saver doesn't want to go away but finally will. Task Manager CPU 100% Busy Free 32. Response is so bad I just close evrything and start over.

I thought since the Free (whatever that means) had gotten so small that something was not freeing up memory so down loaded latest version of CleanMem and installed. I'm assuming that after it installs it just takes off and does it's thing. If it did then it didn't help and the problem is something else.

Hope you had a great Turkey Day. Can you fix this thing so that it doesn't jump all over the place on a long item like it is doing to me right now?

Mac

[Shane]

Are you running a 3d screen saver?

Personally screen savers are pointless and take resources. 3d ones take 100% cpu and some memory. Plus a pull on the video card.

The best thing is to just have the monitor go into standby after a while, or at least use a very simple screen saver.

Your problem is something leaking like mad. Which is why I ask about the screen saver.
What is the page file usage when this happens? and if you look at the processes do you see which one is using the cpu the most?

Shane

[macnext1]

The screen saver is a plain vanilla one (Ribbons?) from MicroSoft. The processes are IE -- 3 of them for some reason, 2 are over 90% the other one is between 0 and 2. Page file -- no idea, will have to wait for it to come back again.

Mac

[Shane]

Dump IE and use firefox for a bit. See if IE still pops up without you using it.
If ti does your system is infected.

When was the last time you updated and ran malwarebytes?

Shane

[macnext1]

Updated and ran MalwareBytes (full scan) -- no errors. Still don't know about page faults.

Mac

[Shane]

Dont worry about those.

Also make sure you have java (www.java.com) and flash (www.adobe.com) up to date.

Then see how IE does. IE uses both of those, just like firefox. And a lot of times it is either flash or java causing the cpu spike.

Shane

[macnext1]

Java site had a test -- ran it -- latest version installed. Adobe Flash Player not as good - had to download it then start install -- install said latest version already installed.

Mac

[Shane]

Well since IE is using all the cpu see how Firefox or Google chrome treats you. This way if they do the same then we know it is a 3rd party software doing it, like java or flash.

If they don't have the program then it is something with IE. Which if you go to manage add-ons for it you can see how much crap is loading with it 

Shane

[Evan]

This is probably from the Facebook game (Camelot).  It probably uses Flash or Java (or both) and different browsers handle java quicker than others (Chrome is very good at it).  You will probably get better results if you try Chrome or Firefox like Shane suggested.

Also, what version of IE are you using?  The newest (beta) version IE 9 is the fastest while the further you go back the worse they are.

There is also a chance that the game uses Silverlight (this is Microsoft's Flash alternative) and if it is then you would need to make sure you have the latest version of Silverlight and the DotNET frameworks installed.  Those should be offered to you from Microsoft updates so just check there.

Evan