Windows Explorer shows around 20% CPU consumption.
Windows Explorer shows around 20% CPU consumption.
Hello, your task manager shows steady 20% CPU consumption during the stress test, even with Avast running. It might not be the antivirus itself, but the recent installation could be the issue. Consider using Avast's removal tool to clean up the program, or uninstall it entirely if it persists. Avoid installing additional bloatware unless necessary.
It would have been helpful to know your CPU details, and even more so the full system specifications.
To eliminate Avast, start by deleting it from your program manager using the standard uninstaller. Next, obtain their official removal utility from their website and run it for additional cleaning.
It wasn't behaving this way before, and I ran prime95 overnight without interruption. The issue persisted, with hwinfo consuming about 15-20% of resources and memory usage rising steadily. I haven't encountered such patterns under heavy load before. Typically, Windows would delay operations during full CPU usage.
Restarted the Windows Explorer process, it worked for a couple of minutes before the problem returned. Left the machine idle for five hours and continued troubleshooting when I returned. This behavior isn’t typical, since normal stress tests like prime95 should stop it. I’m giving up and reinstalling Windows again this week. I’d really like to tell Bill Gates to stop making things complicated.
I refreshed the installation and the issue disappeared. I’m uncertain about the original cause, but here are some possibilities in the sequence I think mattered most: 1. I removed my Steam library and reinstalled all games this time. I saw Steam listed under the dropdown in the Windows Explorer process. I did the same for my Oculus titles. Luckily, Canada’s net neutrality still stands, which helped with the 2TB of games. 2. I didn’t install the App Shop (AsRock’s live update tool). Normally I wouldn’t do that, but I was checking for an audio driver fix. The issue appeared after uninstalling it. 3. I mistakenly added Avast Anti-Virus with extra bloatware, which might have been the trigger. I avoided that this time. 4. I updated everything in Windows before adding drivers and then refreshed again. Probably one of those four steps anyone might face.
I encountered the same issue once more after another Windows reinstall attempt. This time I managed to fix it without reinstalling. The fix was straightforward: simply remove Steam and reinstall it. Another option is using Ccleaner, though I doubt it would be effective—review and clean the system. Access the registry, scan for problems, and resolve them carefully, ensuring you back up the registry beforehand. Repeat this process until everything is resolved. If that fails, consider another approach to address the problem I faced that day. Open a command prompt with admin rights and follow these steps: Warning your computer will restart after this, so save any progress. Run the command: ie4uinit.exe -show taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F DEL /A /Q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db" DEL /A /F /Q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*" shutdown /r /f /t 00. This can disrupt indexing due to icon file issues, making it a reliable step. Also, clear the temp folder at C:\windows\temp and the appdata folder under C:\users\<yourname>\appdata\local. If problems persist, close the explorer process manually and restart it. File this task in your task manager—end the "windows explorer" process, then launch it again. Note: After reinstalling Steam, you must verify each game's local files for integrity to restore icons properly. Pressing the icon again will refresh it instantly.
It's frustrating to see the same issue pop up again. I'm glad I'm still running Windows, even though it's a bit annoying.