# Ridiculous CPU Usage **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680 "2008-04-17T01:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/1 "2008-04-17T01:42:31Z")
My cpu meter is currently ranging from between 60% and 90%, and I’m not doing anything. I could hear my computer humming along all the way in the other room. It does this periodically. What could be the causes, or what do you need to know in order to answer this question? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/2 "2008-04-17T01:59:56Z")
Please don’t bother answering this question. It was really stupid of me to ask it, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Moderator, please remove it if you like. My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/3 "2008-04-17T02:08:43Z")
[QUOTE=Fiddle Peghead] Please don’t bother answering this question. It was really stupid of me to ask it, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Moderator, please remove it if you like. My apologies. [/QUOTE] I"ll close it as soon as you tell us what was happening. You can’t just leave us hanging. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/4 "2008-04-17T02:09:07Z")
[QUOTE=Fiddle Peghead] Please don’t bother answering this question. It was really stupid of me to ask it, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Moderator, please remove it if you like. My apologies. [/QUOTE] Does this mean you’ve figured it out? If so, you might want to share in case anyone else has the same situation somewhere down the road. eta: Damn your fast fingers, **Sam**! ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/5 "2008-04-17T13:46:41Z")
I bet 5 lbs of slimy salmon is was Windows Update. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/6 "2008-04-17T16:55:18Z")
It wasn’t that insidious piece of malware, System Idle Process, was it? ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/7 "2008-04-17T18:53:45Z")
He forgot he had porn downloading in the background. Happens to the best of us. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/8 "2008-04-17T20:01:27Z")
My money’s on Windows Update too. And as Og is my witness, the darn thing whirred into life just as I pressed Reply and started this post. I swear it’s watching me. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-cpu-usage/445680/9 "2008-04-18T00:54:36Z")
AV scan?