CPU at 101% ??

[DCMan]

Hi guys.

Having a bit of a problem. When using windows for things like playing DVD's / Games etc, the computer randomly freezes. A couple of times I have managed to bring the task manger. Every time I have added up the total CPU usage at the point it froze, and it is registering as 101%.

Any ideas why this is happening?

Thanks :)

[lechumbl]

Hi DCMan,

Did this just start, or has it been happening for a while?
Are you running SETI or any prog that utilizies a lot of CPU cycles?

Could be heat causing the problems. Mine does the same thing when the temp get high on these hot days.

Let's start with these.

Let us know.........

[DCMan]

Hey lee - thanks for the quick reply!

Its been going on for about a week(ish), but it just started out of the blue.

When I play a DVD, game. graphics program etc or anything like that, I tend to close down the majority of unessecary things that are running, and i'm not running SETI or anything like that at the moment. That was one of the first things that I stopped when it first started happeneing...

I have also taken off all the overclocking and put it back down to the default speeds/voltages to see if that would make any difference, and it still does it, but less frequently.

One thing you did say was about hot weather. My mobo used to run at about 27/C. Its been kinda hot here recently, and I just took a look at the temps and the mobo is at 37/C. Unfortunately, I dont have a probe on the CPU (yet), so I dont know what that is doing.

Sounds like it could be the weather? Any way round it without getting any extra cooling or is that pretty much it? any why would warmer temps cause the CPU to run at 101%?

Thanks again :)

[Player0]

Like anyone at Microsoft can add ;)

[lechumbl]

Hi all,

Microsoft can add, just not correctly.

It really sounds like a heat issue to me. The hotter the weather, the more flakey the operation.

It is not an exact CPU usage counter. It gives a "ballpark" figure.
It is kinda like the countdown timer of installing software, close but no cigar.

Let us know when ya get the new HSF, and I'll bet it stops a doin' it.

Could also add a couple fans in the case and create cooler air going in and draw out the hotter air.

Take care.....

PS...One thing tho.....Microsoft can count the money VERY accurately. :D

[MrP]

Originally posted by lechumbl
PS...One thing tho.....Microsoft can count the money VERY accurately. :D

oh, we noticed :rolleyes:

toodles :xsofa:

[DCMan]

hehe...

Yea, i added a couple of case fans in the last coupla days - one in and one out. Made a bit of a difference, but I guess i'll just have to wait for a while till i get a new HSF! anyone wanna get rid of a VOS32 for free?? :D hehe

[dicki]

they must be using those imaginary numbers like eleventy-one and twenty-twelve... tricky buggers them

[MrP]

Originally posted by dicki
they must be using those imaginary numbers like eleventy-one and twenty-twelve... tricky buggers them

youbeenon the hard stuff again dicki ?!?!?!?!

toodles :xsofa:

[4.6POWER]

Originally posted by lechumbl
Hi all,

It is kinda like the countdown timer of installing software, close but no cigar.


PS...One thing tho.....Microsoft can count the money VERY accurately. :D

whadda mean to tell me those timers aren't accurate?! They are as smooth as a scratched cd :alienbird

[4.6POWER]

Originally posted by dicki
they must be using those imaginary numbers like eleventy-one and twenty-twelve... tricky buggers them

LOL

hehe.. eleventy-one, eleventy-two, eleventy-three.

like a poor man count'n his roll of singles.... first side first, then flip em over and count the back :drinky: mo money-one, mo money-two, hehe

[DCMan]

ok... I repositioned 1 fan, and the case/mobo temps dropped from 36/C to 27/C. I can now run most things, but on Games and DVDs etc it still dies. Could it be anything to do with the GFX card? My computer used to run in hotter weather conditions than this, WITH overclocking, but now it wont, even running normally....

I think that it may have been partly a heat problem, but not totally. Any more ideas?

Thanks :)

[Farabomb]

My Athlon 800 just started this little annoying habit of hanging at stock speed. It used to do 1g for months on end now, it wants no part of it.

Maybe it's just getting old....

[Player0]

DCMan, those random lockups can be a pain. Since its now summertime, I'd look in to your temperatures first.

Actually, first, id unoverclock everything. See if you still get the freezes. If you get the same type of freezing from unoverclocked, then your problem is with the powersupply or hardware conflict most likely. You may just want to take everything out and reseat it, clean the motherboard from dust. A computer thats been hanging around for a while can get loose. Especially those slot CPUs! I ended up using about 10 zipties to hold mine steady :)

Maybe your powersupply itself doesnt like the heat and grows unstable. Or, just too hot for your overclock, and need to back down for the summer.

[deerhunter]

Ram can overheat also. Have you tried a different stick or relaxed the timings?

[DCMan]

yea, they are a real pain!! :2guns:

I have un-overclocked everything. I have tried both sticks of 256mb in different slots, singley (not sure if thats a word ;) ) and together, and I put all the timings to 3T etc.... I also unclocked my GF3.

I'm pretty sure that the power supply has been in hotter conditions than this too.

Thing is that it freezes at whatever time of day that i use it.... middle of the day when its hot, or middle of the night when its not! (I live in Coventry so its not that hot either ;) )

I also tried reseating the CPU the other night. I cleaned the dust out of the HSF etc, so i'm kinda stuck now .... any way of telling if its a Hardware conflict without having to reseat everything??

:mad:

Thanks for the help so far - at least it shows that my troubleshooting skills are kinda on the right lines anyway ;)

[DCMan]

I'm now sure its not a heat thing....

I was fiddling around with winamp earlier on and decided to play around with some visualisations. As soon as I run one that uses an overlay or OpenGL, the computer freezes. Im pretty sure that this means that its something to do with the GFX card, although I dont know why because it randomly started doing it for no reason. The card wasnt overclocked at the time either....

any ideas at all??!? :mad:

[JaFFa]

maybe your overclock has done some damage to the gfx card? A mate of mine had his GF2 o/c for ages and one day he noticed some artifacts. He took the O/C awa and he still gets artifacts. Maybe one of the hot summeer days puched the graphics over the edge and damages some of the ram on it or summin ?

[DCMan]

hmmmmmmmmm... decided to reinstall winXP as a last resort... dunno what it did, but it fixed it.... woohoo!

thanks for the help guys :)

good to see that its as good as the NM site for helpfulness :D

DCman

[lechumbl]

Hi DCMan,

"good to see that its as good as the NM site for helpfulness "
Better!! :D :D

Take care......