I've combined 3 of my posts from the XP forum and have c&p'd them to here in hopes someone can help me out! I've read the CPU usage threads here, and found no solution.
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I have been trying since last nite to correct the 100% CPU usage. I got a virus called PSW Agent 2Z, I ran AVG it got rid of it, but my task manager is telling me that explorer exe. is using an average of 98. At present, this is the only window I have open and am using 92-99. I have scanned disk, defragmented, looked in my Add/Remove and see Python Labs at Zope Corporation. I don't ever remember seeing that, and have no idea what it is.
Most times, I have to shut down via the tower because I freeze and can't shut down from the sreen.

I'm in the process of downloading MS updates.
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UGH!!! I've run Spybot and still I'm at 100% CPU, with the "cuprit" being the explorer exe.

It musta not made any difference whether I had Python or not...I deleted it because it said I''d never used it.

XP and I don't seem to get along very well.

Does it make sense to take the cover off the tower and air clean it? This puter is only 2 months old.

I am at a total loss at what to do to get the CPU usage back down to the 4-12 that it was at, just 2 days ago.
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Greaner...If I was to open the task manager in safe mode, I did that and nothing else was running except the task manager. I've been back on line for 3 minutes, and it just NOW went to 99 CPU's in the explorer exe.
I've spent hours on MS pages and can't find any reason why this has happened.

I ran a scan on PC Pit Stop, and they call the 100% CPU a minor thing. I just want to be able to find what has caused it. It has slowed me down. Is it something minor, and should I just quit trying to find the cause? LOL! (tho not funny, to ME! I just keep my humor.)

LOL!!! I've always been one to find the reason or cause, as best I could.

TIA

Always been one to ask questions.

Have you turned system restore off, restarted the computer, entered the safe mode and ran AVG's scan while in it?

A rather simple simon shot in the dark.

Although I've never heard of this happening I just wondered if your explorer.exe file might have been replaced by something that does "other things" as well.

Unlikely, but you could try replacing explorer.exe from your CD or another XP SP2 (save it first).

Derek.W

Try the following, but try them in the order posted one at a time. If the first suggestion does resolve the problem, then there is no need to try the next two.

0. Go to Start/Run and type:
regsvr32 C:\windows\system32\zipfldr.dll /u and click OK.

1. Disable "Automatically search for network printers and folders?":
Folder Options >> View >> "automatically search for network printers and folders".

3. Delete index.dat (it may be corrupted). You can find the file via Documents and Settings/(User)/Application Data/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/UserData/ folder, if it is not found there, search your computer and delete the file then reboot the PC.

-- Have a Happy Holiday --

I used to have that problem. It used to show 100% on pcpitstop regardless of what i tried. Then I disabled most of the services using blackvipers site. Try going to www.blackviper.com and look for windows xp sp2 services to disable. Go thru the entire list and see which services you could disable. PLZ MAKE A BACKUP before messin around with ur services!

Btw...after I disabled a ton of services, on pcpitstop, the cpu usage went from 100% to around 5%!

I'm pretty illiterate on a puter, so...
#1. Capt., How do I turn the system restore off?

#2. Derek, Just last week, I made CD backups, but I have NO idea what I'm to do with them.

#3. Sabertooth, The start/run type didn't help and you've stumped me on the other two.

Always been one to ask questions.

My Computer>Right click and select Properties>select System Restore and turn it off. Restart the computer and duing startup tap or hold the F8 key down to enter the safe mode. You should run all your updated malware program scans(Adaware, Spybot and AVG) while in it.

capt., I'm sitting here looking at the hour glass when I clicked apply to the shutting off.The top of the System Restore box says...Not Responding. NOW what? UGH! ;)

Always been one to ask questions.

I finally got the hour glass to go away and did all that except the AVG. I got a box that popped up and said...Driver(CORE) not found winerr=2. I restarted and it took me 6 min.( It used to be 3 min.) to reach 100% CPU in my explorer exe.

Am I to go back into My Computer and unclick that System Restore?

I'm running AVG as I "speak".

TIA

Always been one to ask questions.

btw...Beside the My Computer icon on the desktop is a little white box with a red x in it. What is that all about? TIA

Always been one to ask questions.

OKAY...here's the scoop. By Joe, I think ya did it! ;) I've been back online for 20 min. and my CPU is still holdin' in the range it was before it went nutso!

The red x is gone from beside the My Computer icon, too.

I've been waiting for an e-mail to come thru for 10 minutes. Wonder if there's sumpin' wrong with IT, now?! LOL!!!

HOPEFULLY, I won't have to "bug" you's again.

Thank you's, Thank you's THANK you's!!!!

God bless!

Always been one to ask questions.

Ps:
If it was the scan in Safe Mode?????
Anyway, next time....make sure you take down any name(s) of stuff your scanners find because sometimes they can't actually completely eradicate it and repair damage.

Sometimes you need to research the names to find specific tools and tactics to get right again.
Good Luck

DublA, I'm not really sure WHAT fixed it, but...I will write down EVERYTHING from here on out.
THANKS!

Always been one to ask questions.

UGH!!!! I'm back up to 100%! Same deal...explorer exe.!!! I'll re-do everything and see what happens.

Always been one to ask questions.

Hi Guys I came across this post with the same
problem. My CPU usage is 100% all of the time. I
actually thought it was a worm virus etc so I
reformated my hardrive--since the computer was
fairly new and I didnt have much info on it.
- I reinstalled XP and XP took forever to load,
once it was finished I see that its using 100% cpu
usage(svchost.exe and explorer.exe)
-I turned off system restore and started in safe
mode and everything is still slow and 100%

I am losing my mind here, any help you can give
would be appreciated!

Here's the deal, Pal! LOL!!! I DO have a virus...The Trogan Ads., it takes the name of explorer exe. in the task manager. What I've done, temporarily is...open the task manager, stop the explorer exe. and then type it back in. WAALAH!

Hope it works for YOU! Merry Christmas, if it does.

Always been one to ask questions.

I'm new to this forum, but I've had the exact same prob, luckily my explorer.exe usage hovered around 90% rather than 100%. I killed it in the task manager and then launched it again from the managers file menu (new task, just enter 'explorer.exe'). That seems to have done it. Still fixed after a reboot. Hey Presto! Now I'm going to scan for viruses.

hi guys,
i have the same prob and i kill explorer.exe from task manager and started it agian from task manager for months now but tha problem does not go away every time tha problem keeps coming back but Norton Antivirus does not find any virus..... plz help me

Yeh, you are right aiden, the usage just creeps up again over a period of a couple of hours... F-Secure didn't find any virus, and Ad-Aware didn't find any spyware either. If its being going on for months for you aiden than maybee that rules out XP SP2 as the problem...? For me it's just been doing it for 2 days or so. Help!

I've fixed mine. The CPU usage was due to a loose connection inside the box between the motherboard and the Genesys multi-card reader which I have for reading digital camera memory sticks - this caused the power to the card reader to fail. Because of this the system thought it had found an unknown device, the system was spending lots of CPU time trying to resolve this. I went to the Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager and I saw the screen refreshing repeatedly every 2 seconds, in time with the CPU usage ocillating between 0% and near 100%. I simply plugged and unplugged the wire on the motherboard a couple of times (with the power down) and now its all working, the card drives show up in the Windows Explorer and the CPU usage is stable now at 0%. Good luck to you all.

This problem has been bugging the heck out of me for some time now. For the past two days I have been re-formating and re-installing XP pro. The problem re-appeared after I was nearly done re-installing all my soft ware. THEN, XP pro began having these USB device problem ballons pop up. I figured it was simply trying to re-install the device, but my explorer.exe process was bouncing 0 to 100%. I unplugged the Sandisk Imagemate CF card reader, viola, it stopped. I then downloaded the fix from sandisk. What a hair puller!!

I'm having the same problem, it's been happening off and on but is almost a constant problem now. After I reboot, the explorer.exe file goes to 99 % or 100% whenever I open up a new folder on the desktop. If I cancel it from the task manager and then restart it, it goes back down to normal but it also closes the folder. If I use internet explorer, the iexplorer.exe file does the same. Ad Aware didn't remove the problem, and my copy of Norton couldn't find it either. Suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

I have the same problem (CPU usage at 100% also seems to be explorer.exe is the problem. I have tried all the remedies listed with no success. Any new ones?