'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' Issue

The 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue is a hardware problem that causes routine communications between the hardware and software to take excess power from the Central Processing Unit. Normal interrupts act as a pseudo-process visible in the Task Manager and take a small percentage of the CPU – up to five percent. Users experiencing excessive CPU usage or related hardware performance problems from this issue should isolate the offending software while applying an appropriate solution, such as updating drivers.

When Programming Punctuation Gets Too Loud

For software and hardware, the concept of an interrupt is much like an em dash in a sentence – a brief interruption in the flow of communications for imparting relevant information. When interrupts go wrong, they can cause varied performance and accessibility problems, with the 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue being a ready example.

Windows displays system interrupts as a pseudo-process or a non-process that looks like a process. In reality, it's a collective display of all the system resources used by hardware interrupts as they occur on the PC. Interrupts are a normal part of hardware and software communication, wherein an event alerts the processor for loading an interrupt handler to 'handle' it.

However, this fake process shouldn't take up excessive CPU or Central Processing Unit power, such as more than five percent. The 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue can be due to several causes, including:

• Outdated hardware drivers may cause poor performance. Windows includes a driver-updating feature, but most users should update their drivers from the manufacturer's website when possible.
• A 'wake up' call from remote software also can be responsible for high CPU usage. Users can find their network adapter from within the Device Manager, select Properties and choose the Advanced tab. Many values are available for changing here, but preventing a remote wake up requires toggling the 'Wake on Magic Packet' and 'Wake on Pattern Match' to 'disable.' Although they usually are safe to leave on, these features only are relevant to remote-control scenarios.
• Sound issues also can spike CPU usage. Users can access their sound device's settings by right-clicking the speaker icon and selecting Sounds or Playback Devices (depending on the Windows version), selecting Playback, right-clicking the active device and choosing Properties. From the Enhancements tab, 'disable all enhancements' stops various audio-improving features, although essential audio should remain.

Narrowing Down the Possibilities of a CPU Problem

Because a 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue can be so generalized, users may need to narrow the scope of possible sources for their CPU expenditures. Safe Mode is one invaluable means of limiting which applications launch on startup and is available on most Windows versions. Alternately, users can unplug any external hardware, reboot and monitor the interrupts process for any changes.

Perhaps most pressingly, the 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue also can be a symptom of having an outdated BIOS. The BIOS is motherboard-based settings data that loads before the operating system and users should avoid tampering with it unless necessary. Proper updates should come from the motherboard manufacturer's website, following the company's instructions. A failed BIOS update may make the computer incapable of booting.

If untreated, a 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue can cause slowdowns, crashes and other performance errors. Users never should tolerate poor performance from their CPU or other essential hardware.

Most of the time, these system interrupts work as intended precisely: smoothly and without drawing attention. Like the 'System Interrupts Causing High CPU Usage' issue, it always warrants both some degree of investigation and problem-solving when a misfire occurs.