[pieroxy]

I have struggled quite a while to find the offender on this and it happened after installing SP2 from Windows Update.

Symptoms: System starts normally, and after a few seconds task manager shows the CPU go to 100%. From there it will never go down. No specific process is using the CPU, this is all kernel time.

Of course, the PC becomes nonresponsive and after a while (usually less than 30min) it just freezes and a hard reset becomes the only alternative.

This is after a fresh XP install from the CD and then installing the SP2 from Windows Update. Nothing else installed (but my NIC drivers from my Mobo original CDs)

Mobo: Asus A7N8X-XE (BIOS up-to-date)
Mem: 512MB on A1
CPU: AMD Sempron 2500+
GC: Asus V9520
Else: 1 UDMA HDD, 2 UDMA CD/DVD/RW

Any idea?

[Advertisements]

Look to see if any of these programmes could be the cause

http://support.micro.....00% CPU Usage

If not, post back

[Retired Tech]

Look to see if any of these programmes could be the cause

http://support.micro.....00% CPU Usage

If not, post back

[pieroxy]

Well, I have tried going to microsoft. All these programs are specific software that take 100% CPU. My problem is not a specific process taking 100% CPU but the kernel itself. Plus, it is a blank XP with nothing but XP installed (NIC drivers of course)

[kd1966]

I was going to suggest SafeMode and run some scans.............. but you say it is a new XP install, so try this:

Go to SafeMode and UNINSTALL SP2, then go back to normal mode, then MS download center, and download the SP2 file and install it after you disable/stop all antivirus - firewalls, EVERYTHING that is not necessary

[pieroxy]

I was going to suggest SafeMode and run some scans.............. but you say it is a new XP install, so try this:

Go to SafeMode and UNINSTALL SP2, then go back to normal mode, then MS download center, and download the SP2 file and install it after you disable/stop all antivirus - firewalls, EVERYTHING that is not necessary

Thanks kd1966, but I did something even more radical: I reinstalled XP from a CD that has the SP2 build-in. And problem is the same... Actually, I didn't even finish the install, as it was taking AGES to install, and I suspect the same 100% CPU issue to have kicked in during the install process (when it was still in text mode).

So, apart from a hardware issue, I can't see anything else... I'll try changing my memory and then my mobo.

[Retired Tech]

Click start then run, type chkdsk /f /r then press enter, type Y to confirm for next boot press enter then reboot

Run memtest

http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

before you change anything, hardware replacement will be expensive if you end up doing a tour of the PC before finding the cause

[pieroxy]

Thanks for the tip. I have a two other memory chips in another computer (which will run just fine with only 512MB for a few days). I'll give that test a try though.

[pieroxy]

Thanks for your help, I got it solved: I replaced my memory chip and everything ran fine. The weird thing is that I removed the good one and put back the original one, and it works fine now as well...

I guess there was some dust between a couple of contacts or something... Even though memtest didn't detect anything wrong after two passes.

[Retired Tech]

Thank You for letting us know

[pieroxy]

Well, that's the way everyone should participate in any forum. I am sick of having an issue, looking for it in Google and getting to a forum where the discussion looks like:

Q: Hey I have this issue! Help?
A: Well, you could try this or that and tell us more
Q: Hey, never mind, I figured it out! Thanks!

Ideas of murder usually cross my mind in such cases. Would it have been too hard to let everyone know what was the issue?

Oh... and the best one, to my question (mobo issues with SP2) in another forum. Someone answered: "Oh, I got SP2 running fine (on the same mobo). I had some issues at first, but I got it allright! Cheers!"

How can anyone in his right mind write something that stupid?

Anyways, great forums, very helpful. Keep that thing up!

[pieroxy]

Hey! I am back!!!

My little memory switching did only solve the issue for a few days after all. So I'm back to square one. Changing memory chip again doesn't do anything.

Problem happenned again after I installed a PCI card and reordered a few HDD/CD drives. Of course, I removed everything. So I do suspect a bad contact somewhere on my mobo.

I am down to my mobo, PSU and CPU, but I do strongly suspect something wrong with the mobo. PSU worked fine for a few days and CPU as well. I didn't touch any since... Plus the symptoms makes me believe the mobo is going wild.

Did I miss anything ?

[Retired Tech]

Check the connections for the things you added / changed

[pieroxy]

Check the connections for the things you added / changed

Ah... forget it. I removed it all the second it started not working. Now I am back with a minimal config (mobo cpu mem psu gc hdd) and same problem...