XP task manager graph colors

[aj49]

have an Athlon xp2600+ on an "old" Compaq (yes, I know -- booo -- hissss HP). runs on idle at 47C. Following problem has been before & after doing AV & spyware scans x 4 in safe mode. In the CPU usage & usage history graphs, besides the normal green lines, any time use is above 5% CPU usage, the chart shows 50-70% RED. I have gone to the MS site and it was as helpful as usual (none). The HDD looks/acts OK but sometimes Outlook or IE locks it up for a while. From what I can tell, all running processes are legit. Am using eTrust suite & it is a resource hog once in a while for a moment or 2 & when the graph bounces to 80%+, over 50-90% is red. FYI in safe mode there is NO red. I know I can try to track down the offender out of ~20+ but does anybody know what the red graph means? My daddy used ta say that red usually is a bad thing. any ideas?Guess this comp saw the new one that came in to replace it 😀

 

[riser]

It's showing your Kernel Time.. Under the "View" tab.

The Performance tab shows you how busy your PC is; you can see the CPU and memory usage quickly at the bottom of the window, but for more detail look at the graphs and figures here. Is Windows keeping your PC busy or is your PC waiting for Windows? You can find out by turning on Show Kernel Times on the View menu; this shows how much of its time the CPU is spending running the Windows XP core and how much time it’s spending on your programs.

About Task Manager

 

[aj49]

thanks most wise, ancient one --- scary thing is -- I'm the only one that would go here & I never chose to change the view - justa tad unstable maybe? I had been thinking about a W repair but w/ a new comp - not worth it. I will sleep better 2nite.