I was seeing/hearing recording dropouts (single track -- in another host on a client computer) and upon some investigation I see that Task Manager is showing total CPU usage that's way high and occasionally hitting the top of the scale. The usage is way high on both the host process as well as on Desktop Window Manager process according to Task Manager.

Any ideas on what I can check? It's weird. We haven't had problems until recently. The same host on my computer is fine -- for both processes. My CPU runs at around 5% total with this host idling (Host at 1.7%; Desktop Window Manager at 0.5%). My client's computer moves around in the 60-80% range total when idling (host at 20-25%; DWM between 15 and 30%). Other processes seem elevated, too.

Closing the host program brings the total CPU down into the 25-40% range. DWM comes down to around 1%. I also see that the System Interrupts process seems high. On my system it's less than a percent. On the client system it's around 5% -- when the computer's just sitting there doing nothing. When I drag the Task Manager window around the desktop the total CPU spikes from 30-ish to like 80%. When I do it on mine, it goes up from 2% to, like, 4%.

Any standard checks for this kind of unexpectedly high CPU activity? Any insights appreciated.

Thanks.



Client system info:

Pentium D 3.0 GHz
2 GB RAM
Windows 10 Home x64
Reaper


My system (FWIW):

i7 3.4 Ghz
8 GB RAM
Windows 10 Home x64