My computer has slowed right down, and task manager shows abnormally high CPU usage. When the system is idle, with no applications other than Task Manager running, CPU usage is 15%, with explorer.exe at 11% and taskmgr.exe at 4%. I had a thread open in the Security and the Web forum for the past ten days, and with the help of the resident experts there we cleaned any and all nasties off my system. This did not resolve the high CPU usage problem, so it was suggested I start a new thread here.
Some symptoms:
- CPU usage in Safe Mode is normal, 1% for taskmgr.exe, 99% System Idle
- opening any application (in normal mode) immediately spikes CPU usage up to 100% for several minutes
When I use Sysinternal's Process Explorer to see what processes are running beneath explorer and taskmgr, I get the following:
- explorer.exe ........ 6% SHLWAPI.dll ....... 5% stobject.dll
- taskmgr.exe ........... 4% taskmgr.exe+0x5944
When I run Process Monitor, the following 9 lines keep repeating continuously:
7378 1:07:15.3898193 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Linkage\Bind SUCCESS Type: REG_MULTI_SZ, Length: 132, Data: \Device\{DE0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}, \Device\NdisWanIp
7379 1:07:15.3938388 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Linkage\Bind SUCCESS Type: REG_MULTI_SZ, Length: 132, Data: \Device\{DE0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}, \Device\NdisWanIp
7387 1:07:15.5072602 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegOpenKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024} SUCCESS Desired Access: Read
7388 1:07:15.5096666 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\EnableDHCP SUCCESS Type: REG_DWORD, Length: 4, Data: 1
7389 1:07:15.5136968 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\LeaseObtainedTime SUCCESS Type: REG_DWORD, Length: 4, Data: 1184473772
7392 1:07:15.6255741 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\LeaseTerminatesTime SUCCESS Type: REG_DWORD, Length: 4, Data: 1184525336
7393 1:07:15.6295721 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\DhcpServer SUCCESS Type: REG_SZ, Length: 24, Data: 192.168.1.1
7394 1:07:15.6334997 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\DhcpServer SUCCESS Type: REG_SZ, Length: 24, Data: 192.168.1.1
7395 1:07:15.7086749 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegCloseKey HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024} SUCCESS
What is this process that explorer.exe keeps opening?
I have disabled most of the unnecessary services, uninstalled all applications I don't use, deleted all unnecessary files, reinstalled the latest SP2, and updated most of my drivers.
My system specs:
- Windows XP5.1 (build 2600) Service Pack 2
- IE 6.0.2900.2180
- 2048 Mb RAM ( 2 X 1024 Mb DDR-SDRAM 166.7 Mhz (PC2700))
- Intel Pentium 4 CPU 1.80 Ghz
- AiS 7012 Wave sound card
- NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 display adapter
- SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter
- ECS M935LR Mobo with SiS 650 + 85C503/5513/961 chip set
- American Megatrends BIOS, version 07.00T, released 04/02/01
Any and all help / advice is appreciated.
Roy
Some symptoms:
- CPU usage in Safe Mode is normal, 1% for taskmgr.exe, 99% System Idle
- opening any application (in normal mode) immediately spikes CPU usage up to 100% for several minutes
When I use Sysinternal's Process Explorer to see what processes are running beneath explorer and taskmgr, I get the following:
- explorer.exe ........ 6% SHLWAPI.dll ....... 5% stobject.dll
- taskmgr.exe ........... 4% taskmgr.exe+0x5944
When I run Process Monitor, the following 9 lines keep repeating continuously:
7378 1:07:15.3898193 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Linkage\Bind SUCCESS Type: REG_MULTI_SZ, Length: 132, Data: \Device\{DE0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}, \Device\NdisWanIp
7379 1:07:15.3938388 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Linkage\Bind SUCCESS Type: REG_MULTI_SZ, Length: 132, Data: \Device\{DE0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}, \Device\NdisWanIp
7387 1:07:15.5072602 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegOpenKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024} SUCCESS Desired Access: Read
7388 1:07:15.5096666 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\EnableDHCP SUCCESS Type: REG_DWORD, Length: 4, Data: 1
7389 1:07:15.5136968 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\LeaseObtainedTime SUCCESS Type: REG_DWORD, Length: 4, Data: 1184473772
7392 1:07:15.6255741 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\LeaseTerminatesTime SUCCESS Type: REG_DWORD, Length: 4, Data: 1184525336
7393 1:07:15.6295721 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\DhcpServer SUCCESS Type: REG_SZ, Length: 24, Data: 192.168.1.1
7394 1:07:15.6334997 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegQueryValue HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024}\DhcpServer SUCCESS Type: REG_SZ, Length: 24, Data: 192.168.1.1
7395 1:07:15.7086749 AM Explorer.EXE 1340 RegCloseKey HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{DE 0FFF0F-625E-41E2-821C-885989DB4024} SUCCESS
What is this process that explorer.exe keeps opening?
I have disabled most of the unnecessary services, uninstalled all applications I don't use, deleted all unnecessary files, reinstalled the latest SP2, and updated most of my drivers.
My system specs:
- Windows XP5.1 (build 2600) Service Pack 2
- IE 6.0.2900.2180
- 2048 Mb RAM ( 2 X 1024 Mb DDR-SDRAM 166.7 Mhz (PC2700))
- Intel Pentium 4 CPU 1.80 Ghz
- AiS 7012 Wave sound card
- NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 display adapter
- SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter
- ECS M935LR Mobo with SiS 650 + 85C503/5513/961 chip set
- American Megatrends BIOS, version 07.00T, released 04/02/01
Any and all help / advice is appreciated.
Roy