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Guide to Fix the CPU Usage Issue Caused by System Interrupts

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Delhi Magazines
Guide to Fix the CPU Usage Issue Caused by System Interrupts

It is quite common for your CPU to break down over time, but there are various reasons for the origin and cause of the damage. If you ever deal with the ‘System Interrupts’ process in your CPU, your computer will most likely have trouble due to the hardware. To explain it further, you will find the ‘system interrupts’ issue flashing in the Task Manager of your Windows desktop. It shows you the reports of your CPU usage and the interrupts happening on it at a lower system level.  

These interruptions can be caused by the software or hardware and their processors. An interrupt is responsible for alerting the processor about a high-priority condition that requires the interruption of the current code running on the processor. To deal with this situation, the processor suspends all its activities and executes the interrupt handler. And when the interrupt handler completes its tasks, the processor goes back to normal. Thus, interrupts act as a communicator between the software and hardware. It also informs the CPU about errors that leads it to use more storage than required. 

Fortunately, you can fix this issue on your own, and the very first step to do that is to restart the system. If that doesn’t work for you, try the methods given below:

Disable External Devices

The biggest culprit is usually the USB hardware, and unplugging the USB devices can take away many issues. You can also disable USB Root Hubs, which will block the external hardware from interrupting your CPU. To use this method, go to the Device Manager and find Universal Serial Bus Controller and disable the USB Root Hub entries showing on your screen. 

Your external keyboard and USB mouse can also be the root cause of this issue, so check them as well and find an alternative method to use them. Also, remove or unplug the unused SATA cables from the system.

Check Hardware Drivers

To check if there is any driver issue, run Deferred Procedure Call (DPC) to analyze the latency of the kernel-mode device drivers and if your system can handle real-time audio and video streaming or not. Whenever the interrupter handler needs to postpone any lower priority task, it relies on DPC for help, which turns out to be the easiest method to find the issues without any installation procedure. 

In case you find red bars that indicate drop-outs due to high latency, then there are some troubles. To resolve it, update your drivers with the standard version or access control over the driver updates and block future updates. Please note that drivers with more DCP count indicate a higher number of interruptions. 

Disable Internal Devices

If you’re skeptical about updating random drivers, then try disabling individual device drivers. If you identify any potential offenders, then start disabling them. To make changes, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Start menu of your PC.
  2. Then search and open Device Manager and expand the list.
  3. Right-click on a device and select Disable. 

To use these steps on one device at a time, check the system’s CPU usage interrupts. Then, give right-click to a particular device and select Enable, and then move onto the next device. Check for Network Adapters, Internal Modems, Internal Sound Devices, and Add-On Cards as they tend to be the primary culprits. Do not disable any driver and display adapter required to run your system as it will introduce more troubles. 

Disable Sound Effects

This method is for people using the Windows 7 and following the steps below will be enough to get rid of the CPU usage issue:

  1. From the system tray, give a right-click on the Speaker icon.
  2. Select Playback devices, and double-click on the Default Device, i.e., speaker to open Properties.
  3. Then go to the Enhancements tab, and Disable all the sound effects.
  4. Click on OK to confirm and check if there is still an issue.

Update BIOS

BIOS or the Basic Input/Output System is responsible for performing hardware initialization when your system reboots or starts. Before updating BIOS, you must be aware of the version running on your desktop and check for guidance on the manufacturer’s website. You’ll find an installation guide on the website as well. To identify the version of your System BIOS, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Windows + R keys and type the “cmd” command.
  2. Hit the Enter key and continue writing the following commands:
  3. systeminfo | findstr/I/c:bios (Here, /I/ is a capital i and not lower case l)
  4. wmic bios get manufacturer, smbiosbiosversion

Make sure you take the backup of the necessary data before updating the BIOS.

It can be a little overwhelming to find and fix the problem, but with these steps, you’ll be able to move with the flow. Your tasks will get easier. If you don’t see any changes after using either of these methods, then reboot your PC again.

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Source: Guide to Fix the CPU Usage Issue Caused by System Interrupts

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