Overloading the processor of a computer or laptop can be caused by a number of reasons - from technical obsolescence of hardware to viruses that load the system.
High CPU utilization itself is not a problem. All resources can be used up when launching games, ultra-high quality videos, video editing applications, archivers, antivirus checks. First of all, you need to check if the processor is really overloaded or other problems are causing the slow operation.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager and click on the CPU column to sort. You can also get to the dispatcher by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del and selecting the desired item in the menu that appears.
Normally, the task list should look something like this. Under high load, one or more tasks will consume most of the CPU time. If one of the applications consumes 50-100% of the power constantly, this may be a symptom of a problem.
For example, in the screenshot, almost half of the i5-2500k's processor power is occupied by the Task Manager and system interrupts, which should not be.
Hardware overload reasons
Despite common misconception, it rarely causes processor overload. The processor is more likely to take the system into a reboot or freeze completely than it will work at 100% power for a long time. Nevertheless, such cases sometimes occur and the user needs to know how to defend against them.
Outdated hardware
The most common cause of CPU overload is an aging PC or laptop. The software does not stand still: if five years ago a single-core processor with a couple of hundred megabytes of RAM was enough for Google Chrome to work comfortably, now several heavy tabs can use the resources of several cores and several gigabytes. In 2018, for comfortable work, you will need a 4-core processor with 6-8 gigabytes of memory.
If there is no money for new hardware, try to follow these tips:
- do not run multiple applications at once. This not only complicates the work of the processor itself - the full RAM creates an additional load;
- use older versions of programs whenever possible. Yes, it can be inconvenient and unsafe, but older versions of applications will be much less demanding;
- disable unnecessary services and programs at startup. This can be done in the "Startup" and "Services" tabs of the "Task Manager";
- try to avoid situations in which the processor will be loaded at 100% unnecessarily. For example, don't open many browser tabs or 4K video on a small laptop screen.
Overclocking
The next situation that can cause congestion is overclocking or overclocking. In itself, overclocking the characteristics of devices is not bad, all major manufacturers provide programs for adjusting the frequencies of the processor and video card. However, exceeding the allowed limits for the processor can lead to:
- overheating;
- image artifacts;
- errors and application crashes;
- freezes;
- 100% CPU utilization for trivial tasks.
Here, for verification, you should use diagnostic utilities that write the results to the log. For detailed statistics on all components, MSI Afterburner is suitable.
Overheating processor
By itself, a high temperature rarely causes an overload directly, much more often it disables the processor or triggers mechanisms that reduce the frequencies and voltage on the device to protect it. on the sensors can be viewed in AIDA64.
How to solve the overheating problem?
- clean the case of the system unit from dust. Pay particular attention to the processor heatsink and fan. For a laptop, the cleaning procedure must be carried out at least once every one and a half to two years;
- If the computer has been in use for two years or more, remove the thermal grease between the fan and the processor cover. Apply a new one evenly;
- in the case when the standard cooling does not cope or the cooler does not work - replace it with a more powerful one. It is desirable with a massive aluminum radiator with copper pipes;
- Do not block the ventilation openings of the system unit when reinstalling it.
Note! The normal temperature of a working processor is about 40 degrees, at 70-80 the BIOS protection mechanisms are activated.
Software overload reasons
It is much easier to get 100% of the processor load by software than by hardware - you just need to make a mistake in the antivirus scan settings or download a program incompatible with the new system.
Antiviruses and viruses
Of the entire list of possible causes of problems leading to 100% CPU utilization, most often problems arise with antiviruses. Real-time file scans are a resource-intensive task that can take forever if configured incorrectly.
On weak computers, installing a cloud antivirus like Panda Cloud Cleaner will help. It is much more demanding on the quality of the Internet, but the load on the processor is minimal.
In Windows 10, you can use the built-in Defender, it is quite enough for home tasks.
The flip side of the coin is viruses on an unprotected PC. Malicious programs can use your computer for mining or as a gateway for DDOS attacks. For a one-time cleaning of existing problems, use the Dr.Web Cureit!
Automatic update
An overload can be caused by an unsuccessful update of the operating system or drivers. Such problems happened in 2015 for users of beta versions of Windows 10.To solve the problem, try installing different versions of drivers, rolling back updates via a system restore point, or turning them off completely.
On Windows 10, disabling updates has no visible overload protection effect.
Background applications
A number of programs run in the background to support their functionality. For example, Skype and LibreOffice are constantly in RAM for fast loading. In some situations, this can become a problem - for example, when a program hangs in the background, which takes up half to all of the computer's resources.
You can also disable a background application in the Task Manager by hovering over the selected running application and using the End Task button.
Video - 100 Percent CPU Usage, What to Do on Windows 7,8,10?
Hello everyone. You probably know this when the processor loads something, but that's what it remains a mystery. And at the same time, the computer is simply terrified of what is going on, well, in the sense that nothing is going on - some brakes, glitches, freezes! What to do in this case? Well, some users prefer to immediately reboot, while pressing a button on the system unit ...
But such a reboot, firstly, will not solve the problem, and secondly, it can harm the computer, or more precisely, the hard drive. If you often do such a reboot, then bad blocks may form on the disk, and Windows may just fly. Why? The answer is simple: the fact is that while you press the button, Windows could copy something, write something, interrupt this process and lead to errors on the disk ...
The first thing to understand is who exactly loads the processor, what stupid process is doing it. So, here is a strategy, so to speak, a plan to identify the culprit of the load. First, I made a situation when something loads the processor, for this I used an archiver. This archiver has a performance test, which I ran:
After that, the test started and that is, the load went! And now look at how to determine who is loading the processor, imagine that there is no test type from WinRAR .. Open the task manager and click on the Processes tab there, and then click on the CPU column:
The process that has the most importance here is the one that loads the processor! As you already understood, I have this process WinRAR.exe, but now what to do next? You can end it, just select it and click the End Process button:
Well, then just confirm the action:
Well, what's simple? I think it's simple! But it can be difficult. I mean that sometimes, before completing the process, it’s worth figuring out who it is, where it came from ... That is, first, it’s better to find out what kind of program it is, you can do it like this. Right-click on the loading process and choose to open the storage location there:
Thus, you will find out exactly where the process is launched from, but the most important thing is that you can see the process folder, which means the program folder.
Here is my folder opened:
After the folder has opened, the loading process can already be completed so that it does not strain the computer!
It is already easier to understand what the program is, because if you look at the place where the folder path is indicated, then it is written to us in which folder you are. Usually the name of the folder is the same as that of the program. This is how you can find out the name of the program that loads the processor:
Now you know what this program is. In principle, you can delete it, but only if you are sure that you do not need it! If you don't delete it, there will be problems, I'm just warning you ...
To uninstall, click Start, select Control Panel there:
And then find the Programs and Features icon:
In the window where there will be a list of all installed software, right-click on what you want to remove and select this item from the menu:
In my case, this is WinRAR, but this is just an example! Then just follow the instructions, there will probably be a message, well, like, are you sure what you want to delete and all that. But I will say right away that you can, of course, delete it, but again, only if you are sure of it!
When you know which program loads the computer, it is already easier to solve the problem. But it happens that this harmful program itself starts up with the computer! If you find out her name, then you can try disabling her autostart. Hold Win + R, write the msconfig command there and click OK.
In the process of computer operation, a variety of troubles can occur, but at the same time, not all users know how to eliminate them. One of the most common problems is 100% CPU utilization when the computer is literally loaded to capacity and stops functioning normally.
What is the problem?
Many people are looking for how to reduce the CPU load when their computer starts to slow down very much, as a result of which it is impossible to either open applications or use at least those that were launched earlier. But at the same time, first you need to figure out what caused such a serious load and how to cope with it.
First of all, you should clarify how powerful your processor is. If you bought a relatively cheap computer, even for a long time, then in this case it may be that it simply does not run some resource-intensive applications, and here it is not even worth thinking for a long time why the CPU load is 100 percent. What to do in such a situation? All that remains is to update your PC if you really need some resource-intensive applications or modern games.
But such situations are often isolated, and the main reason most often lies elsewhere.
What else could it be?
If you are unsure of what to do if the CPU is 100% utilized, try the following:
- Open Task Manager.
- Click the Processes tab.
- Filter all processes by CPU.
- See which ones are consuming the most power from your processor and disable them if possible.
Most often, the reason for such a serious download is all kinds of browsers like Google Chrome, in which each separate tab is given its own process, and therefore a serious load on the computer is created. Therefore, if you are looking for how to reduce the CPU usage to run some games or programs, just close everything else before activating them.
In extremely rare cases, it happens that this or that program launches the svchost file, which often consumes all the rest of the processor and RAM that was available at the moment. When it appears, immediately disable this process and continue to use your PC normally.
Quite often, situations occur when users, noticing that their computers slow down, to put it mildly, open the task manager and see an interesting picture there. The processor is 100% loaded, although no "heavy" applications are running. The full load of the processor is unknown what is the reason for the slowdown and freezing of the PC.
In this article, we will give some practical advice on how to solve this problem.
Reasons why the processor may be 100% loaded
Now we will list the most probable reasons for the almost full CPU utilization with seemingly absent working programs or games.
- The work of background system processes for installing and downloading updates to the operating system, as well as its maintenance;
- Viral activity;
- Physical aging of the processor.
Now about each in more detail.
Background system processes running
The Windows 7 operating system, like any other, is periodically updated. In most cases, this process occurs secretly from the user and the service is responsible for it.
svchost overloads the processor
Also, periodic checks of the OS for threats with built-in protection tools are not excluded.
It doesn't really matter which system service is loading the processor. Another thing is important. That usually it lasts no more than a couple of hours. Therefore, the first step in detecting increased activity and processor load, the first thing to do is just leave the computer for a few hours to give it the opportunity to do all its "maintenance".
Viral activity and viruses - miners
The second very common reason why a computer without visible programs loads its processor is 100% unclear what is malware. So, for example, the so-called miner virus is now very popular. It gets on the computer most often when downloading and installing something from the Internet. And the essence of its work is simple - when it hits a computer, special algorithms are launched to extract bitcoins on your computer and send the results via the Internet to a specific address. Thus, cybercriminals make money on your computer, thereby leaving you with a slowdown computer, since its processor is 100% loaded. At the same time, they are disguised as the names of system processes!
Therefore, if, after several hours of inactivity, your computer still has not reduced the degree of processor load, we advise you, and it is better to have several different updated antiviruses.
Obsolescence of the computer and processor in particular
There is also a situation in which a computer is simply outdated and its processor simply cannot cope with background system tasks to maintain and protect the operating system. But this is possible only on really old processors of 10 or more years ago with 1 core.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are not so many possible options. And the method to fix the 100 percent CPU usage problem is as follows:
- We check the processor so that it is not too old;
- We leave the computer turned on and connected to the Internet for several hours;
- We check it for viruses;
- You can also open the task manager, sort processes by processor load and read about the process that loads the processor the most on the Internet;
- As a last resort, if all else fails, we reinstall Windows right away.
The Windows operating system performs a large number of "background" tasks that can adversely affect the performance of low-powered computers. One of the processes that loads RAM, disk or CPU is System.exe. In the "Task Manager" you can see that the System file loads Windows, and if you specify, it loads the computer's hardware. The computer owner can solve this problem on his own if he follows a series of simple steps.
System process loads hard disk and memory up to 100%
System is a Windows operating system process that is not a virus, contrary to popular belief. He is responsible for the operation of applications in the "background", that is, without active control by the user. This process is not hidden, and it can be easily found in the "Task Manager".
The main problem with the System.exe process is that it cannot be stopped. Thus, if System loads the RAM or hard disk of the computer, it will not be possible to turn it off by simple methods. Lowering the priority of a process using standard Windows tools also does not lead to success. 
The System process is notable for the fact that it takes up a little RAM, and as a result, it completely loads it. At the same time, in the "Task Manager" it may be noted that System loads no more than 200-400 MB of RAM, and it will be completely full, and the computer will start to freeze when performing any tasks. Likewise, the System process can load the hard disk.
To prevent the System file from overloading the computer, spending exorbitant resources, you should disable some "background" tasks in the Windows operating system:
If any computer owner can turn off and uninstall DrWeb without unnecessary prompts, then the other two tasks are more difficult to cope with, and we will tell you about them in more detail.
How to turn off Windows 10 automatic updates and system services
Microsoft has provided automatic software updates in Windows 10 and earlier. Unfortunately, this function on some computers leads to the fact that when checking for available updates on Microsoft services, the System file loads the RAM or hard drive. In this case, the only solution is to disable automatic updates for Windows 10. Attention: If you have disabled automatic updates for Windows 10, we recommend that you check for new assemblies of the operating system yourself every few months (or weeks).
Turning off automatic updates in Windows 10 is quite simple, for this you need to:
By following the above instructions, the operating system will disable the service that automatically checks, in the "background" mode, the relevance of the version of Windows operating on the computer.
In addition to automatically updating Windows 10, so that the System process does not load the system, it is necessary to disable some services. In the "Services" menu, which opens with the services.msc command, you must also stop and then disable the following local services:
Note: Depending on the version of the Windows operating system and the number of drivers and codecs installed, some of the services listed above may not be available.
After disabling DrWeb antivirus, Windows 10 automatic update and some services, you should restart your computer. By disabling a number of tasks that took up a lot of computer resources, the overall performance of the system should increase, and the problem with loading the hard disk and RAM will disappear in the "Task Manager".
