- Dec 1, 2006
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I've discovered a problem with my home computer that I've run out of ideas on in terms of troubleshooting. I've had success getting solid advice in the past from the AT forums, which is my hope for this topic.
First off, the specs:
AMD Athlon64 3500+
2GB RAM
ABIT AV8 Socket 939 Mobo
PowerColor X1950Pro AGP GPU 256MB
Windows XP Professional
AVG Free Anti-virus (haven't used Norton in years)
In early March, my company moved me from Tennessee to South Carolina. Typically, I take the task of packing all of my delicate electronics myself, since I frankly don't trust the Neanderthals that moving companies generally contract out to pack you out (nothing against them, nice people really, but not the brightest bulbs in the knife drawer - case-in-point: the guy boxing up the office kept calling my subwoofer an "Xbox" because it had an Xbox window-suction-cup-thingie resting on top of it). This time, however, my time was very short and I could not pack up any of the computers in their styrofoam. I assured myself that I was more than likely neurotic and that everything would be fine when the shipment arrived in South Carolina.
Here's what I know: when I powered off my computer for the last time in Tennessee, everything worked excellently. Practically as well as the first day I unboxed my computer, because I'm very careful about what I put on the system. When I unpacked in South Carolina, however, XP boots slower than usual, and game performance is downright abysmal. Whereas before (using World of Warcraft as a benchmark) I could expect 60.0 FPS in Ironforge and mid-range 30 FPS in Outland, I was now getting 20 (max) and a pitiful 8 (again, max), respectively. The only thing that's different is the time zone! (I've even got cable internet here that's three times faster than what I had in Tennessee.)
I began trying to find the problem, thinking it was a system quirk. Lo and behold, task manager routinely reports CPU consumption on the Windows desktop on a fresh boot at between 60 and 70%. That's outrageous! Opening up anything, Start Menu, IE/Firefox, or My Computer is all it takes to completely peg the meter.
Here's the real kicker, though: System Idle Process is still reporting 90%-plus on the desktop, even though the CPU indicator is bouncing in the high quarter. I have positively no clue what would cause the discrepancy, and I would discount it were it not for the fact that I'm clearly taking a performance hit as a result. I have not been into Safe Mode yet to see if the problem is evident here (this thought only just occurred to me).
Fragmentation on the drive is minimal and a boot-up Scandisk scan revealed nothing useful. I'm clear on viruses and on spyware/malware/Kelly Clarkson. Is it possible that this could be hardware-related, and if so, what has to be jiggled on the motherboard to cause high CPU cycling and inaccurate system idle process reporting?
I've never experienced anything like this. I'm comfortable formatting the machine, but I typically like to reserve that as a last-ditch effort to save the poor computer from my own technical ineptitude. Any and all advice is appreciated.
First off, the specs:
AMD Athlon64 3500+
2GB RAM
ABIT AV8 Socket 939 Mobo
PowerColor X1950Pro AGP GPU 256MB
Windows XP Professional
AVG Free Anti-virus (haven't used Norton in years)
In early March, my company moved me from Tennessee to South Carolina. Typically, I take the task of packing all of my delicate electronics myself, since I frankly don't trust the Neanderthals that moving companies generally contract out to pack you out (nothing against them, nice people really, but not the brightest bulbs in the knife drawer - case-in-point: the guy boxing up the office kept calling my subwoofer an "Xbox" because it had an Xbox window-suction-cup-thingie resting on top of it). This time, however, my time was very short and I could not pack up any of the computers in their styrofoam. I assured myself that I was more than likely neurotic and that everything would be fine when the shipment arrived in South Carolina.
Here's what I know: when I powered off my computer for the last time in Tennessee, everything worked excellently. Practically as well as the first day I unboxed my computer, because I'm very careful about what I put on the system. When I unpacked in South Carolina, however, XP boots slower than usual, and game performance is downright abysmal. Whereas before (using World of Warcraft as a benchmark) I could expect 60.0 FPS in Ironforge and mid-range 30 FPS in Outland, I was now getting 20 (max) and a pitiful 8 (again, max), respectively. The only thing that's different is the time zone! (I've even got cable internet here that's three times faster than what I had in Tennessee.)
I began trying to find the problem, thinking it was a system quirk. Lo and behold, task manager routinely reports CPU consumption on the Windows desktop on a fresh boot at between 60 and 70%. That's outrageous! Opening up anything, Start Menu, IE/Firefox, or My Computer is all it takes to completely peg the meter.
Here's the real kicker, though: System Idle Process is still reporting 90%-plus on the desktop, even though the CPU indicator is bouncing in the high quarter. I have positively no clue what would cause the discrepancy, and I would discount it were it not for the fact that I'm clearly taking a performance hit as a result. I have not been into Safe Mode yet to see if the problem is evident here (this thought only just occurred to me).
Fragmentation on the drive is minimal and a boot-up Scandisk scan revealed nothing useful. I'm clear on viruses and on spyware/malware/Kelly Clarkson. Is it possible that this could be hardware-related, and if so, what has to be jiggled on the motherboard to cause high CPU cycling and inaccurate system idle process reporting?
I've never experienced anything like this. I'm comfortable formatting the machine, but I typically like to reserve that as a last-ditch effort to save the poor computer from my own technical ineptitude. Any and all advice is appreciated.