100% CPU Utilization caused by process 'System', with User SYSTEM

Phillip N Rounds · 01-09-2005

I have a Windows 2003 Standard Server, and for some reason it has started
running at 100% CPU Utilization. The offending process is listed as
'System', (not 'System Idle Process'), with a user of SYSTEM.

My Symantec Antivirus file got out of date, and though I've updated it, I
can't run NAV to find out if a virus is the problem. I can't find any .exe
or .dll which is named System, so I'm kind of stuck.

Anyone have an idea what's going on?

Thanks

Phil

Todd J Heron · 02-09-2005

Try running Process Explorer from Systernals to get a better handle of what
is going on under the context of 'System'.

--
Todd J Heron, MCSE
Windows Server 2003/2000/NT; CCA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This posting is provided "as is" with no warranties and confers no rights

"Phillip N Rounds" <prounds@cassandragroup.com> wrote in message
news:OpNVvQwrFHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
I have a Windows 2003 Standard Server, and for some reason it has started
running at 100% CPU Utilization. The offending process is listed as
'System', (not 'System Idle Process'), with a user of SYSTEM.

My Symantec Antivirus file got out of date, and though I've updated it, I
can't run NAV to find out if a virus is the problem. I can't find any .exe
or .dll which is named System, so I'm kind of stuck.

Anyone have an idea what's going on?

Thanks

Phil

Phillip N Rounds · 06-09-2005

Process Explorer shows that, within the 'System' process, ACPI.sys is
consuming 90% of the CPU resources. the EntryPoint is ACPI.sys +0x11d22,
showing
CSwitchDelta of approx 600-700

Does this mean anything to anyone?

Thanks

"Todd J Heron" <todd_heron_no_spam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uRsi5A1rFHA.3640@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Try running Process Explorer from Systernals to get a better handle of
> what
> is going on under the context of 'System'.
>
> --
> Todd J Heron, MCSE
> Windows Server 2003/2000/NT; CCA
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> This posting is provided "as is" with no warranties and confers no rights
>
> "Phillip N Rounds" <prounds@cassandragroup.com> wrote in message
> news:OpNVvQwrFHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> I have a Windows 2003 Standard Server, and for some reason it has started
> running at 100% CPU Utilization. The offending process is listed as
> 'System', (not 'System Idle Process'), with a user of SYSTEM.
>
> My Symantec Antivirus file got out of date, and though I've updated it, I
> can't run NAV to find out if a virus is the problem. I can't find any
> .exe
> or .dll which is named System, so I'm kind of stuck.
>
> Anyone have an idea what's going on?
>
> Thanks
>
> Phil
>
>

Vincent Xu [MSFT] · 09-09-2005

Hi,

Since our newsgroup is focused on migration process between domains, so I
think

Microsoft.public.windows.server.general should be a more approperate place
for your issue.

Thanks for understanding.

Best regards,

Vincent Xu
Microsoft Online Partner Support

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

--------------------
>>From: "Phillip N Rounds" <prounds@cassandragroup.com>
>>References: <OpNVvQwrFHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl>
<uRsi5A1rFHA.3640@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl>
>>Subject: Re: 100% CPU Utilization caused by process 'System', with User
SYSTEM
>>Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 09:34:15 -0400
>>Lines: 41
>>X-Priority: 3
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>>Message-ID: <OSqxoeusFHA.3328@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl>
>>Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.windows.server.general,microsoft.public.windows.server.migr
ation,microsoft.public.windows.server.networking,microsoft.public.windows.se
rver.setup
>>NNTP-Posting-Host: nj-65-41-81-216.sta.sprint-hsd.net 65.41.81.216
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microsoft.public.windows.server.setup:9109
microsoft.public.windows.server.general:46834
>>X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windows.server.migration
>>
>>Process Explorer shows that, within the 'System' process, ACPI.sys is
>>consuming 90% of the CPU resources. the EntryPoint is ACPI.sys +0x11d22,
>>showing
>>CSwitchDelta of approx 600-700
>>
>>Does this mean anything to anyone?
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>"Todd J Heron" <todd_heron_no_spam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>news:uRsi5A1rFHA.3640@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>> Try running Process Explorer from Systernals to get a better handle of
>>> what
>>> is going on under the context of 'System'.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Todd J Heron, MCSE
>>> Windows Server 2003/2000/NT; CCA
>>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> This posting is provided "as is" with no warranties and confers no
rights
>>>
>>> "Phillip N Rounds" <prounds@cassandragroup.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OpNVvQwrFHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>>> I have a Windows 2003 Standard Server, and for some reason it has
started
>>> running at 100% CPU Utilization. The offending process is listed as
>>> 'System', (not 'System Idle Process'), with a user of SYSTEM.
>>>
>>> My Symantec Antivirus file got out of date, and though I've updated it,
I
>>> can't run NAV to find out if a virus is the problem. I can't find any
>>> .exe
>>> or .dll which is named System, so I'm kind of stuck.
>>>
>>> Anyone have an idea what's going on?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> Phil
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>

Jason Gurtz · 13-09-2005

On 9/6/2005 09:34, Phillip N Rounds wrote:
> Process Explorer shows that, within the 'System' process, ACPI.sys is
> consuming 90% of the CPU resources. the EntryPoint is ACPI.sys +0x11d22,
> showing
> CSwitchDelta of approx 600-700
>
> Does this mean anything to anyone?

It probably means your mainboard's bios is buggy. Try disabling ACPI in
the bios and see if that helps. You can use APM instead for power saving.

~Jason

--

**guitar121** · 17-02-2011

Just thought i'd add my 2 cents. This thread really helped me track down my issue with the same symptoms. In this case a power failure left 2 RDP sessions active on the server side. Killing these sessions dropped the CPU back to 30% max. Had been constant 100% on the System process for several days.

Thanks for all the help.