# Solved: Skype using 100% CPU



## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

Hi. I wonder if anyone can help me. I got a new Dell inspiron 1525 for Christmas, and am having a great time getting to know it. However, i'm sad to see i'm still having the same problem with Skype that i had on my last computer - namely, when I run Skype, it uses 100% of my CPU, making it difficult to use other programs at the same time. I know this isn't supposed to happen, and have read various potential solutions on different websites, but can't find a definitive answer about how to solve this. I'll be extremely grateful for any help, as I use skype everyday to talk to my fiancee.
Thanks,
John

My specs are:
Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1
Dell Inspiron 1525
Celeron CPU 550 @ 2.00 GHz
Memory 2.00 GB
System Type 32 Bit Operating System


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## karbo (Sep 3, 2003)

Software limitations 
These program are known for causing problems, so if, please shutdown. 
The most common reason that Skype uses 100% CPU is the programs incompatibility with other software components often installed on PCs. For example programs such as 
Antivirus NOD32, 
recording software TotalRecorder, 
network monitoring software like Netlimiter and 
network "anonymizers" like 
Steganos Internet Anonymizer 5.0 
ZoneAlarm 
SpySweeper 
have been identified as causing problems when run simultaneously with p2p/voip software such as Skype. 

Also, be sure to turn off Windows XP speech recognition feature. 
The speech recognition engine kicks in when you begin a call and can cause your CPU to run at 100%. 

Turn off the speech recognition by opening the Control Panel and selecting 
Regional and Language Options. On the Languages tab, under Text services and input languages, click Details. Under Installed services, click Voice Recognition under the language you are using, and then click Remove.


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

Hi Karbo. Thanks for your reply.

I'm not running any of the applications you listed. I use Avast antivirus, Comodo firewall, spybot (with teatimer) and spyware blaster. Could any of these be the culprit?

I had a look at the speech recognition feature in Vista, but as it is asking me to configure it, i'm guessing it's not enabled. Obviously, the way you set this up differs from XP.


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## karbo (Sep 3, 2003)

Maybe Comodo?


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## karbo (Sep 3, 2003)

What's your version of Skype?


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

It's version 3.8.0.180


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

As for Comodo, I had the same problem with Skype on my old computer, which uses ZoneAlarm.


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## karbo (Sep 3, 2003)

Perhaps you should try the program after shutting down your firewall.


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

Thanks. I will try that and see if it helps.


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

Ok, I tried shutting down Comodo, and my CPU usage dropped to between 45 and 82%, which is great. Is it possible to configure Comodo so that it won't clash with Skype?


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## karbo (Sep 3, 2003)

I'm not familiar with Comodo settings. But there has to be a way to configure it so Skype can become a trusted application. You can try to make it less restrictive while you're using Skype.


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

Thanks. I'll try to find out how to configure Comodo. It's a lot more complicated than Zone Alarm.


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## Johnnyb2306 (Jan 9, 2009)

Ok, I found out how to configure Comodo effectively. Unfortunately, it did not solve my problem of Skype causing my CPU to run at 100%. I uninstalled Comodo, and installed the PCTools firewall, which doesn't seem as good, but at least I can use Skype now without my computer giving trouble. The CPU is now between 55% and 85% with firefox running. So far, so good!

Thanks for your help, Karbo.


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## karbo (Sep 3, 2003)

Johnnyb2306 said:


> Ok, I found out how to configure Comodo effectively. Unfortunately, it did not solve my problem of Skype causing my CPU to run at 100%. I uninstalled Comodo, and installed the PCTools firewall, which doesn't seem as good, but at least I can use Skype now without my computer giving trouble. The CPU is now between 55% and 85% with firefox running. So far, so good!
> 
> Thanks for your help, Karbo.


Your welcome!


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