Unstable CPU at random times.

[djslingshot]

Hi guys, This is my first post 😀 Hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I have been having this problem with my computer for a awhile now but I finally got sick of it and wanted to see what is causing it by asking you guys.

Basically what happens is, after having my pc on for more than 4-5 hours tops it goes into this very very strange unstable state. My HDD hud light will blink constantly over and over. If I listen to music or anything the CPU stays at 100%. The weird thing is when I stop doing something the problem will stop until I actually do something again. The only way to get rid of the problem is to restart. It makes all my games, music, movies lag.

At first I thought it was a virus or even just spyware.. So I thought nothing of this problem. Just formatted my pc and figured all was okay. Just today the problem occurred once again with nothing even installed on my pc yet. Just to give you guys more detailed information here is a guy on another forum that had the same exact problem like mine and close to the same setup. http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1697685

I was thinking maybe my CPU is overheating but when I'm playing a game the temps are only 44C. The only thing I can think of is to re apply thermal paste to my CPU. Or see if possibly my RAM is bad? I just got this pc Jan 1st.

Oh and I did run Prime95 for 1 hour and all was okay there. I guess I could try running it all night. See if anything is not right.



My Setup is
AMD Athlon II X4 640
4GB G.SKILL Ram 1333mhz
Radeon 4850 HD

Thank you to anyone that can help me.

 

[henydiah]

maybe some software work under background? try install CC clearner Fix registry, delete all temporary, history, disable not important software startup , disable auto update.

for RAM you can test it with memtes86+

 

[djslingshot]

Thank you for the suggestions henydiah. I will give CC cleaner a try, but considering I just reformatted I don't know if it will help with registry or temp, history files. I have my auto update turned off. Will test my ram tonight and let Prime95 run longer. Will report my results after that.

 

[djslingshot]

Well it seems the issue is still happening and I did everything you had suggested. Here is a screen shot of what happens when the problem occurs. http://i51.tinypic.com/wqplp3.png

Now the only thing I am running is Itunes, and the Cpu usage goes crazy and is at 50% and 60%. If I were to try a game it would stay stuck at 100%.
Also notice the CPU temp, very high for just listening to music. I can run games for hours and it will only ever get up to 35C and 40C. Playing music should only have it at 22C or less. Right when the lag spike starts my CPU temp goes crazy.

Also if you are wondering what case I have, I have NZXT Tempest evo.

Again this lag spike only occurs every 4-5 hours and is on going until I restart or end the svchost that I have highlighted in the task manager on that picture.

Any ideas?

 

[djslingshot]

Sorry for the second reply but it seems to be Svchost.exe(Dcomlaunch) that is causing the problem. I am almost certain of this.

 

[henydiah]

yes they can cause that !
"Svchost.exe" (Generic Host Process for Win32 Services) is an integral part of Windows OS. It cannot be stopped or restarted manually. This process manages system services that run from dynamic link libraries (files with extension .dll). Examples for such system services are: "Automatic Updates", "Windows Firewall", "Plug and Play", "Fax Service", "Windows Themes" and many more. http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/svchost.exe.html
At startup, Svchost.exe checks the services portion of the registry and constructs a list of services that it needs to load. Under normal conditions, multiple instances of Svchost.exe will be running simultaneously. Each Svchost.exe session can contain a grouping of services, so that many services can be run depending on how and where Svchost.exe is started. This allows for better control and debugging.
If the process svchost.exe uses high cpu resources, it is mostly due because the service "Automatic Updates" is downloading some new Windows update. But having a 99% or 100% cpu usage could be caused by downloads due of some hidden malware on your computer. Some malware like the Conficker worm changes the Windows Registry so that svchost loads the malware .dll file. In this case you only see the authentic svchost.exe process in the task manager! Use our free Svchost Analyzer to find such malware.
See also: Microsoft reference

Note: The svchost.exe file is located in the folder C:\Windows\System32. In other cases, svchost.exe is a virus, spyware, trojan or worm! Check this with Security Task Manager.

Virus with same name:
Symantec Security Response - W32.Welchia.Worm
Symantec Security Response - W32.Assarm@mm
McAfee - W32/Jeefo
Microsoft Conficker worm

download antivirus cLEAN DON'T USE OLD, if finish download update it , and try scan your PC.

 

[djslingshot]

Well I'm 100% it's not a virus by now, Because if it was It still wouldn't be happening. I have reformatted twice since this started happening. Svchost.exe(Dcomlaunch) Has to do with Plug n play, Does this mean something is wrong with my sound device or video card?

I'm really starting to think something is wrong with my motherboard.
That or I have a bad copy of Windows 7.

 

[isuru003]

Did reformat only C:?
Even if you reformatted your C: virus may came with any other drive like D:,E:
Or even from your pen drive,

So make sure you have done everything ok.
Best thing is to get good virus guard and scan everything.

 

[djslingshot]

Turns out it was my Audio drivers. I uninstalled them and now everything works perfect and I don't get anymore lag spikes. Thanks for everything guys.
Glad I fixed it