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You do not have to add anything but updates to have this ghost turning your machine on. I recently bought a new laptop (8.0) for my wife and after the 50 updates from MS it had this bug. For me I would shut it down and I watched as it rebooted itself every time. The only way to turn it off was to hold the power button down. It took 1 day of frustration and discovery of other issues like no F8 menu, and so many other issues a tech support supervisor asked me to return the laptop as it was not fixable. My guess it had BIOS (UEFI) issues and OS problems. A lemon from the get go.

If you want to run SFC without the disc you need to copy the i386 file on to a USB drive then transfer to the netbook and place it on the root of C. Then change the registry to look for the i386 folder instead of the disc. The instructions are here http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html. This procedure works without any issues if the registry sourcepath for the install is changed.

I would also check to see if all the services and dll’s with regards to Windows Update are all there and registered as well. One fix that worked for me can be found here http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-windows_update/windows-update-svchostexe-100-cpu-in-task-manager/6b372d8b-0ca4-4042-ba37-b2a7cdcdbd06

A third long short is found here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q193385

Make a cup of coffee and best of luck :cheers:

My wife’s laptop had this issue starting 60 days ago so after all the badgering and the need for updates quick and easy. This is what fixed the issue at least for now.
1) Turn off Automatic Updates and reboot to stop the 100% CPU usage.
2) Use the following set of fixes I found at http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-windows_update/windows-update-svchostexe-100-cpu-in-task-manager/6b372d8b-0ca4-4042-ba37-b2a7cdcdbd06 and written out below:
Please do the following.

Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel and double click Automatic Updates.

Checkmark the bottom option to disable automatic updates.

Click Apply/OK and then reboot.

Does svchost still consume 100% CPU cycles?

If it does, do the following.

Go to Start, Run, copy/paste this command and click OK: services.msc

In the list of Services, can you see Background Intelligent Transfer Service ?
It is usually directly under Automatic Update Service

If it’s not listed, please proceed as follows to register the BITS service.

Open the Windows Search tool, copy/paste the following and then click Search: qmgr.dll

Search should show that file in the following locations:

C:WINDOWSsystem32
C:WINDOWSServicePackFilesi386
C:WINDOWSsystem32bits

Provided they’re all present, do the following to register the service.

Go to Start, Run and copy/paste: regsvr32 qmgr.dll and click OK

Do the same with this file: regsvr32 qmgrprxy.dll

Reboot the system and then copy/paste this command into the Run field:
%windir%System32rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%infqmgr.inf

If you’re prompted to insert the Windows installation CD, ignore that and in the dialog box at the bottom, change the path to C:WINDOWSServicePackFilesi386

Restart the PC again and then go to Services and you should be able to see BITS in the list.
Double click it and then on the General tab, click the Start button to try and start the service manually. This is just a test to ensure that it’s working correctly.

If you get Error 2: cannot find the file specified, go to Start, then Run again and copy/paste the following command and then click OK:
Reg add HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesBITSParameters /v ServiceDll /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d %windir%System32qmgr.dll

Reboot again and then try once more to start BITS. It should work properly now, but in the unlikely event that it fails again, run the following command and then hit Enter:
Reg add HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlBackupRestoreFilesNotToBackup

Reboot once more and then do the following.

Go to this link and install the IE8 cumulative November update:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41074

Finally, go to the Windows Update site and you should be able to download normally.:fanfare:

I needed to do it all. I still have Auto Update DISABLED. I also found that if Windows Genuine Advantage is offered Do NOT accept the download and hide it from future offerings as on my wife’s totally legal Dell laptop it hung and caused CPU to be at 100% once again so I had to stop all through the Task Mgr. and roll back my system 15 minutes and reinstall the IE8 update and then proceed to the windows update site for the latest security updates. The average person will not go through this short but geeky process and say that it is time for a new computer. They would be correct in many cases.

Good luck to all. :cheers:

First, thank you all for your input. This issue can be duplicated on my laptop when I save a picture or PDF from the web (using Firefox if that matters) directly to the desktop. If I save a file to a folder on the desktop or a folder on the same drive or a different drive it does not happen. This install is 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 years old. I do maintain my system regularly. I also have 8gb of RAM so I do not think the amount of RAM is an issue but, possibly the way Windows handles memory. As stated previously in my original post this issue just started. It never previously happened. I do use an additional monitor (24″) to extend my desktop since day 1. Unfortunately these little issues are usually not like a skin blemish that with a little care will go away, they usually cause other little issues that eventually cause a total system re-install. It looks like the only solution for me at this time is a few doses of Weber Blue Agave Juice.:wacko::wacko::wacko:

All I can say is that I tried Bit Defender 2009 with XP pro and was very unhappy. I ended up returning the software for a refund. The two laptops I tried it on ran like a turtle hitting a road filled with potholes. If you are looking for a suite try Trend Micro. You can go through the try this for a month and then try that for a month to get a real feel and comparisons. Good luck.

Bob…
The Antec 1200 Case chosen by Padawan15 has a lot of lights and on the wish list posted in the first message in this thread he has extra lights on a supplemental case fan. Putting tape over them as you suggest would make this case look like it has a mummy inside. (Check the photos at the link provided)
I am partial to faster 10,000rpm hard drives, they make everything faster for what I do. The hard drive is usually the bottleneck for data transfer and anything you can do to help widen the pipe helps.
As far as cooling goes as stated we are all different. My current box is fluid cooled as in my work all four cores of my QX6700 @3.2ghz are routinely at 100% such that cooler is better.

I hope that this clears up my point of view.

After reading about your usage and then seeing your case choice it appears to me as a bit distracting with all the lights glowing and flashing during a game is a possible annoyance. If that is true or not you should look at NZXT Panzer Boxas a more compact option. Since it looks like only two hard drives are going to be used and raid was not mentioned also look at Velociraptor 150gig for your primary drive. Another product to look at is this CPU cooler. Space, appearance and personal taste are always different so get what works for you.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Firefox backup and restore can be automated with the use of MozBackup

Just as Chris suggested, try Mint. Simply put, it works.

Try Audacity available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/%5B/url%5D It works well and is cross-platform and open source with a wiki and a forum devoted to it.

You did not have a successful uninstall of Trend Micro. Some of the TM services are still running. It would appear on first glance that the TM firewall,Change Prevention and proxy service being active is your major issue.You could reinstall TM and try another uninstall attempt. If that failed I would at this point manually remove everything.Boot into Safe Mode and shut off all the TM services if any are running then delete all remaining folders in Program FilesTrend Micro, Common FilesTrend Micro, hidden in Docs and Settings in Application Data as well as Local SettingsApplication Data. Now remove the offending entries in the Registry by deleting the related Trend Micro Keys. Then reboot and run Ccleaner.You will probably need to go back for more Registry cleaning as some of the keys will not delete without changing ownership/permissions. You will also possibly need to run the Windows Installer Clean-up utility. At that point run SFC/scannow and CHKDSK while enjoying a couple of beers.

If you want to change the Logon screen background manually these are the quick instructions and reasons (if you have a laptop) gleaned from a Woody’s newsletter in 2005. I have My name, company name, address, phone #, and email on my Boot/Shutdown Screen Wallpaper
Subject: Woody’s WinXP #3.01 – Make your own Welcome screen 1/2/2005
Why Brand Your Welcome Screen?
Although the numbers are hard to pin down, it’s likely that more than half a million portable computers are stolen every year in the US alone. Many of those computers are never returned to their rightful owners, simply because it’s difficult or
impossible for a casual purchaser to figure out who owned the machine, and how to contact him or her. Add to that the mistaken identity problem – where a portable user accidentally picks up the wrong machine (common in companies that have standardized on one brand of portables!) – and you have the makings for a lot of mayhem. Four months ago, Peter Deegan ran an interesting article in Woody’s Traveler’s Watch about branding portables. Some people mark their portables with tape or pens. Others attach metal plates. The Web abounds with various devices for finding wayward portables, many of which are quite expensive. But I have a soft spot in my heart, not to mention my head, for easy and simple (read: cheap!) solutions that you can whip up in a nonce. Peter’s article steps you through creating a customized Windows logon screen which says something along the lines of “This PC belongs to Peter Deegan. If you find it, return it to me at XXXX”. Here’s the condensed version, for Windows XP users:
_ For this hack to work, you can not use the WinXP Welcome Screen: you have to revert to the old logon screen, which forces you to type a user name and password.
To disable the Welcome Screen, click Start | Settings | Control Panel | User Accounts | Change the way users log on or off, and make sure Use the Welcome Screen is not checked.
_ Make a simple BMP file that includes your name and address, and any other message you want to appear on the logon screen. Windows Paint (Start | Programs| Accessories | Paint) works fine. Save the file someplace that’s convenient.
_ Use Regedit (Start | Run then type regedit and hit Enter) to modify three Registry settings:
_ HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktopWallpaper should point to the location of the BMP file
_ HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktopTileWallpaper should be set to 1
_ HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktopPattern should be blank or (None)
That’s all it takes. Whenever you start Windows, or log off of your machine, the custom BMP file with your contact information will appear underneath Windows’ logon screen.
The Achilles Heel with this approach for Windows XP users lies in disabling the Welcome Screen. Many of you like the Welcome Screen, particularly because it
doesn’t require you to type in a valid username. Also, if you disable the Welcome Screen, you lose Fast User Switching. For many of you, that’s too big a price to pay. You’d like to brand your portable, but not if it involves dumping the Welcome
Screen.

The SmitFraudFix from the links on the post Hans made will work but you should run RootKit Revealer after as this nasty will open the door for other malware. If you find the “tdss” root kit Malwarebytes Malware remover should take care of it. I worked on a laptop with these issues this last weekend. This type of malware is making me keep a current image available as it can be quicker to refresh the OS-Program File partition than sweating out the “can I fix it” question. Best of luck.

It is dependent on the video card specs. For example I have a friend with an Alienware Area51 (2yrs old) with an nVidia 6800 Ultra card and has 3gigs of ram installed. XP sees all 3 and takes nothing for the card that is rated to have 256mb memory. I have a 1yr old XI with an nVidia Quadro 3700 card and 4gigs of ram installed. In my case XP only sees 2.75 out of a possible 3 (the max in 32bit for XP) as the Quadro card commandeers 256mb along with the 256 it has creating a 512 card. This is not always the case and different video cards – motherboard – memory combination’s may yield different numbers. The bottom line is to dig deep into your video cards specs for the specific answer to your personal computers recipe.

I used the Windows Config utility for years until a driver update then I found adding the Dell Utility to control everything worked better. A long-winded way of saying you should try the utility your wireless card came with.