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CPU Usage

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by macsuavity

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I operate an NT server as a mail server. The mail program is "First Class" a program used by academic institutions. When running task manager the other day I noticed that the CPU Usage was reading 100%. This was the first time that this had happened, it normally runs at between 2-10%. No changes have been made recently. Can anyone advise?

7 replies

by espen

That points to that you have either a corrupt process or a virus. Try and force shut down the process showing the highest processor time, from the task manager. If the cpu usage is reduced, then you know which application that is causing a problem. If this re-appears when you start the process again, you may need to reinstall that application. If that doesn't work, you've probably got a virus. Try running virus check, and see what you find.

by jeff williams

Actually what you want to do is when you see your CPU running at 100% is press Ctrl+Alt+Del and press the Task Manager button. Go to the Processes Tab and press on the CPU column heading which will sort by percentage of CPU Usage. The executable at the top is your culprit. If your not sure what the executable is for, my recommendation is to search your hard drive for the executable name. With any luck it will be located in a Program Files folder and then you've got your problem software. If youfind the executable in the System32 folder, I would search TechNet on microsoft.com/technet and see what you can find.

by nettek

Being unfamiliar with "First Class" (as opposed to Exchange), I can only give you ballpark troubleshooting ideas.
1. Check on the First Class website to see if there are documented causes of this type of behavior.
2. If your users can still send and receive mail, your mail server may simply be "busy".
3. Check the incoming and outgoing message queues of First Class to see if messages are backing up. Try deleting the oldest message.
4. Antivirus software and email software often don't mix well. Try stopping your antivirus software to see if the problem clears up.

Also, if you are not experiencing a performance problem, be aware that you may not have a problem at all. 100% processor may actually be normal behavior. Check the Microsoft Knowledge Base for article Q157044.

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