Windows 7 has High CPU Usage and slow performance

Anonymous
2009-11-18T04:59:29+00:00

Hello all,

I've searched the forums, but was unable to find anything relevant.  I recently upgraded to Windows 7 from Vista.  It was running fine for about a week then all of a sudden everything started running very slow.  I checked the the processes tab in task manager and I am constantly running at 70-80% CPU usage.  I think this is very high considering the computer is only a few months old.  It seems like others are having this problem as well, but no real solutions.

I have turned off file indexing as well as disabled the HD audio device. 

Please help!

Here are my hardware specs:

AMD 9550 Quad-Core

64-bit

6GB Ram

Thank you in advance for your help.  I am ready to toss this thing from my second story window.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2010-01-02T19:29:42+00:00

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\Music BUT NOT **** c:\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/

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-12-10T03:18:04+00:00

    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....

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-11-27T16:02:58+00:00

    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

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-11-25T01:25:05+00:00

    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 !

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-11-23T23:03:27+00:00

    also make a xperf trace and share it.


    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code" CLIP- Stellvertreter http://www.winvistaside.de/

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