windows freezes with cpu usage at 90 plus

jay-1

What I really need to know is when I go into safe mode and go through debug mode everything works ok - is it secure using this mode to access the internet

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but I have tried googling it and am still none the wiser

I am not very computer savy so I feel a fix will be beyond me

albertross_2

You need to be in normal mode or nothing will work properly, go into task manager, and see what is hogging the cpu, or do a system restore (under help) to the point it worked properly

jay-1

I am in de bug mode just now and am able to get on line but when I go to normal mode it freezes almost straight away and I cannot get online

I had a trojen dialer.delf.m but that has now been quaranteened but I don,t know if that may have caused the problems - when I am in debug mode cpu is between 0-5

I tried restore but it did not resolve the problem

I am happy to stay in debug mode so long as it is secure anti virus is on and firewalled

fwor

Something that ~sometimes~ works is this:

In Safe Mode, select Run..., type in msconfig and hit Enter, go to the Startup tab and select Disable All. Now try booting up normally. If it does Ok then you can gradually add them back in until you find the culprit. If it doesn't, it's something else!

jay-1

fwor wrote: »

Something that ~sometimes~ works is this:

In Safe Mode, select Run..., type in msconfig and hit Enter, go to the Startup tab and select Disable All. Now try booting up normally. If it does Ok then you can gradually add them back in until you find the culprit. If it doesn't, it's something else!

Thanks for the advice but that sounds a bit too advanced for me - I'd likely end with everthing disabled and not be able to get them back.

Do you know if it is as secure working online in debuggung mode as nomal mode?

fwor

jay-1 wrote: »

that sounds a bit too advanced for me - I'd likely end with everthing disabled and not be able to get them back

You'll be fine with it - right next to the Disable All button is an Enable All button!

No, it's not secure to use the PC normally in Safe Mode, because many services are not started automatically in that mode. Typically, your firewall and antivirus programs will not be running and IIRC the windows Auto Update process will not function either, so you will not get security-related patches either.

ABH_3

There's obviously something wrong, and it's obviously concerning you so why not take the bull by the horns and deal with it? If system restore isn't working, then how about trying a Windows Repair: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm backup any important work\photos\documents etc. At least if it goes wrong, you can just reinstall your operating system and be safe in the knowledge that you're not going to get infected by whatever it was that ruined your computer this time around for a while.

Then sometime in the next couple of days or week, buy an external harddrive and a copy of Acronis True Image and create an image of your harddrive so recovery isn't so painful. It will mean you're not reliant on Windows System Restore which as you have found out, isn't the most reliable part of windows. So if this happens again, you can run your backup image and be fully secure and operational within 30 minutes.

Alternatively, carry on as you are and hope that nobody steals your bank details etc Fwiw, debug mode should be reasonably secure, afterall its function is to inform the developer of any issues that need addressing. But if I were you, I would want the problem sorting out. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, then take the computer to a local pc repair shop pay the £40 and have them sort it out.

HTH