What causes, and how to stop, System Idle Process in XP?

Question

I am trying to run a VBA application with Excel that is very time intensive. In the mean time System Idle process is busy enough (over 90% of my PC) that it is interfering with my app. This just started on my two-months-old Asus Netbook.

The only thing that was different was that something was trying to install an update during my app, and I made it go away but it came back three times. I had to restart each time.

Searching the internet, "experts are saying that the PC doesn't have enough to do". Not so, SIP is running during a very busy program. Not a very good answer.I have to turn this off.

Again, it just started today, I did not add any software recently

Answer 1

System Idle Process is supposed to show up in Task Manager.



'System Idle Process' is not an actual process, but is simply the percentage of unused processing power. It can't interfere with anything, because again *it isn't an actual process*. It's like your utensil drawer—when you aren't using a spoon or fork, it should be in the drawer.



When the computer isn't doing anything, SIP should show 99% usage. Any lower number indicates that some other process is running. (You can click on the CPU column to list the busiest processes first.)



If SIP is low or zero, then a process is using up all of the CPU time, and may be preventing other programs from running. That other process would then be the source of any trouble you're having.

Answer 2

System Idle Process Xp

Answer 3

You can't turn off the system idle process. Without it, the system would have nothing to do when it has nothing to do. The system idle process is the process that waits when the system, for whatever reason, can't do any work at a particular time. It is essential.



If you are finding that work is not getting done as fast as you would like but the system idle process is using lots of CPU, that means that the CPU is not completely busy. For example, the task may be waiting for the disk to read some data. Or the task may not be able to make use of all of your CPU cores.



But the system idle process is *NOT* the problem. Every operating system must have some place for the CPU to go when there is nothing else for it to do, and the system idle process is that place on Windows.



Update: Nahum is incorrect. It is an actual process. It tremendously simplifies the design of the scheduler if there is always at least one process ready-to-run, so the System Idle Process (in Windows) is that process. It is always ready-to-run and runs at the lowest possible priority. It basically commands your CPU to go into a low power mode and then waits for something to happen such that the system has some other process that's ready to run or some hardware device that needs service. The System Idle Process will run on a particular core if, and only if, there is literally nothing useful that core could do.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

What causes, and how to stop, System Idle Process in XP?

I am trying to run a VBA application with Excel that is very time intensive. In the mean time System Idle process is busy enough (over 90% of my PC) that it is interfering with my app. This just started on my two-months-old Asus Netbook.



The only thing that was different was that something was...

Answer 5

System idle process is available when the system is on an idle state. It shows the user how much of the resources are currently not in use. It is impossible to delete it.

Answer 6

lol you cant delete or stop that process.. i goes to maximum when you pc is idle and not busy with anything.