Processor.exe has a processor utilization rate increased to 100%

Symptom
On a Windows 2000-based computer, CPU usage in Services.exe may intermittently reach 100%, and the computer may stop responding (hangs). When this issue occurs, users who connect to the computer (if it is a file server or a domain controller) are disconnected. You may also need to restart your computer. This symptom can occur if Esent.dll incorrectly handles the way files are flushed to disk. Solutions


Service Pack Information To resolve this problem, obtain the latest Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack
Hotfix Information
Microsoft provides a supported fix Program, but the program is only intended to solve the problem described in this article. This patch can only be applied if the computer is experiencing the specific problem that is mentioned in this article. This patch may also accept some other tests. Therefore, if this issue does not have a serious impact on you, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact "Microsoft Product Support Services" link to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and support cost information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx? Scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS
Note: In special cases, if a Microsoft support professional determines that a particular update resolves your issue, you are exempt from the usual telephone support service charges. Support costs are normally charged for additional support issues and issues that cannot be resolved by a specific update.

The following table lists the file attributes (or updated attributes) for the global version of this patch. The date and time of these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When viewing file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
Date Time Version Size File Name----------------------------------------- ------------ 19-Nov-2002 16:07 6.1.3940.31 1,115,408 Esent.dll
Status
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article problem. This problem was originally corrected in Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.