26.10.2023

It loads the CPU a lot, what should I do? Reducing the load on the processor. Autoload full of junk

One of the most common reasons why a computer slows down is because the processor is loaded, sometimes by incomprehensible applications and processes.

Not long ago, on a friend’s computer, I had to deal with an “incomprehensible” CPU load, which sometimes reached 100%, although there were no open programs that could load it like that (by the way, the processor was a fairly modern Intel inside Core i3). The problem was solved by reinstalling the system and installing new drivers (but more on that later...).

Actually, I decided that this problem was quite popular and would be of interest to a wide range of users. In the article I will give recommendations that will help you figure out why the processor is loaded and how to reduce the load on it. So…

To find out what percentage of the processor is loaded, open the Windows task manager.

Buttons: Ctrl+Shift+Esc (or Ctrl+Alt+Del).

By the way, very often the problem arises in the following way: you were working, for example, in Adobe Photoshop, then you closed the program, but it remained in the processes (or this happens all the time with some games). As a result, they “eat” resources, and not small ones. Because of this, the computer starts to slow down. Therefore, very often the first recommendation in such cases is to restart the PC (since in this case such applications will be closed), or go to the task manager and remove such a process.

Important! Pay special attention to suspicious processes: those that heavily load the processor (more than 20%, and you have never seen such a process before). There was an article not long ago about suspicious processes in more detail:

When setting up one of the computers, I encountered an incomprehensible CPU load - there is a load, but there are no processes! The screenshot below shows what it looks like in the task manager.

On the one hand, it’s surprising: the “Display processes of all users” checkbox is turned on, there is nothing among the processes, and the PC load jumps by 16-30%!

To see all processes that load your PC - run the free utility Process Explorer. Next, sort all processes by load (CPU column) and see if there are any suspicious “elements” there (the task manager does not show some processes, unlike Process Explorer).

In my case, the culprit turned out to be system interrupts and DPCs. By the way, I will say that sometimes fixing the PC load associated with them is quite a troublesome and complicated task (besides, sometimes they can load the processor not only by 30%, but by 100%!).

The fact is that the CPU is loaded due to them in several cases: problems with drivers; viruses; the hard drive does not operate in DMA mode, but in PIO mode; problems with peripheral equipment (for example, printer, scanner, network cards, flash and HDD drives, etc.).

1. Problems with drivers

The most common reason for CPU usage is system interrupts. I recommend doing the following: boot the PC in safe mode and see if there is a load on the processor: if there is none, the reason is very high in the drivers! In general, the easiest and fastest way in this case is to reinstall the Windows system and then install one driver at a time and see if the CPU load appears (as soon as it appears, you have found the culprit).

Most often, the culprit here is network cards + universal drivers from Microsoft, which are installed immediately when installing Windows (sorry for the tautology). I recommend downloading and updating all drivers from the official website of your laptop/computer manufacturer.

- installing Windows 7 from a flash drive

- update and search for driver

2. Viruses

I think it’s not worth spreading too much about, which could be due to viruses: deleting files and folders from the disk, theft of personal information, CPU load, various advertising banners on top of the desktop, etc.

I won’t say anything new here - install a modern antivirus on your PC:

Plus, sometimes check your computer with third-party programs (which look for adware, mailware, etc. advertising modules): more about them here.

3. Hard disk operating mode

The operating mode of the HDD can also affect the loading and performance of the PC. In general, if the hard drive is not operating in DMA mode, but in PIO mode, you will immediately notice it with terrible “brakes”!

How can I check this? To avoid repetition, see the article: 3__HDD_-_PIODMA

4. Problems with peripheral equipment

Disconnect everything from your laptop or PC, leave the bare minimum (mouse, keyboard, monitor). I also recommend paying attention to the device manager to see if there are any installed devices with yellow or red icons (this means either there are no drivers or they are not working correctly).

How to open device manager? The easiest way is to open the Windows Control Panel and type the word “manager” into the search bar. See screenshot below.

3. Question No. 3 - can the processor load be caused by overheating and dust?!

The reason why the processor may be overloaded and the computer will start to slow down may be due to overheating. Typically, characteristic signs of overheating are:

increased hum of the cooler: the number of revolutions per minute increases because of this the noise from it becomes stronger. If you have a laptop: then by passing your hand next to the left side (usually there is a hot air outlet on laptops) you will be able to notice how much air is being blown out and how hot it is. Sometimes the hand doesn’t tolerate it (this is not good)!
braking and slowdown of the computer (laptop);
refusal to boot with errors indicating failures in the cooling system, etc.

You can find out the processor temperature using special. programs (more details about them here: .

For example, in the AIDA 64 program, to view the processor temperature, you need to open the “Computer / Sensor” tab.

How do you know which temperature is critical for your processor and which is normal?

The easiest way is to look at the manufacturer’s website; this information is always indicated there. It is quite difficult to give general figures for different processor models.

In general, on average, if the processor operating temperature is not higher than 40 degrees. Ts. - everything is fine. Above 50g. C. - may indicate problems in the cooling system (for example, an abundance of dust). However, for some processor models this temperature is the normal operating temperature. This especially applies to laptops, where limited space makes it difficult to organize a good cooling system. By the way, on laptops and 70 gr. C. - may be a normal temperature under load.

More details about CPU temperature:

Cleaning from dust: when, how and how many times?

In general, it is advisable to clean your computer or laptop from dust 1-2 times a year (although a lot depends on your room, some have more dust, some have less...). Once every 3-4 years it is advisable to replace the thermal paste. Both operations are not complicated and can be performed independently.

To avoid repetition, I will provide a couple of links below...

How to clean your computer from dust and replace thermal paste:

While using a computer, there are times when performance begins to sag due to 100% processor load. It is not always possible to solve the problem quickly, since there are many reasons for the problem and not everyone knows about them. Why the computer processor is loaded at 100 percent for no apparent reason will be discussed below.

The first reason you should pay attention to is the presence of a program that loads the processor and reduces the performance of the computer. A “pest” is defined as follows:

Launch “Task Manager”;
The launch is carried out by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys or through the start menu;
After opening the program, select the “Processes” tab. It displays all currently running system processes and programs;
To identify the pest, sort the processes in order of processor load;
Terminate the program. To do this, select it with the left mouse button, then click on the “End task” button;

When closing the program, keep in mind the following nuances:

Stopping an important system process will require you to restart the computer manually, as the operating system may freeze;
Some applications leave side processes behind after closing that affect the performance of the processor. This often happens when the browser is closed urgently;

Main reasons for maximum load

There are many reasons for processor load and reduced performance. Among the main ones are:

Driver malfunction;
Many applications run in startup mode;
The system is being attacked by viruses;
The operating system is loaded by antiviruses;
Hard drive problems;
Peripheral equipment malfunctions, which affects the operation of the processor;
There are many applications running at the same time;
The problem is in the program code;
Applications running in the background take up a lot of resources;
The reason is a hardware malfunction;

Note! The performance of the processor can be affected by several reasons.

Each element of the computer operates under the control of a separate program, which contains all the algorithms for interaction with other devices. Such programs are called drivers, and sometimes the reason for the processor load lies in them. To fix the problem with faulty drivers, follow these steps:

Go to the official website of the manufacturer and download the new version of the software for the device;
Reinstall the driver and restart your computer;

Note! New driver versions do not always work correctly due to insufficient optimization of the program code. When downloading, pay attention to the “stable” mark. Its presence means that the program code is optimized and when using it there should not be any conflicts with the system.

Some drivers are difficult to find on your own and nothing is clear on the developer’s websites. In this case, use third-party applications that search for and install missing software.

A large number of programs in startup

Among modern applications installed on a PC, there are increasingly software products that, after installation, begin to work in startup mode. It means:

The program automatically starts when the computer is turned on;
In startup mode, the application gains access to the Internet, downloading updates without notifying the user;

One or two applications won't put much stress on the CPU, but 5 - 10 will become a serious problem. The problem is resolved like this:

Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time;
Launch “Task Manager”;
Select the “Startup” tab;
Select unnecessary programs and click the “Disable” button;

Working on the Internet is accompanied by the risk of catching a virus that loads the processor, interfering with its operation. Most often, viruses are disguised as system processes, and identifying them even with the help of an antivirus program is extremely problematic. In this case, the following action will help:

Restart the system and load Windows 7 in “Safe Mode”;
To do this, during the reboot, press the F8 key, after which we select the mode we need;
After activating the operating system, check it for viruses. To do this, it is not necessary to download and install separate antivirus software. There are services on the Internet that allow you to do this without installation on your computer. Dr.Web offers a similar service;

Antivirus activity

The operation of the central processing unit (CPU) can also be affected by the operation of the antivirus. The fact is that even when the system is idle, when the user does not perform any actions, the antivirus routines do their job, monitoring the system in search of the enemy. If the computer is weak or the antivirus is not configured correctly, failures may occur during operation. You can eliminate them this way:

We configure the operation of the antivirus by choosing economy mode or disabling unnecessary elements;
We change the antivirus to a less resource-intensive one;
We update computer hardware to new ones;

There are no other effective ways without the risk of damaging the OS or antivirus.

The hard drive affects the processor in two cases:

The hard drive fails, causing the performance of the OS and, as a result, the processor to suffer;
OS updates are being installed, which affects the performance of the processor;

The first problem is solved by purchasing new equipment. Yes, it is expensive, but over time the hard drive will completely fail, and you simply will not be able to start the computer. The second problem is resolved like this:

We wait for the download and installation to complete, after which we continue to go about our business;
Disable auto-downloading of updates;

There should be no other reasons for the drop in processor power due to the hard drive.

Problems with peripheral equipment

When connecting third-party equipment - a mouse, keyboard, printer or scanner, the drivers may not install correctly. Because of this, conflict situations arise in the operation of the peripheral device and the OS, which leads to the allocation of additional processor resources to solve the problem.

Steps to resolve the problem:

We turn off the peripheral equipment one by one and monitor the response of the processor. If after disconnecting a device the load disappears, reinstall the drivers;
The drivers on the device are installed, but do not work correctly. This shows up in Device Manager;

Often, the computer itself signals that drivers are installed incorrectly, but you simply do not pay attention to this, continuing to work on programs that are not native to the equipment.

A huge number of running processes

The simplest reason why processor overload occurs. The fact is that each process, even not visible to you, takes a certain amount of energy from the processor, forcing you to monitor its actions. Resources are not unlimited and at some point the computer will begin to slow down, thereby indicating overload. It’s easy to deal with the problem - close unnecessary applications. This will unload the processor and the performance of the operating system will return to normal. It is not necessary to close all applications. Choose those that are least used at the moment or those that are quick and easy to open when the need arises.

Important! Develop the habit of not being lazy and closing unnecessary pages on the Internet, applications that are no longer needed. You will notice how your PC's performance will increase and its performance will stabilize.

Software type problem

Software-type problems include unstable operation of a particular application. For example, Chrome loads your CPU at 100 percent. In this case, closing the application, deleting it, and then downloading a new version will help. Often such troubles arise due to the installation of unlicensed software in which the program code is damaged.

Such an application does not work optimally, taking away extra resources from the processor that were not required when running the licensed product. If reinstallation does not help, then the problem is not in the program. Most likely, the computer is infected with a virus or the hard drive is becoming unusable.

Running background system processes

After turning on the computer or laptop, Windows automatically performs a huge number of system processes, and they do not stop even when the user does not perform any active actions. The System.exe process is responsible for their operation, which is checked first when suspicion arises.

They cannot be disabled, since the operation of the OS directly depends on them, be it Windows 7 or Windows 10. Other operating systems are built on a similar principle. The following things affect the workload of this process:

Windows Automatic Update Service;
Operation of anti-virus programs;
Action of viruses;

Optimizing or eliminating these causes will return your system processes to normal, stabilizing your PC.

Obsolescence of the computer and processor in particular

As in the case of a hard drive, the processor does not last forever and its working resource is gradually spent. This happens due to:

Long service life of equipment;
Inappropriate conditions for maintaining equipment;
Manufacturing defects;
The computer worked in intensive mode, subjected to constant overloads;

All this cannot have a positive effect on the operation of the equipment. You can solve a problem related to the technical side of the process using the following algorithm:

Clean the system unit by removing all dust and dirt using a vacuum cleaner. Pay special attention to cooling systems, since an increase in the temperature of the processor overloads it, gradually disabling it. You can determine whether the processor is heating up or not using special applications, which are available in large numbers on the Internet. If cleaning does not help and the equipment continues to heat up, change the thermal paste covering the top of the processor;
Check the functionality of the OS when running simple applications such as Notepad or Paint. If the “Process Manager”, when starting them, shows the processor load at least 50%, and it does not drop, I recommend paying attention to new computer models, replacing the old hardware with new ones;

A step-by-step check of the PC for all the reasons listed above will reveal the problem and performance will return to normal. The main thing is not to rush, carefully performing all stages of checking the malfunction.

You need to load your computer's processor to 100%! For example, it is necessary to test it under extreme conditions, or check how effective the cooling system is and how it copes with overloads. There are two ways. The first is to download and install a special program like CPU Stress Test (CST). And the second is to load the processor yourself, using only the Windows operating system. I’ll tell you about this scenario now!

In order to accomplish our plans, we only need a standard Windows notepad. Open it and write:

Let me explain a little - we have written program code that will launch a simple loop from the While loop for the standard Visual Basic handler. Now you need to save the file:

Yes, not just, but with a different extension. To do this, in the “File name” line you need to write its name “loop.vbs”.

Please note that the file name must be specified in double quotes in the line. Otherwise, it will have a .txt extension, but we want it to be .vbs. The result should be a file like this:

To load the processor to 100%, you will need to start it. But first, open the task manager on the “Performance” tab:

The CPU load graph is displayed here. Since now most modern processors are multi-core, in order to load it to the maximum, i.e. 100 percent, you need to see all the cores. To do this, right-click on the graph and select the menu item “Change graph”>>”Logical processors”. I got it like this:

You may have more or fewer graphs depending on the CPU model. Well, then, in order to load the processor as much as possible, you need to load each core. To do this, run our cunning script several times in turn and look at the result in the graph.

After the required result has been achieved, it will now be necessary to do the opposite - to unload the system.

To do this, there, in the Task Manager on the “Processes” tab, find each “Microsoft Windows Based Script Host” task and uncheck it.

Hello.

One of the most common reasons why a computer slows down is CPU load, sometimes by incomprehensible applications and processes.

1. Question No. 1 - what program is the processor loaded with?

To find out what percentage of the processor is loaded, open the Windows task manager.

Buttons: Ctrl+Shift+Esc (or Ctrl+Alt+Del) .

2. Question No. 2 - there is CPU load, but there are no applications and processes that load them! What to do?

When setting up one of the computers, I encountered an incomprehensible CPU load - there is a load, but there are no processes! The screenshot below shows what it looks like in the task manager.

On the one hand, it’s surprising: the “Display processes of all users” checkbox is turned on, there is nothing among the processes, and the PC load jumps by 16-30%!

Link to office Process Explorer website: https://technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/bb896653.aspx

Process Explorer - system interrupts and DPCs load the processor by ~20%. When everything is in order, usually the CPU load associated with Hardware interrupts and DPCs does not exceed 0.5-1%.

1. Problems with drivers

Plus, sometimes check your computer with third-party programs (which look for advertising modules adware, mailware, etc.): more about them.

3. Hard disk operating mode

4. Problems with peripheral equipment

Disconnect everything from your laptop or PC, leave the bare minimum (mouse, keyboard, monitor). I also recommend paying attention to device Manager, whether there will be any installed devices with yellow or red icons (this means either there are no drivers or they are not working correctly).

How to open device manager? The easiest way is to open the Windows Control Panel and type the word “dispatcher” into the search bar. See screenshot below.

Device Manager: there are no drivers for devices (disk drives), they may not work correctly (and most likely not work at all).

3. Question No. 3 - could the processor load be caused by overheating and dust?!

The reason why the processor may be overloaded and the computer will start to slow down may be due to overheating. Typically, characteristic signs of overheating are:

increased hum of the cooler: the number of revolutions per minute increases because of this the noise from it becomes stronger. If you have a laptop: then by passing your hand next to the left side (usually there is a hot air outlet on laptops) you will be able to notice how much air is being blown out and how hot it is. Sometimes the hand doesn’t tolerate it (this is not good)!
braking and slowdown of the computer (laptop);
refusal to boot with errors indicating failures in the cooling system, etc.

For example, in the AIDA 64 program, to view the processor temperature, you need to open the “ Computer/sensor«.

AIDA64 - processor temperature 49 degrees. C.

How do you know which temperature is critical for your processor and which is normal?

The easiest way is to look at the manufacturer's website; this information is always indicated there. It is quite difficult to give general figures for different processor models.

Cleaning from dust: when, how and how many times?

To avoid repetition, I will provide a couple of links below...

How to clean your computer from dust and replace thermal paste:

Cleaning a laptop from dust, how to wipe the screen:

That's all for today. By the way, if the measures suggested above did not help, you can try reinstalling Windows (or even replacing it with a newer one, for example, changing Windows 7 to Windows 8). Sometimes, it’s easier to reinstall the OS than to look for the cause: you’ll save time and money... In general, you sometimes need to make backup copies (when everything works well).

Is your processor constantly loaded and your computer or laptop slowing down a lot? And at the same time - in idle mode? High CPU (central processing unit) load is one of the most common problems today. And PC and laptop users constantly encounter it.

These tips are universal, so you can apply them on Windows 7, 8, 10 and XP. The processor model on a laptop or computer doesn’t really matter either.

What program is loading the processor?

First you need to launch the manager and see what percentage of the processor is loaded on your PC. To do this, press Ctrl+Shift+Del and pay attention to the item “CPU Load” (it is located at the bottom).

In principle, this value can jump. But not much. For example, the Core i5 loads 2-8% in idle mode (or with the browser turned on). And this is the norm. Although on weak processors (for example, 2-core Core 2 Duo), the load may already be 10-20%. It all depends on the specific CPU model installed on the computer or laptop.

If the processor is loaded at 50 or 100 percent, then this is clearly overkill. To see why Windows 7 is using so much CPU, go to the Processes tab and then click on the CPU field. This will sort the list in descending order.

In the screenshot below you can see that only the Flash Player plugin is loading the CPU (due to the browser being enabled). But not much, so in this case it is not critical.

By the way, quite often the following situation arises: you were playing a game or working in a program, and after a while you closed it. But the process itself may still be active. It turns out that you are no longer playing or working, but the program is still loading your processor. In this case, you need to go to the manager and manually end the process. Or just restart your computer.

Also, be sure to pay attention to unknown processes due to which the processor is loaded at 50 percent (or higher). Especially if you see them for the first time, and they load the CPU by at least 20%. It is quite possible that these are viruses.

What to do if the processor is loaded for no reason

Didn't find any processes in the manager, but the CPU is still heavily loaded when idle? To get started, you can click the “Display processes of all users” button. This usually doesn't help, but it may add new items to the list.

And to display all the processes due to which the CPU is constantly busy, it is recommended to use a free program. It's very easy to use:

Launch the utility.
Click on the "CPU" column to sort processes in descending order of load.
See why the processor is heavily loaded.

The screenshot above shows that the Interrupts process is to blame. It is this that loads the processor by 18% when idle. Although it can load 50 and even 100 percent!

Fixing a problem like this is extremely difficult. This is because such a high CPU load can occur due to:

drivers on a computer or laptop;
viruses;
incorrect operating mode of the hard drive;
problems with peripheral equipment (printers, scanners, HDD drives, etc.).

Most often, heavy CPU load occurs due to drivers. To test this and see if there is any CPU load. If not, then most likely the problem lies in the drivers.

The easiest way to fix it is. And then install the drivers on your computer or laptop one by one and check the CPU load after each of them. This way you can quickly find the culprit.

Usually this problem appears due to universal Microsoft drivers, which are installed immediately after installing a new Windows. In this case, it is better to find the necessary drivers yourself at the office. manufacturer's website and install them. Read more about how to do this here:

It would also be a good idea to use special utilities to search for malware and advertising viruses (adware, malware).

Incorrect operation of the hard drive can also cause the process to be heavily loaded. Especially if it works in PIO mode (DMA mode must be set). This must be checked and corrected if necessary.

And the last reason why system interrupts and high processor load occur is problems with printers, scanners and other peripheral equipment. To check this, disconnect all devices and leave only the mouse and keyboard.

Also go to Start - Control Panel - Device Manager and see if there are devices here that have a yellow exclamation mark next to them. Its presence indicates that the equipment is not working correctly and the driver needs to be updated (which is what needs to be done).

CPU is always 100 percent loaded in Windows 7

There is another fairly common problem that often occurs on Windows 7. It is that on many PCs and laptops the processor is constantly loaded at 100 percent when idle (that is, even on the desktop). And if you open the task manager, you can see the svchost.exe process there, which is duplicated several times.

The reason here lies in the automatic updating of Windows 7. The fact is that updates are now released only for Windows 8 and 10. For Windows 7, they, of course, are not suitable, and therefore do not work correctly. It is for this reason that on Windows 7 the processor is loaded at 100 percent.

To fix this, you just need to turn off automatic updates. For this:

After this, the svchost.exe process should disappear, and with it the CPU load should decrease.

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