idel computer shows cpu usage 100%

xp home dell pc shows cpu usage 100%
what could be causing this?

i'm looking at it
what should i look for?

See what process is taking 100% of the CPU. Look on the process tab under CPU.

Hi,

Install pstat and it provides more information than task manager.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/pstat-o.asp

pstat is for windows 2000 not for anything else
this is running win-xp-home-sp2

Just to get back to the original question,does your computer run slow when the cpu is 100% ? If so,it could be spyware.Try running an some antispyware scans in safe mode.

As for monitoring tools,this is a more comprehensive alternative to task manager - http://www.snapfiles.com/get/processexplorer.html and this will give you even more detail - http://www.snapfiles.com/get/filemon.html

we can close this thread. i found out that AOLtsmon was showing up 99 under cpu column in task manager. i tried to disable it, it said access denied. i went to admin tools/services and disabled it and rebooted. now it's back to normal (3%) usage.

Just before we close the thread,could I advise you to change your provider.AOL fill your system with c***.One piece of which you have just discovered.