Windows 7 has High CPU Usage and slow performance

I have also seen this problem twice on my laptop running Windows 7 64 bit.  Have a Dell M6400, 8GB RAM, Intel P8600 2.4GHz x 2.  The first time I saw this I was running IE8.  I would see CPU running at 95%-100% with various process such as:

MsMpEng.exe - Microsoft Anti Malware engine

InoRT.exe - CA Anti Virus

Rapport.exe - Security tool monitors websites requesting login information.

Realmon.exe -  CA Anti Virus

svhost.exe - MS Windows system

taskmgr.exe - MS Windows taskmanger window.

taking a large amount of CPU resource.  Ending any of the process consuming the CPU resources would just see another take it's place with no obvious connection between the processes.  My support chap at the office suggested I just rebuild the laptop as it was often quicker then trying to get to the bottom of the problem.  After the rebuild, and now using Firefox browser, it has been fine until I installed some software to rip a DVD to mp4.  I was trying various software to get the results I wanted,  I installed:

AVS Video Converter.

DVD Decrypter (Just realised there may be some legal issues around this software!).

Leawo MP4 Converter 2.0

Sorry, but I didn't do this methodically,I just uninstalled the lot and the problem of high CPU when viewing flash movies went was resolved.  Prior to having the issue I had Windows Meida Player looking at a remote drive mapped as F:\Music for it's library, chainging this had no effect when trying to resolve the problrm the 2nd time.

I suspect that when I first got the laptop from work it would have come with some DVD/Blu Ray playing software which I have subseqeuntly left off the rebuilt machine.  I may try testing some DVD burnig/ripping software to see if I can further indentify the cause of my problem as it does seem to be underlying problem with Windpws 7 and Flash video.

I think the answer might be the Windows Media Player and Windows Media Network Sharing Services as zxypher suggested.  The fix for that is to adjust were the Windows Media Player services search for media files. 

It seems to be a bad problem for me as well upgrading from Vista to Windows 7.  The default search location for media is set to C:\Users\ instead of down in the My Music folders.

Go into Media Player.  From the menu -> File ->Manage libraries -> select each library (music, video, pictures, recorded tv [if you have]) and check the paths that it is managing and make sure it is not too close to the root of the C: drive.  For example, it should be something like c:\users\Jim\Music and c:\users\Public\MusicBUT NOTc:\users as they will cause the whole directory tree to be re-indexed over and over (when you surf the web or change any files in your profile).

If you have multiple users who login to the computer, you may need to repeat the process for each user if all users have added managed folders which are actively changing on a regular basis.

If this is your issue and you do it correctly, then the high CPU should drop in minutes (or seconds down to nothing).

This is the CORRECT way to adjust the WMNSS/WMPNetwk.exe process issues.

A little more information can be found here:

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7performance/thread/2fe4901b-2eaf-4a99-b487-e6a6213b10b3/ 

This here is the fix. Why Microsoft has chosen not to update with a fix, I don't know! BUT... what I do know is that if an issue like this happens again or if this issue persists my next computer is gonna be a Chrome OS computer. I won't ever do Apple and I'm not to familiar with Linux based OSes But since I use Chrome browser and I use GMail and Goggle Readers and Picassa and Googgle search, I may as well use there OS too! If Microsoft is too lazy to fix a problem in there own OS then damn Microsoft why should I invest in any of your products as an option to anything else. From what I'm seeing, this problem has been persisting for over a year or more!!!! a year??? Come onnnnnnn....

How about trying to uninstall programs not needed, then go to proccess tab and stop running silly things but make sure it is not by any windows, microsoft, or anything that might make you delete something your computer needs

I was having an issue with the SearchFilterHost hogging my CPU.

I moved the libraries a bit farther away as suggested and my CPU is back down to normal.

This worked for me also.

Thanks all !