CPU activity is unusual. Can you provide more details?
CPU activity is unusual. Can you provide more details?
I know this might point to a software problem, but I'm really stressed about it. I was away from my PC for roughly ten minutes, then came back. It felt extremely slow and stuttery, with full CPU usage confirmed by Task Manager. I looked into System Interrupts using 100% CPU, and about two seconds later it stopped—then Antimalware Service Executable alongside Desktop Window Manager was running at around 20-30% for a few seconds. After that, everything calmed down, and Windows Update briefly ran with high CPU usage before stopping. A Quick Scan with Windows Defender gave the same results. It’s strange because checking Defender’s history shows the last scan was about an hour ago. Plus, this has happened twice in thirty minutes without any scans being reported. Another worry is that Office was running and consuming a lot of resources, which I’ve never used before. Here’s a screenshot of what occurred. Can anyone help explain what’s going on and whether it could be malware?
Occasionally the Defender Quick Scan performs the same action multiple times, though not always. Repeating it several times yields consistent results. It typically examines around 18,420 files, but occasionally pauses unexpectedly and runs very slowly. After finishing, the CPU remains at full capacity for roughly a minute.
Have you experienced any progress? You're facing the same problem, with the system cutting out at full CPU capacity for a short time and then resuming while other programs run excessively. It looks like hardware interrupts or drivers might be the culprit. Since System Interrupt isn't an actual process but a reference to resource usage, it suggests a possible hardware fault. The erratic task manager readings hint at unusual activity. Trying software updates and using Lenovo Vantage for driver/firmware checks hasn't helped much. Your machine is a Lenovo P73 with an i7-9750H, 16 GB DDR4, 512 GB SSD, and NVIDIA T2000 GPU.
I've experienced a comparable scenario—less severe. Occasionally I get system interrupts at full CPU usage. My setup includes a Lenovo X1 Carbon CPU i7 16 GM RAM 1 TB SSD and a Lenovo Thunderbolt dock with an NVIDIA GTX 1050 (Lenovo Graphics Dock). These issues only appear when the dock is connected, suggesting the problem relates to the dock itself.
Remove the antimalware tool and office software to check for improvement, would you like additional details? Also consider running the CPUID HWmonitor.
I understand if this was considered inappropriate here, but it was the most accurate way I could describe the problem after searching online. Adjusting Intel Graphics settings and enabling maximum performance helped resolve the issue with Windows 10 interrupts when my ThinkPad X1 Carbon was left on Thunderbolt.