CPU Usage @ 100%

[TheImperial]

Ok, so here's the deal.

I just reactivated my account (hey, 15 bucks isn't going to kill me one way or the other at this point, eh?), and when I load the game up I have a few problems.

(1) When the character selection screen shows up, my characters are mostly all black with only bits of the charactr framework showing the actual uniform/appearance of the toon.

(2) When I get online and in-game, it's slow. Like really really sloooooooooow. When I check the performance tab on Windows Task Manager (running Xp Home on my laptop), I see the "CPU Usage" is up at 100%.

What's going on here?

[Thermyte]

What firewall are you using?

[IamLink]

.

(2) When I get online and in-game, it's slow. Like really really sloooooooooow. When I check the performance tab on Windows Task Manager (running Xp Home on my laptop), I see the "CPU Usage" is up at 100%.
My comp usually runs at 100% when i have CoH on too...No probs here though.

[TheImperial]

What firewall are you using?

Hmm good point - it's the standard one XP sets up. This is my new laptop and I probably haven't got it configured right. How do I fix it?

EDIT: Ok, I went into Widows Firewall and made both the updater and the game itself both "Exceptions" to the firewall, but I'm still having the same problem.

[Thermyte]

Hmmm, open up the task manager (CTRL+ALT+DLT) Then the processes tab.

What program is using the most %? System Idle Proccess is high, but if something else is using a lot of memory, you might have a problem. If it is CoH, then, its probably just computer specs to low.

[TheImperial]

If it is CoH, then, its probably just computer specs to low.

I have to say I really doubt that - this laptop is better than the desktop PC I was running COH on before....

EDIT: CoH is definately using the most - at about 271,000K. But all my stuff running now (CoH, Word, & Firefox along w/ BG programs) is just 610M out of 2459M...