another svchost high CPU usage

[Chakoro]

This is a similar thread to NucomMat 12/19/02
"High CPU usage by svchost-service in taskmanager? "

I am running a dual boot arrangement with Windows 98SE and XP Home SP1.
XP is newly installed with Norton System Works Pro 2003.
Both OSes have SETI@home (a very CPU-intensive program) running in the background.
On 98, I use WinTop to display CPU usage by each process.
on XP I use Task Manager > Processes.
On 98 SETI gets 90-95% of the CPU time when nothing else is going on.
On XP at the start of the session, SETI gets 98%, but as other activities are started - internet etc - svchost.exe LOCAL SERVICE uses 55% and SETI is only left with 40%.
Closing the connection and applications doesnt make any difference.

svchost.exe "manages the services" but what is it finding to do with all that CPU power?
Does it really take half the power of a 1700 MHz Celeron just to run XP?

 

[Chakoro]

Problem solved.

The service SSDPSRV was continually starting and stopping, and presumable not releasing its resources, so svchost progressively hogs the CPU cycles.

Other forums have people reporting OTHER services as the culprit, driving svchost to 100% usage eventually. I can't explain that.

Black Viper's

http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/supertweaks.htm

shows how to disable services properly, what the problem services are, and lots lots more.

Walt Medlock pointed to my eventual problem area.
Thanks all.