cannot turn tamper protection on and CPU usage drops from 80% to <10% when i open taskmanager

Question

cannot turn tamper protection on and CPU usage drops from 80% to <10% when i open taskmanager

a-9310 0

I think I might have a virus, I have noticed my CPU usage drop everytime I open task manager, from 74% to 1% when i just have a browser open to write this post. I have frst and ran a scan, but i have no clue how to use said scan. I asked ai, but it seemed to be almost as confused as me.
When I do a full scan no problem is found, and when i run an offline scan i dont even get a report which is also very weird.
Please help!

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Lester Bernard Reyes 85,915 Independent Advisor

Hi, I'm Bernard. I'm happy to help!

It’s normal for the CPU usage to briefly increase when you first open Task Manager and then quickly drop back down. When Task Manager opens, it needs to check and load information about the different apps, services, and processes currently running on your device. This can temporarily use more CPU resources, which is why you may notice a short spike.

If the CPU usage goes back down shortly after Task Manager finishes loading and stays at a normal level, this is generally not a cause for concern. Since you’ve already completed an offline scan, have you noticed any other issues, such as the system running slowly, freezing, or experiencing lag while using the device?

a-9310 0 Reputation points

2026-09-26T08:24:15.3166667+00:00

hi Bernard.

The usage is about 80% until task manager loads, and then it will go down to under 10% once it finished loading.

from my googleing other people had sililar problems from virusses that needed very specific fixes.

It has been running slower when gaming, and even weirder is that i will have the same CPU usage on an old game like portal and a newer one like sea of thieves even if im running the same fps and lowest settings in both. But again drop down whenever i open taskmanager.

Thanks you forbthe help.

Answer 2

Hi, thank you for replying, in this case, can you please check the System logs on the PC so I can further examine the root cause of the issue?

To share the System logs, please follow the steps in the link below:

Press the Windows key + X, then select "Event Viewer"

Click the drop-down of "Windows logs"

Right-click System > click Filter Current logs > Check: Critical, Warning, and Error > Hit OK

On the right pane, click "Save Filtered Log File As..."

Save the System logs file to your desktop and share it by following the steps from the link:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/share-onedrive-files-and-folders-9fcc2f7d-de0c-4cec-93b0-a82024800c07

Note: You can also use your preferred cloud storage to upload and share the logs.

Answer 3

"I have noticed my CPU usage drop every time I open task manager, from 74% to 1% when i just have a browser open to write this post."

That behavior, by itself, doesn't indicate that your computer has been attacked.

Windows (and your apps) perform housekeeping when you are not actively using your computer. Once you return to actively using your computer - by launching Task Manager , for example - that activity is quickly shut down so that the computer's resources can be made available to you.

If you suspect that your computer has been attacked, scan the computer with security software, like Microsoft Defender.