Let's first better understand the term "system inaction". At a certain point, the processor is not performing any computational operations, so it waits for new tasks. Typically, you can see downtime percentages in the region of 70-99%. But this is not a numerical display of load, but of the system’s reserve capacity. Don't beat yourself up over this. However, if the computer slows down a lot, then this is a reason to think about it.
System inactivity loads the processor
Please note that low RAM capacity or old chipsets are not to blame for poor device performance. Then what is the reason? We have two options:
- normal processor load;
- "system inactivity" virus.
Introduction
Personal computer devices have firmly and fully entered into the daily life of users and are used everywhere for a variety of purposes. For any user activity aimed at solving business, production and professional problems or as tools for communication, games, entertainment, creation and storage of important user information, computer devices are necessarily used, the main representatives of which, of course, are personal stationary computers and laptops.
Combining ultra-efficient components and high-capacity storage drives, computers require modern, high-speed and reliable software that can fully and accurately control a computer device and control the instant execution of various software commands.
Today, users have access to several successfully proven software products from global computer system manufacturers. However, the most widespread and most widespread software in the list of similar system applications is undoubtedly the Windows
Microsoft
Corporation .
Having directed the efforts of system developers to achieve high reliability and security results, Microsoft
the Windows 10
operating system , which fully combines a combination of time-tested applications, improved versions of services and additional new functions.
To control ongoing processes and ensure that services and applications perform their tasks correctly, in the Windows 10
There are various system tools, one of which is the
Task Manager
.
First of all, the capabilities of the system application are aimed at recording, processing and presenting reliable information about the performance of the personal computer and the applications running in the system, the processes occurring and the resources they consume; displaying summary data about the use of the central microprocessor; recording load and information about memory, network activity, registered connected users and internal system services. "Task Manager"
can also be used to set the privileges and priorities of specific processes, enable, suspend and forcefully terminate processes and active services.
One of the representatives of system tools that are reflected and required representation in the “Task Manager”
, is the
System Idle
.
And if users have ever opened the "Task Manager"
, you certainly noticed that the
“System Idle Process”
(also called
the “system idle process”
the Windows
operating system it is called
“System Idle Process”
) uses ninety percent or more of the processor’s capacity.
Such CPU load values can cause serious concern. However, despite the seemingly logical doubt about the system’s ability to function successfully and quickly, this level of this process is not at all bad. Next, we will dwell in more detail on the meaning of the indicators of the “System Inaction”
and clarify its purpose.
Abnormal viral activity
In rare cases, the cause of processor overload may be a virus or other malicious software module that masquerades as the designated System process.
In this case, a thorough cleaning of your PC will help.
This can be done using built-in security tools that are present in Windows 10, as well as third-party software packages.
It is important that some of them are in the public domain and can be used for free.
In this case, after installing the antivirus and launching it, you will need to set the full scan in the settings and wait for the result of the antivirus scanner.
But it is worth noting that some antiviruses themselves overload the processor, actively using it while the user is working.
That is why checking disk space and memory modules for viruses should be performed at strictly designated times, for example, at night, when the owner is not using a laptop or PC.
This practice allows you to disable the constantly running scanner built into the antivirus system, which overloads the processor.
If the reason really lies in the antivirus, remove it and replace it with another.
rice. 6 – Windows Defender window
What is the System Idle process?
As we mentioned earlier, when you launch the Task Manager
Users of the
Windows 10
, when going to the
Details
(located at the top of the application window), will be presented with a large number of running processes, including
System Idle
, which, based on numerical values, uses most, if not all the functional capabilities of the central processor.
In fact, the “System Idle”
is the opposite concept, and is aimed at supporting the so-called idle mode of using processor resources. In other words, the numerical indicator displays the percentage of free unused computer processor capacity. Without this process, with the processor constantly busy, the device's operating system could potentially freeze, refuse any interaction, and completely stop responding to any commands.
For example, if running programs and applications are using six percent of your CPU, then the System Idle
will operate on ninety-four percent of the processor, respectively.
You can think of System Idle
as a simple indicator of the free CPU resources being maintained in a healthy state.
's
why Task Manager
defines this process as
the "percentage of time the processor is idle"
and assigns it a process ID of zero.
The system deliberately hides information about the “System inactivity”
and does not show information about it in the main
“Processes”
“Task Manager”
application
the Windows 10
operating system , but information about it is still displayed in the application in the
“Details”
.
Viruses and Trojans
Although the manager displays all processes, this is not entirely true. Viruses can mask their active activity in the system. Since official programs are required to display their consumed resources, they can be easily tracked. It's different with pests. Hackers are interested in hiding their activities, and in some cases they succeed. If the task manager displays all processes in normal operation, then the computer is slowing down due to viruses.
- What is the host process for Windows services svchost.exe and why does it load the processor?
- Perform a full scan of all disks for viruses.
- Track your latest actions on the system, remove recently installed programs.
- Use the AdwCleaner adware scanner .
The load is possible due to the presence of virus programs
Why does Windows need the System Idle process?
Without this process constantly using the central processor, the Windows 10
may potentially lose the ability to respond to any system commands and completely block the execution of any operations.
Windows
runs this process as a system part of the user account, so it is always active in the background while the operating system is up and running.
System Idle Processes
used primarily for
Windows NT
, and since 1993 - they also appear in
"Unix-like"
operating systems such as
Linux
, but work slightly differently.
System Idle
process is a standard part of the operating system, and runs one thread for each processor or core present in the computer for a multi-core system, while systems using
hyperthreading
(when the technology is enabled, the operating system detects each physical processor core as two logical cores) receive an
"idle"
for each logical core.
The only goal of the “System Idleness”
- this is to keep the processor in a constant state of readiness while it waits for the next calculation or process in which the processor will be involved.
The reason that allows a process to function fully is that idle threads use a priority of zero, which is lower than that of normal threads, which allows them to fall out of the execution queue of legitimate processes that should be running in the operating system, and are used by the Idle
systems" .
When a busy processor completes its assigned duties of computing or performing a particular operation, it receives zero priority and proceeds to process the "idle"
. And now the idle threads are in a ready state, but have not yet started and are not used for other operations, the processor continues to work and waits for a new task from the operating system.
Video on the topic
Good publicity
In most cases, the problem “System inactivity is loading the processor in Windows 7” is interpreted incorrectly. To understand this, you need to understand all the processes occurring on the computer separately. Let's start by examining "system inaction." This command almost always shows the percentage of processor idle time around 80-99%. However, they indicate absolutely opposite indicators, system loads that are unusual for us. On the contrary, the remaining 10-20% reflect employment. Therefore, even when you see a number equal to 95 or 99%, you can be calm - the computer is practically not loaded.
"System Idle" Doesn't Actually Boot Windows
Why is CPU usage so high?
As mentioned earlier, visually the “System Idle”
uses a lot of CPU resources, which can be noticed if you open the
Task Manager
and search for running resource-intensive processes.
This indicator value is quite acceptable and falls within the boundaries of system standards. System Idle
process
Windows 10
Task Scheduler only when the processor is idle, and therefore, unless the user is running operations that require a lot of processing power, the figure will appear quite high.
To fully understand the meaning of the numerical indicator in the process line “System inactivity”
in the
Task Manager
, users should view it in terms of the opposite of its direct meaning.
The ratio represents the percentage of available processor capacity that is free from direct calculations and executable operations, and not the total amount of its use. Therefore, if running applications are using four percent of the CPU power, then a CPU utilization figure of
ninety-six percent will indicate that this amount of CPU capacity is not being used or used by other threads in the system.
We are looking for the same Svchost.exe
Svchost is an assistant in your OS, its task is to speed up work. Modern computers have several “Svchost.exe” processes. They can be easily found in the task manager. The main types of Trojans are disguised as them. How to distinguish the real one?
- All “Svchost.exe” running as an administrator or launched from local services are real: LOCAL SERVICE, NETWORK SERVICE, system. Other designations will indicate the third-party formation of such Svchost. These are viruses. Right-click on it and complete the process tree.
- Although affecting "Svchost.exe" it is sometimes responsible for updating Windows. Disable the ability to update your system. Go to Start and search for Control Panel. Typically, the first column at the bottom will be “Windows Update.” In its settings you will find “Do not check for updates” . Here is a visual video on the topic.
As you can see, “System inactivity” does not load the processor and cannot affect the deterioration of the OS. The percentage of CPU idle time will always be high! This can be confirmed by the parameters of occupied memory - this indicator is at the level of 24 KB . I think no more arguments are needed. Only third-party programs can overload the computer, or viruses. Sources used:
- https://pc-consultant.ru/operatsionny-e-sistemy/bezdejstvie-sistemy-gruzit-protsessor/
- https://ustanovkaos.ru/reshenie-problem/gruzit-protsessor-bezdejstvie-sistemy.html
- https://dadaviz.ru/bezdeystvie-sistemi-gruzit-processor-windows-7-chto-delat/
But why is computer performance significantly reduced in this case?
If your computer is running extremely slowly and the process indicator is "System Idle"
marked with a high numerical value, then the decrease in computer performance is absolutely not related to this process.
Its characteristics clearly indicate standard behavior and suggest that the problem is not related to significant CPU consumption. Heavy CPU usage is possible when using high-cost applications. In this case, it cannot be said that the processor is heavily loaded, since the “System inactivity”
has a high value.
After all, if open applications, to support their functionality, would consume more processor resources, then the percentage of “System inactivity”
would decrease by the amount of costs required to service running operations. Therefore, the problem of reducing the overall performance of the computer must be looked for elsewhere. It may be caused by insufficient RAM, slow read/write speeds, hidden malware, or another reason causing the system to slow down. Initially, it is highly recommended to scan your computer's disk space and installed applications using a trusted antivirus program if you are experiencing performance issues, but there are no processes running that can seriously slow down your computer.
If this action does not restore system performance and performance is still lower than usual, then try uninstalling unused programs, disabling applications that automatically start when you turn on the computer, reducing system animations, freeing up additional space on your hard drive, and defragmenting it.
The cumulative application of such steps should improve computer performance, increase the speed of data processing and system functioning.
