System Idle Processes (not so idle...)

[Kala]

After returning from a week-long trip in which both the computer and modem were unplugged, I've found a rather annoying problem that has, of late, plagued my computer.

As I'm on the computer, frequently things slow down. I'll check the system processes menu and find everything to be normal (and I'll exit out of any significant programs) except for the System Idle processes which will take up 70-95% of the cpu . Strange thing is, they are only listed as using up 20k of memory, even though they consume so much of the system resources.

Any ideas on what to do or how to make these not-so-idle processes go away?

[ceh383]

Well, that's quite normal. This is a HALT command that Windows 2000 or Windows XP will send when the system is at idle. This feature is basically the same thing that occurs when you use CPUIdle (CPU Cooling Software). This process is activated when the system is at idle to keep the processor at cooler temperatures. You will see that the number drops when you begin to use the system. This does not take away your processor power.

[Miz]

System Idle Processes tells you how much of the CPU/resources/whatever-it-is is NOT being used. Microsoft used a rather strange name for something that means "This is what's idle."