recent problems; cpu usually at 100%...

[muzzbait]

hello all,

of late, the laptop i'm using has been experiencing really high cpu usage, usually up to 100% when i do the most mundane of tasks (open a new tab, go back on the browser, etc...).

i don't have an old laptop (about 3 years old), and the rate of which it has deteriorated has been really rapid. in the last week, i have lost the ability to watch ALREADY BUFFERED youtube clips (sound before video, or the video stops and starts), watch already downloaded videos (stops and starts), and even simple tasks like opening a new window up.

i've taken to using CCleaner every day now, as well as performing spyware checks with super-anti spyware. i use avast (for virus protection), and the last three times i've tried to perform a virus check, the computer/laptop has shutdown on me before it finished checking everything. i even disconnected it from the internet (i read it on the internet), and it still shuts down...

it's a toshiba satellite pro with 512 mb ram and a 40gb hdd. i'm not sureabout the other info, but i could find out...

could anyone help me out please???

 

[carnageX]

Could try scanning in safe mode to make sure. Also, what process is using 100% of the CPU? Open Task manager and find out next time.

 

[muzzbait]

would a scan in safe mode finish? i've never had this laptop just 'shut down' ever. would this happen in safemode?

okay, the following tasks eat up my cpu: svchost.exe, ptscsvc.exe, ashsimpl.exe, ndstray.exe and tvstray.exe...

i think it's a trojan or some form of malware, personally...

 

[carnageX]

Well you can determine this by going into Safe Mode. Safe Mode only loads up whats necessary. To be sure, go to start > run > type in msconfig > and go to the Startup tab and disable everything. Re-check only your antivirus and reboot into normal mode. See if you can do it then. Otherwise, try safe mode and scan, as its less likely the malware will be running in safe mode (can still happen, but less likely).

 

[muzzbait]

sorry for the late reply...

the last two days the computer hasn't worked well. i wasted about 10 hours trying to get a 'thorough' scan done on my avast anti-virus, as well as super-antispyware, but the computer kept switching off.

yesterday, i decided to retry it in safe-mode. i left the computer on all day and all night (it was at 95% complete for 8 hours, and at 97% complete for 10 hours!), and it blacked out. i managed to check the last 'group' of files being scanned; mso somethingorother. then it clicked; last week i installed office2007 (from a torrent, i know, i know...), so i've kinda guessed that either i got a shoddy file or my computer can't deal with the system requirements...

either way, the files are being deleted very soon.

hopefully the computer can return to how it was before...

would you recommend a format???