Well I don't have the answer but am going to sit here until someone suggests a solution.  I have the exact problem. Nothing running but task manager showing 100% CPU utilization. Taken it to two shops and they both tell me there is nothing wrong with it.  Soon as I get it home it's right back to it's old self.  I crash on everything with a lot of graphic load. And I mean crash to the extent the machine is making a very loud noise.  Thanks.

It helps to know your computer model info such as cpu, hard drive size and how much memory you have.  Press control-alt-delete to bring up the task manager.  Select the Processes tab and look at what programs or services are using up all of your cpu cycles and mem usage.   You probably have a bunch of stuff running in the background that you don't need.   Also, you've heard it before, you need at least 512 mb ram for winxp to run efficiently.   Otherwise, the system spends its time swapping files back and forth between the swap file and ram and slows to a crawl on large files such as graphics.

Start>Control panel>Performance and Maintenance>select free up space on hard disk.  You may have loads of unnecessary temp files.  Press ok to clear all of that up.

This site and others have good info on your possible problem.

MENTOR00.................."It worked fine until I fixed it."
100% OEM....Dimension 8250 ...BIOS A04, Office XP Pro, XP Pro sp-1, 1.5 rdram 1066, 200hd,1800fp, IBM 8514, IBM Model 70, audigy2, ada 995's, 9700pro, HP d145, Laserjet III, 16x Lite-on 163, 4x Nec 1100a.

Message Edited by mentor00 on 11-25-2003 09:44 AM

Thanks for your quick response. I bought the computer with Windows XP installed and assumed that Dell would have included enough RAM to run it efficiently. If I had known at the time that you needed 512 MB I and others I am sure would certainly have ordered it. It was not recommended at the time. What was recommended as an option was the RDRAM for more efficient operation.
So now I have a two year old computer and have to decide whether to pay $200 for more RDRAM or buy a new computer. What would you do?

I am having exactly the same problem and it has become very frustrating. I am running two spyware's as suggested and have defragged. I am wondering if the problem is the RDRam. I have the Dimension 8200 with the optional 256 MB PC800 RDRAM which I don't think is used anymore. My husband wont even use this computer anymore because it has become so slow and a lot of rumbling. I need help fast. Thanks.

This guy is the dell 8200 expert.   He hangs out on the upgrade forum.   He can help you turn your 8200 into an 8250 with hyperthreading. spongebob    As to whether you should get a new system it's purely finances and needs.   You have a good system that could use more memory, especially with Photoshop.  The new CS version of Photoshop suggests at least 256 per module and 128 for the new version cue.    There are several sources for buying the RDRAM that you may need.  Weigh the costs of upgrading it to the cost of getting a newer system.   Newer systems are usually better but they're old news every three months.   My IBM Model 70 was purchased in 1985 and still runs fine for basic computer needs.   This is my first Dell and I've had none of the problems I've seen posted here in the various forums on the computer or its accessories.  These forums tend to be for people with problems and not full of the thousands of us who don't.

MENTOR00.................."It worked fine until I fixed it."
100% OEM....Dimension 8250 ...BIOS A04, Office XP Pro, XP Pro sp-1, 1.5 rdram 1066, 200hd,1800fp, IBM 8514, IBM Model 70, audigy2, ada 995's, 9700pro, HP d145, Laserjet III, 16x Lite-on 163, 4x Nec 1100a.

Message Edited by mentor00 on 11-25-2003 11:52 AM

I forget to provide the other information about the Dimension 8200 I purchased two years ago.
Pentium 4 at 1.8 GHZ
256 MB PC800 RDRAM
40GB, ATA- 100, 7200 RPM Hard Drive

Most of my problems seem to be when using Photoshop.
Is it time to buy new or upgrade?

alright, ONE MORE TRY

NAVAPSVC.EXE, mdm.exe, cpuidle.exe, AppServices.exe, srvany.exe, ...these are all System processes.

Some user processes are (bear in mind I only have I.E. and Word up and running right now... PPWEBCAP.EXE, dpps2.exe, ccApp.exe, ADUserMon.exe, CFD,exe, mmtask.exe, Imgicon.exe, ctfmon.exe, mm_tray.exe, tgcmd.exe

Well, you get the idea. If you feel like i.d-ing any obvious candidates I'd be most happy. Thanks, and have a great day.

Here's some system info.... Processor: GenuineIntel Family 15 Model 1 1.8 GHz Stepping 2

BIOS: DELL   - 8, 04/18/02  Memory: 256 MB  (54% Utilized)  Harddrive: 37.28 GB   O/S: Windows XP, 5.1 (Build 2600)

I see more memory is needed. However, this problem didn't always exist and the system was running fine until a couple of months ago. I'd like to follow your and other's suggestion and remove lots of the needless applications, but frankly I don't feel competent to determine what's critical or not. Here's what's showing if you want to give me some more advice....ADservice.exe, SVCHOST.EXE (3 instances, one using 13,012K), CCEVTMGR.EXE, SPOOLSV.EXE, nvsvc32.exe, NOPDB.EXE, NPROTECT.EXE, Isass.exe, SERVICES.EXE,

 

....my reply continued....

CSR.EXE,

This page gives you a breakdown of your options (updated 20 Nov 03).  Scroll down and look to the right.  It has default and optional settings for xp home and xp pro.   Also configs for gaming, super tweaks, "safe" etc.  To the left are the actual programs such as Alerter.  Click on these to see what they do. 

To adjust or change a setting go to Start>run>type services.msc   Select extended to get info on services you select.  Notice the startup type.  Right click on one you want to change and select properties.  You can change the startup to auto, manual, or disable.   I always jot down the original setting in case I want to change it back.

This site lists files that other programs and viruses may load during startup.  Scroll down to the alphanumeric index and press the letter of the item you want to check.

MENTOR00.................."It worked fine until I fixed it."
100% OEM....Dimension 8250 ...BIOS A04, Office XP Pro, XP Pro sp-1, 1.5 rdram 1066, 200hd,1800fp, IBM 8514, IBM Model 70, audigy2, ada 995's, 9700pro, HP d145, Laserjet III, 16x Lite-on 163, 4x Nec 1100a.

Message Edited by mentor00 on 11-26-2003 09:12 AM