Remove Unknown Throttling by any means

Question

My CPU is being throttled. I have no idea why or by what app, but when I fire up CoreTemp32.exe it shows my CPU at 100% and my frequency at 999 MHz. I have a Dual Core 2.3 GHz. My coworkers have the same laptop as I do and their frequency is at normal levels (up in the 2 GHz area).

This issue is causing my computer to max out in CPU and to run DOG SLOW!

I have already tried uninstalling everything that I could think of that was installed near when this started happening.

I looked at my BIOS and the only option about throttling was SpeedStep. I have that enabled, and the BIOS setting says that turning it off will set the CPU at the lowest possible performance setting.

I have anti virus stuff running and am fairly sure I don't have a virus. I have also gone through my AutoRuns to see if anything looks suspicious.

I am stumped. Any Ideas on how to get my cpu back up to normal speeds would be welcome.

Answer 1

If you're using Windows XP, you may use SpeedswitchXP

SpeedswitchXP is a small applet that sits in the system tray and allows dynamic switching of the frequencies of mobile Intel and mobile AMD CPUs under Windows XP (similar in functionality to the native Intel SpeedStep applet for Windows 9x/ME and Windows 2000 but with a few more options).

SpeedswitchXP is freeware.

Note: this is just a workaround; there might be a more serious problem with your laptop which is hard to diagnose.

Answer 2

Many modern CPUs slow down when they're overheating. Make sure airflow is... flowing, and there hasn't been a build-up of dust inside the case.

Answer 3

Also check the power settings of your laptop. Often there will be one setting like "Maximize battery life" which will dim the screen and slow down the CPU to make the battery last as long as possible on a single charge.