One of the most commonly misinterpreted features of a Windows NT- Operating System is the System Idle Process.
What does it do? Why does it change so rapidly?
Users can pop up their current status in the Windows Task Manager and typically they’ll notice that the System Idle Process is consuming a rather large percentage of the CPU resources. At least, this is what you’d expect to be happening given the rest of the processes.
Don’t be fooled by the misleading context of the CPU usage. If you have a high percentage in this field, it means that you have a lot of free bandwidth and virtual memory. The idle process works in the background of every Windows operating system. It is constantly calculating the memory usage and the available resources. If you have a high figure – preferably in the higher 90s – it means that your CPU is sitting there with plenty of power to play with. It doesn’t mean that 99% of your resources are being drained by the actual System Idle Process.
If you’re busy on the computer with lots of different applications open, you can expect the System Idle Process to fall dramatically. After all, it’s there as an indicator of how idle your CPU is. If you find that your programs are underperforming and running slow, don’t take the mistaken action of ending the System Idle Process. This will do nothing to improve the performance, but it can crash your computer in certain situations.
You may notice that sometimes a computer can be unusually slow after it returns from an idle status. It’s almost as if you’ve woken the CPU and it’s still groggy from its sleep. While it can be extremely frustrating if you’re not running any applications and your computer suddenly becomes a lagging machine, this is usually a sign that your drivers are damaged. Check through the list of installed drivers and upgrade them where possible. In some cases, it may even be necessary to re-install Windows.
You’ll find that the System Idle Process is at its most draining when high video demands are being placed on the graphics card. Most applications should run on a system with reasonable specs, but if you start playing video files or the latest PC games, you’ll notice that it gives the Idle Process a battering. This is only to be expected, of course. The top video cards place extreme demands on the CPU and this can leave your System Idle Process fluctuating perilously close to zero resources.
When the system nears its capacity and the CPU can’t take much more, you’ll usually receive a warning that you’re running low on virtual memory. Take this as a sign to shut down any applications that you don’t currently need.
It can take a while for the CPU to free up memory, even after you’ve closed the file.
Another issue to be weary of is the effect of anti-Malware software. Some malicious users are known to circulate spyware which deliberately cloaks itself to look like the System Idle Process. By doing this, they can ensure that the process isn’t terminated. Fortunately, most anti-Malware software packages have picked up on this trait and technology has improved to the point where it can be detected. But the problem stems from these security packs being designed to destroy spyware which sits on the system resources and does very little. It’s not unknown for an anti-Malware program to inadvertently disable the System Idle Process.
You’ll know if your anti-Malware program is doing this. The operating system will have trouble loading and an RPC error will be returned. If you see this, disable the software. Most reputable protection suites are now implementing checks to avoid this problem, but it remains a possibility if you haven’t upgraded your software in a while.
Above all else, remember that the System Idle Process, without interference from a malicious application or driver, is non-influential in regards to how your system performs. The process uses a tiny segment of memory and its sole purpose is to calculate the number of free CPU cycles. This can be used to detect a problem, but the process isn’t the cause of the problem in itself.
