I have been working on a friend's computer and it is VERY slow. I completely erased & restored it and it didn't help. The CPU runs at 100% constantly, so I replaced the CPU, and it's still running at 100%. What else could this be?
It has a 2.53 mhz processor, 256 RAM. Takes 10 minutes to startup into XP.
Are there some settings that could help this? Or is something broke?
I did a clean install of XP, so there are no extra programs or spyware or anything that is getting in the way of the CPU.
Opening up Internet explorer takes 2 minutes to do, and that isn't just because it only has 256 RAM.
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7 responses so far ↓
1 cajunspike1959 // May 8, 2008
bump ram to 512.
find whatever is eating up the cpu and figure a way to remove it.
2 trp_wakawaka // May 8, 2008
run msconfig from the run command, turn off programs that don't need to be started.
you will wanna upgrade ram. RAM and CPU work together so if you limit one the other is limited as well.
task manager it and see what is taking 100% of the CPU the majority of it while idling should be in system idle process if that isn't take 90-99% of it there is something else that is running in the background.
could be a older hard drive too. the CPU can only process the information it gets as fast as it gets it. defraging it might help some.
3 william k // May 8, 2008
Hi,
sounds like you have a really old system, just install 1Gb of RAM and then do a clean install again (reformat first) and your system will run just fine. hope this helps you.
4 Jaipal Reddy // May 8, 2008
you didnt mention what type of ram you are using. how ever your friend's computer memory is low, you need to upgrade it for better performance. if your motherboard supports 533 or 667 mhz of rams better to upgrade it to 1gb of 533 or 667 mhz.
unwanted programs may also makes the computer to run slowlly.
***** fist of all change your operating system, try other version of winxp sp2.***
5 fearsometurtle // May 8, 2008
doesn't sound like RAM would help. It sounds like a motherboard issue. The CPU shouldn't be running at 100% all the time no matter what, really. Try to reset the CMOS on the motherboard, or go into the BIOS and Load Optimized Settings. If that doesn't help, its time for a new mobo or pc.
6 gamingenius // May 8, 2008
I'm guessing you meant 2.53 GHZ (most cellphones are faster than 2.53 MHZ). In most cases, 100% CPU loads come from very system intense programs (for example, video editors, virus scanners, continuous disk defragmenters like diskeeper, etc). The only way to fix that would be to uninstall or stop those processes. Another problem may be in the BIOS. If you have incorrect voltage settings, the CPU will NOT be running at it's intended clock speed (and in most cases, way slower since voltage settings affect CPU output by using a multiplier). Just go into the BIOS and set everything back to default settings.
7 parrothead_33033 // May 8, 2008
The only thing I don't see already mentioned is the distinct possibility of networking issues.
I've seen many PC's improperly load network drivers or LAN utilities, then go into super CPU overdrive desperately attempting to load a LAN that doesn't exist.
So check your networking and network setups and eliminate any errors you might find.
Also, I still feel that this could be a memory issue, despite MS pages stating you only need 128MB of RAM to operate XP. I would check the memory stick(s) and swap around and reseat them.
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