Windows 7 has High CPU Usage and slow performance

System Idle Process is the difference between 100% and the sum of all active processes. A figure of 90% + means that you are not currently experiencing the problem.  You need to post details of CPU percentages for a time when CPU usage is high.

procwxp.exe is Process Explorer.  It should not generate significany CPU usage.

What version of Internet Explorer are you using?

dwm.exe is the Desktop Windows Manager. Check that the copy of the file that is running is one having the file path c:\windows \system32\iexplore.exe. Right click on dwm.exe and select Properties, Image tab to verify the file is the one which should be running.

You are interested in CPU usage not Private Bytes. Those are more useful if you are encountering over high memory usage.

When you upgraded from Vista did you update all drivers?

Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell

Gerry, under CPU, highest rated are

1. System Idle Process - mostly blank data, disabled,  NTAuthority\System
2. C:\Users\lou\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\NBXZWZCN\procexp[1]64.exe (Systinternals Process explorer, enabled, procexp.exe(820))
3. C:\Windows\system32\Dwm.exe, svhost.exe(956)

Top rated under "Private Bytes" column are:

1.103K - C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" SCODEF:1260 CREDAT:71937

2. 95K - C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe (access denied) - 

3. 90K - C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" SCODEF:1260 CREDAT:6411

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/ 

Thanks so much man, WMP was using an entire core every time I built because it was re-indexing the folder where Visual Studio builds its project files, (in the end my duo core would be at 100%). I had disabled about every other option in windows media player, but I would have never even noticed that menu if I was not looking for it, thanks so much for the help!

n/a

Download Process Explorer.

For further information about Process Explorer see here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/ProcessExplorer.mspx

What is the image name of the process producing high CPU usage? This

could help narrow down the source of the unexplained CPU usage.

It would be helpful if you could post the Command Line of the process

generating the excessive CPU usage. In Process Explorer place

cursor on Process and select Properties, Image.

Hope this helps, Gerry Cornell