Compaq CPU 100% even after Full factory reset

cargo

Hi all,

I told a friend I'd sort his slow laptop thinking it was just a trojan or two he had picked up. The machine was almost dead when I got my hands on it and barely trudging along.

He had no documents or files on it (only uses it for browsing) so I did a factory re-install from the recovery partition (using the on-board rescue utility) thinking all would be fine now.

However I'm still seeing 100% CPU utilization all the time making even installing software updates impossible. That said the mouse flies around the display and clicks on items no problem but waiting on anything to happen takes an age.

Mr Google told me to try deleting and reinstalling the network adapters and also changing the power settings as this seemed to fix similar issues for people but I'm still in bother.

The process (when showing processes from all users) that is hoging all the resource is "NT Kernal & System" at around 95%.

Any ideas?

miece16

reformat and reinstall windows

vibe666

yep, remove all partitions (inc. recovery) and start from a fresh unformatted disk and install windows cleanly from cd/usb of a known good iso. could be something dodgy inserted itself in the recovery partition.

cargo

Yeah thanks guys. That looks like my next step. I've wasted half the morning trying to find what driver / resource is hoggin it. I just couldn't bring myself to a full format / OS / drivers etc.

Is there anywhere on MS website that I can get a fairly up to date version of Win7. (I have a genuine license for this machine). It just took me nearly a day to update everything on the last machine i did this on and I have fibre broadband.

the_syco

cargo wrote: »

I have a genuine license for this machine

Is it an OEM license you got with the machine, or one you bought seperately?

cargo

OEM with the machine.

the_syco

cargo wrote: »

OEM with the machine.

You can only reinstall the version that came with the machine. OEM license will not work with retail versions of Windows.

If you did not get a Windows DVD with it, you'll probably have to make one from the recovery partition, either within Windows, or by press a certain F key on bootup. What is the model of the the Compaq? It'll usually say on the front of the PC case.

cargo

vibe666 wrote: »

yep, remove all partitions (inc. recovery) and start from a fresh unformatted disk and install windows cleanly from cd/usb of a known good iso. could be something dodgy inserted itself in the recovery partition.

Yeah did that this evening, a full disk (deleted all partitions) format and reinstalled a fresh copy of Win 7 tonight. CPU still 100%. help!

the_syco

What are you checking the CPU speed with?

cargo

Just looking at the load in task manager and the inbuilt resource monitor in windows.

Here's the specs
Compaq Presario CQ62
Intel Celaron 900
2GB RAM
Win 7 64bit Home Premium SP1

The guy that owns it would have never done anything with it from the day he got in in Harvey Normans or PC World or somewhere like that.

Nolars

cargo wrote: »

Just looking at the load in task manager and the inbuilt resource monitor in windows.

Here's the specs
Compaq Presario CQ62
Intel Celaron 900
2GB RAM
Win 7 64bit Home Premium SP1

The guy that owns it would have never done anything with it from the day he got in in Harvey Normans or PC World or somewhere like that.

Isn't that only a single core cpu? If so its not surprising if its showing high % usage.

http://ark.intel.com/products/41498/Intel-Celeron-Processor-900-1M-Cache-2_20-GHz-800-MHz-FSB

cargo

Nolars wrote: »

Isn't that only a single core cpu? If so its not surprising if its showing high % usage.

http://ark.intel.com/products/41498/Intel-Celeron-Processor-900-1M-Cache-2_20-GHz-800-MHz-FSB

Yeah thought so myself when i saw the processor spec. I'm wondering why Compaq even ran a 64bit OS on it. Forgive me ignorance but isnt one of the advantages of 64 v 32 that the 64 bit processor can handle multi-core processing better?

Anyway the machine is swamped doing even basic tasks e.g. logging on takes an age. You have to wait for about 10 sec after you type the password to see it appear on screen. When I say 100% the graph is flatline all the time at 100%.

Well with a newly formatted drive and a new clean OS onto a single partition across the full HD with nothing else loaded it shouldn't show this behavior so I'm suspecting a hardware issue.

the_syco

cargo wrote: »

Just looking at the load in task manager and the inbuilt resource monitor in windows.

Here's the specs
Compaq Presario CQ62
Intel Celaron 900
2GB RAM
Win 7 64bit Home Premium SP1

The guy that owns it would have never done anything with it from the day he got in in Harvey Normans or PC World or somewhere like that.

The CPU is over 4 years old. I would say to upgrade the CPU, but I'd doubt you'd get much of an upgrade for the PGA478.

Could be worse; could be running Vista on it!

Have a run through this. Taking off most of the visuals (untick all except the last box) should help a bit.

cargo

the_syco wrote: »

The CPU is over 4 years old. I would say to upgrade the CPU, but I'd doubt you'd get much of an upgrade for the PGA478.

Could be worse; could be running Vista on it!

Have a run through this. Taking off most of the visuals (untick all except the last box) should help a bit.

No problem Syco, I have nothing on there after the new install only what he needs to browse his porn educational websites. :-)

I'll look at adjusting the visuals effects etc as per the forum you linked. I had been using that forum for help hints on this also.
It is a little quicker since the new install but still taking an age to open a browser, go to a new page etc.

cargo

Just to close it out. All the updates finished after the new OS install and now its sitting at around 9% CPU load and flying along.. I dont think it was because the updates were on going in the background as I paused a few times in between downloads / reboots to see if there was any improvements but anyway all's good now.

Thanks all.