Jonny Two Shoes
Expert Member
Hi all,
This laptop is frustrating me. Unfortunately it is a users laptop and I can't troubleshoot all day on it as he needs to work.
It has Windows XP SP2 and it is running way too slow. The laptop is a Dell Latitude D610.
What I have discovered is that the cpu usage is spiking a lot. It is consistently going up and down between 10-40% at idle but there is no specific process running that takes all resources or memory. CPU usage randomly spikes on all different processes running. While working it gets to 100% easily.
This is weird because it is a fresh install of Windows and I have even performed a repair afterwards but for want of not losing a specific licensed software and be charged a call out fee for re-install I don't want to reformat.
What I have tried:
1. Disable windows update...reregister dlls...rename Software Distribution file(this seemed to work initially until laptop came back to me with same problem)
2. Go through all processes and disable everything possible except system ones...(can get it to idle at around 8-10% but no less)
3. Upgrade memory - luckily I had spare for laptop(he has plenty of RAM now)
4. Check page file - it is fine
5. Apply a Windows hotfix "CPU reaches 100% when opening programs since SP2 install" - can't remember the KB number (SP2 came with the XP image but I know the image works fine on plenty other same laptops)
6. Re-installed GFX drivers - slow Start menu etc...
7. Updated BIOS
Observed that HDD activity is not too bad and only other glitch is during start-up when the windows sound plays there is a small stutter in the middle and I briefly notice caps lock flash very fast..lol don't know if thats normal. I also observed that when I click on start the behaviour is always the same...lights up halfway then pause then fully lights up few seconds later.
I honestly don't know what is wrong. My gut feel initially was that it was windows update and I actually have managed to get the PC running fine before since disabling the service. Now the laptop has come back to me with same problem and disabling the update service doesn't work anymore. Just coincedence maybe that it ran fine first time when I did this.
Since the repair install it is giving problems with our WSUS server and windows update...but it doesn't explain why it was running slow before.
Is there anything else I can try? I don't think it is malware as it is a new install and a repair install and it has antivirus and anti-spyware on it (which mind you I have also tried disabling to no avail) - is also behind a proxy and plenty security
This laptop is frustrating me. Unfortunately it is a users laptop and I can't troubleshoot all day on it as he needs to work.
It has Windows XP SP2 and it is running way too slow. The laptop is a Dell Latitude D610.
What I have discovered is that the cpu usage is spiking a lot. It is consistently going up and down between 10-40% at idle but there is no specific process running that takes all resources or memory. CPU usage randomly spikes on all different processes running. While working it gets to 100% easily.
This is weird because it is a fresh install of Windows and I have even performed a repair afterwards but for want of not losing a specific licensed software and be charged a call out fee for re-install I don't want to reformat.
What I have tried:
1. Disable windows update...reregister dlls...rename Software Distribution file(this seemed to work initially until laptop came back to me with same problem)
2. Go through all processes and disable everything possible except system ones...(can get it to idle at around 8-10% but no less)
3. Upgrade memory - luckily I had spare for laptop(he has plenty of RAM now)
4. Check page file - it is fine
5. Apply a Windows hotfix "CPU reaches 100% when opening programs since SP2 install" - can't remember the KB number (SP2 came with the XP image but I know the image works fine on plenty other same laptops)
6. Re-installed GFX drivers - slow Start menu etc...
7. Updated BIOS
Observed that HDD activity is not too bad and only other glitch is during start-up when the windows sound plays there is a small stutter in the middle and I briefly notice caps lock flash very fast..lol don't know if thats normal. I also observed that when I click on start the behaviour is always the same...lights up halfway then pause then fully lights up few seconds later.
I honestly don't know what is wrong. My gut feel initially was that it was windows update and I actually have managed to get the PC running fine before since disabling the service. Now the laptop has come back to me with same problem and disabling the update service doesn't work anymore. Just coincedence maybe that it ran fine first time when I did this.
Since the repair install it is giving problems with our WSUS server and windows update...but it doesn't explain why it was running slow before.
Is there anything else I can try? I don't think it is malware as it is a new install and a repair install and it has antivirus and anti-spyware on it (which mind you I have also tried disabling to no avail) - is also behind a proxy and plenty security
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I love Ubuntu...but this is a corporate company with very strict policies. I would be sued even though I think the bigshots don't know what they are doing with regards to IT.
sucks to be in helpdesk.