MSMPENG.EXE hogging CPU. How do I get better control of MSMPENG? (XP Pro)

I need some help with msmpeng. I found that this service in Task Manager is simply eating a huge amount of cup. Due to which the system is getting extremely slow. I need some help to get rid of the same. I went online to find information on the file and found that there can be some infection that can cause the issue. I need some help here. I tried running windows update and scan my pc also. But nothing worked here.

Try killing that process and see whether your system works fine or not. It can be a security threat. But to catch the same you will need to scan your system under safe mode and check out the output. The antivirus works more properly when you scan under safe mode. It is a bit safer and better to detect a infection instantly. Go in msconfig and disable unwanted startup services.

It looks like a virus problem to me. I do not think it will go by just scanning. Download Hijackthis in your pc. Run it and at the end it will generate a log report. In that search for the exe file that is consuming high cpu. The tool will give you the exact location of that .exe file. You can then simply disable it as per your need and it is associated with some program you can delete it.