system idle process?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I have a Dell Dim 2400 with XP Home.

Every so often, the disk drive keeps running something for a lengthy period
of time (3-4 minutes).

When I access the Windows Task Manager, the process that by far uses the
most CPU appears to be System Idle Process. What is that?

Mel

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"MB_" <mel@prodigy.invalid.net> wrote in message news:wRt0e.8364$Iw4.2523@fe03.lga...
>I have a Dell Dim 2400 with XP Home.
>
> Every so often, the disk drive keeps running something for a lengthy period
> of time (3-4 minutes).

SysInternals offers a number of yummy freeware tools, including
ProcessExplorer:

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml

Which might come in handy for correlating CPU activity with said
drive activity. Another potentially usefull tool would be FileMon:

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/filemon.shtml

I've never turned the indexing service on to see how it behaves, but
that's something that pops into my mind.

> When I access the Windows Task Manager, the process that by far uses the
> most CPU appears to be System Idle Process. What is that?

Conceptually if not exactly the lowest priority process, which only gets
CPU time when there is nothing else to run.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

System Idle Process is exactly what it sounds like.
It is the % of processing power you have waiting for something to do,doing
nothing.

If you are having problems, this is not the cause.
Follow this link:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

--
Jupiter Jones
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
In memory of our dear friend, MVP Alex Nichol
http://www.dts-l.org


"MB_" <mel@prodigy.invalid.net> wrote in message
news:wRt0e.8364$Iw4.2523@fe03.lga...
>I have a Dell Dim 2400 with XP Home.
>
> Every so often, the disk drive keeps running something for a lengthy
> period of time (3-4 minutes).
>
> When I access the Windows Task Manager, the process that by far uses the
> most CPU appears to be System Idle Process. What is that?
>
> Mel