Re: cpu
In the task manager there's an Applications tab and a Processes tab. There may be nothing under applications but there should always be a list of processes in the processes tab. If there's nothing at all listed in processes chances are either:
a) Your task manager is broke
b) The view settings have been modified. In the menu at the top, click View, Select columns. Looking at mine I have the following items checked: CPU Usage, Memory Usage, I/O Reads, I/O Writes, Username. You may want to select others as well. By clicking each column header you can sort that column in ascending or descending order (click it again).
When I'm trying to see what's slowing a system down I look at several things. CPU, Memory, and I/O
CPU: This is how hard the processor is working.
Memory: This how much memory a process is using.
I/O: This shows general disk activity. This is turned off by default but I think it's important. For example an running virus scanner may not use much CPU or Memory, but it'll be constantly be accessing the disk which will certainly slow down the system. *Your hard drive activity light will confirm this as well.
Also note the username beside the process. Sometimes that can be significant info as well.
