CPU usage staying at/or around 100%..why

[Computerfreak14]

Hey whats going on guys? Well i just got a another computer from a friend for free. Its a compaq presario
AMD Xp 2800+
512mb ram
120 gb HD
Overall its not a bad pc.
Well heres my problem, I have noticed lately that this pc is idling at 95-100% CPU usage. Im wondering what could be causing this. The reason i noticed it was because when i have Speedfan running it dosent drop really,same thing in task manager. Its been a while since ive been on the forums and i needed to get back. so if anyof you guys have any ideas/suggestions, let me know.
thanks again steve

 

[CntdwnToExtn]

check the processes in task manager, sort by CPU to see what is taking all the processor.

is there a realtime anti-virus scanner?
when was the last time you ran a spyware/ad-ware?
how large is your page file?

 

[J9Darkwing]

Since it's used and full of someone else's old baggage I'd see if there is a OS code on it and wipe the hard drive and reinstall. Being a compaq it prolly comes with a recovery partition on the hd that you can use to start fresh with.

 

[Computerfreak14]

I looked at my processes and it was some roxiowatch thing for roxiocreator 8,so i ended and it dropped down lower so that must of been the cause.

As for what my page file is it says: PF Usage 674 Mb

Is that good or bad. let me know thanks