Windows 7- cmd.exe locks up computer

June 18, 2015 10:11 PM

For a while now, whenever I (or any program) tries to use cmd.exe, it will cause my computer to slow down to a crawl and partially freeze (the mouse still works). What could be causing this and how can I fix it?

I can sometimes close the command prompt before everything grinds to a halt if I'm quick enough, but even after I do so and it's no longer in the active processes list the computer will be noticeably slower. Restarting fixes the problem. No other programs seem to cause this issue.

posted by dilaudid to Technology (2 answers total)

If it's happening after it's disappeared from Task Manager, Sysinternals Process Explorer might give you a bit more insight into what's actually going on. Run as admin, start cmd.exe, sort by CPU.

Deezil's profile also has excellent instructions for malware cleanup.
posted by quinndexter at 10:34 PM on June 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

You can check registry keys "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\Autorun" or "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\Autorun" to see if they contain anything. These keys will set processes to automatically start when you run cmd.exe. So it could be something was added there that, when it kicks in, takes up all available resources.

Other than that, I agree Process Explorer is a great place to look.
posted by Admira at 10:47 PM on June 18, 2015