After installing Service Pack 2 on my new Windows XP installation, I get CPU usage spikes every now and then. When that happens, everything freezes for about a second or two. I don't know what process is causing this.
XP Service Pack 2, CPU spikes intermittent.
I have Zone Alarm Security Suit installed. Could this be a problem?
Well CPUs Spikes could have many sources.
First Try to start windows in safe mode with push F5 key before logo appears.
If The spikes disappear so tha basic services to work the CPU are ok. In this take a note about the services that you have to compare when you start in normal mode so you can kill the services thar are not the basics one by one until you find wich one is the guilty so track which one program is the owner of the services to put it away or try to reinstall.
(Services or Process are iqual in this case)
First Try to start windows in safe mode with push F5 key before logo appears.
If The spikes disappear so tha basic services to work the CPU are ok. In this take a note about the services that you have to compare when you start in normal mode so you can kill the services thar are not the basics one by one until you find wich one is the guilty so track which one program is the owner of the services to put it away or try to reinstall.
(Services or Process are iqual in this case)
1: Try to find out precisely what the computer is doing when the CPU spikes. (This is difficult in windows, but try anyway.)
2: Use a live CD or second OS to test and eliminate the possibility of hardware problems.
3: Never install windows updates unless you have a specific program that will not work without them, or a specific problem that may be solved by them. You wouldn't believe how many PC's are screwed up permanently by installing windows updates when nothing was wrong. Microsoft is not infallable, and they have no idea (hopefully) of what you use your computer for or with.
4: If all else fails, restore your hardrive with a backup. You do make regular backups, right?
2: Use a live CD or second OS to test and eliminate the possibility of hardware problems.
3: Never install windows updates unless you have a specific program that will not work without them, or a specific problem that may be solved by them. You wouldn't believe how many PC's are screwed up permanently by installing windows updates when nothing was wrong. Microsoft is not infallable, and they have no idea (hopefully) of what you use your computer for or with.
4: If all else fails, restore your hardrive with a backup. You do make regular backups, right?
| dickyzin wrote: |
| I have Zone Alarm Security Suit installed. Could this be a problem? |
In some cases yes
| blendbet wrote: | ||
In some cases yes |
ZoneAlarm is my enemy
Im not agree about not update.
Its sound like dont take medicine because to be affraid to die
I mean Windows is not estable as Linux but the updates patchs
has to be installed in order to fix bugs.
The correct answer in all the windows world is to know what are you installing
and backup before do it. In fact Windows XP mades this function in automatic mode so you can restore the O.S. to "Restore points" .
Its sound like dont take medicine because to be affraid to die
I mean Windows is not estable as Linux but the updates patchs
has to be installed in order to fix bugs.
The correct answer in all the windows world is to know what are you installing
and backup before do it. In fact Windows XP mades this function in automatic mode so you can restore the O.S. to "Restore points" .
Uninstall Zone alarm and discovery.
Make a post when you find the solution to know if all was ok.
Make a post when you find the solution to know if all was ok.
| cruzo wrote: |
| Im not agree about not update.
Its sound like dont take medicine because to be affraid to die |
No, I don't take medicine when I'm not sick. Is that unusual nowadays?
| cruzo wrote: |
|
The correct answer in all the windows world is to know what are you installing and backup before do it. In fact Windows XP mades this function in automatic mode so you can restore the O.S. to "Restore points" . |
Restore Points are a joke. I've tried countless times, but I've never seen taking a PC back to a restore point actually fix anything. It's a very, very poor substitute for a full hard-drive backup.
Try install Windows XP with SP2 included. I have similar problem with older computers at work. These computers works faster and stable with XP SP2 included then XP and later SP2 instalation.
| ocalhoun wrote: |
|
Restore Points are a joke. I've tried countless times, but I've never seen taking a PC back to a restore point actually fix anything. It's a very, very poor substitute for a full hard-drive backup. |
System restore is not meant as any sort of substitute for a backup.
In order to have system restore fix something, you basically have to know when to use it and when not to.
I've had it fix MANY systems, I've also seen hundreds of systems where system restore would not help at all.
Unless the problem is registry based, then system restore is useless because basically what it does, is take a snapshot of the registry (aka a restore point). When you use SR, it replaces the registry with the snapshot that you have chosen.
I HIGHLY recommend NEVER turning off system restore because I have seen quite a few registry corruption problems where the system would not boot to anything but recovery console that could have been easily fixed if there were a backup of the registry to work with.
Well I prefer installing the SP2 from a Windows XP SP2 disk by updrading or reinstalling... as appling SP on or a running system takes a lot of time... 
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