CPU usage skyrocketed for no apparent reason, is everything OK now?

[doxavita]

Yesterday, when I checked the Activity Monitor (while having all apps closed), I noticed the CPU usage was very high, for no apparent reason at all. I did not see the Software Update process running or anything of that sort. So I decided to simply reboot my system. It was a slower reboot than usual; a blue screen with that spinning icon, maybe waiting for whatever function was taking place to finish, and eventually the system reboot. My guess is it was a leak or a glitch of some sort.

Do you think everything is fine now? Software Update should still work properly (automatically), right? (simply rebooting the system, with a high CPU usage shouldn't alter anything?)

 

[atari1356]

I wouldn't be concerned. Usually when that happens I open up Activity Monitor and notice that it's a process called "mds", which is related to Spotlight indexing your computer.

In fact, that happened to me today after installing OS X Lion.

There may be other system processes that can run your CPU up as well. If it happens again, load up Activity Monitor again and click on the pull down menu at the top to select "All Processes"... then click on "% CPU" so you can tell which processes are using up your CPU cycles.

 

[zurichuk]

Yes, that is what is happening to me right now, installed Lion, Spotlight / mds is chugging happily away. Still 30 mins to go for it to finish, and it has been going 45 mins.

 

[doxavita]

No, I'm still running Snow Leopard. So Software Update should still work then, right?

Maybe I'll upgrade to Lion once they fix the initial glitches