CPU Usage @100% After Installing Microsoft Office 2003??????

[TomYoung]

Hi all:

This might not be the right group to ask about my problem, but I need
to start somewhere and if you think there's a better group, please let
me know.

A few days ago I re-formatted my C: drive and re-installed WindowsXP.
The first thing I did was work through all the WindowsXP updates until
Windows Update had no more High Priority updates available. During
this updating process I also installed a program that also searches
for security updates to Microsoft Office, though I didn't have Office
installed at the time.

For the last few days I've been installing other programs, drivers,
etc. and everything's been fine. That is, until I tried to install
Microsoft Office today.

Near the end-point of the Office install the program asks if you want
to check for updates to Office, and I answered "Yes." The browser
opened at the Windows update site and ground away for several minutes
looking for updates until I finally hit {ctrl}-{alt}-{del} and brought
up the Task Manager, where I noticed the CPU usage was 100%. I tried
various things (e.g., reboot, etc.) to get out of the "100% usage"
situation but finally gave up and restored to this morning's restore
point.

I've now tried installing Office a couple of times and each time at
completion of the installation process - without asking for the
installation program to check for Office updates - CPU usage jumps to
100%. I've also noticed that the notification area alerts me that
updates for my computer are available and when I look at the detail I
see one Windows XP update (I guess that just came up today) and a
couple of Office updates.

So...

Anybody have any thoughts on what's going on here?

I'm *guessing* that some interaction of the update I downloaded and
installed a few days ago that searches for Office updates along with
my initial request (today) to the Office install program to search for
Office updates is responsible for the 100% CPU usage situation, but
I'm not sure. Is there any way to determine what program(s) are
hogging CPU resources?

TIA.

Tom Young

 

[DL]

'The first thing I did'
Did you install mobo chipset & other drivers from manu sites or winupdate,
if the later go back and use manu sites.
Since microsoft update, once installed, searches for all MS software
security updates there is no need to install a third party tool.
Unless of course by install a program you meant MS Update.