CCleaner process hogs CPU -won't die

[Tim98798]

This is new behavior affecting only one of my two PCs. (CCleaner had run flawlessly on both machines for several years.) First noticed the problem this week while running older CCleaner v220, but upgrading to current v2.21.940 didn't help.

 

Symptoms:

-Just bringing up the CCleaner window cause the 95% CPU load. Killing the window (there is no exit button, right?) leaves the process alive and still loading the CPU.

- If I do this twice, then I have two CCleaner processes, each with about half the CPU load, which still totals about 95%.

- I can't kill either CCleaner process with the Windows Task Manager. Must reboot to recover my CPU.

- CCleaner options are set to the default ones.

 

Machines: Both PCs run Windows XP Professional, SP3 with all current Critical and High Priority patches (except I don't have IE8).

Also, I believe both machines to be clean of malware. (I use AVG Anti-Virus Free, SUPERAntiSpyware, Kerio Personal Firewall, Patch advice from Secunia Personal Software Inspector, and I browse with FireFox using the Sandboxie virtual environment.)

 

Any assistance much appreciated.

[hazelnut]

First of all could you try a clean install of ccleaner?

[Tim98798]

First of all could you try a clean install of ccleaner?

 

 

Thanks for the idea. It worked. I uninstalled it with Add Remove Programs, then re-installed it. I'm happy, but a little surprised since it looks like the same wizard which ran as when I upgraded.

 

Again, assistance appreciated.

[Alan_B]

The ONLY situation when Task Manager has not killed something is when I cannot launch it because something is taking 100% CPU..

 

Then I reboot the P.C. and launch the Task Manager BEFORE I start what I may wish to kill

 

My secret is perseverance.

 

In the Applications Tab I select whatever it is, and press End Task.

Normally successful first time, if not try again.

 

If that fails I go to Processes and select the relevent *.exe, then

1. Try the End Process button, if that fails

2. Right click context menu and invoke "end process", if that fails

3. Right click context menu and invoke "end process tree".

If that fails, there has been a system error and a report is being created for sending somewhere,

and things like Drwatson.exe and Dumpreg.exe will not permit ending the process, then

4. Select DrWatson.exe (or similar) and "end process" or "end process tree",

5. Select Dumpreg.exe (or similar) and "end process" or "end process tree",

6. I have never got this far - as soon as dumpreg.exe is killed the process I first ended then shuts down.

 

Regards

Alan

[Andavari]

If processes are in the hanging state the hang can also come from drwatson (drwtsn32.exe, drwatson.exe) running (Windows Fault detection utility, DrWatson Postmortem Debugger). Sometimes end tasking drwatson will allow a hung app to successfully crash and produce an error log. You should restart Windows immediately though, as the system may be running in an unstable state.

[hazelnut]

Glad you are sorted TIm

 

Good info from Alan and Andavari there on taskmaster issue with DrWatson.