My Computer wants super-sized memory

Yeah I know, though made in China, my computer is an American to the core. For the past few weeks it has been demanding super-sized dosages of memory. :bash:

Whenever, I stop using my laptop and leave it idle, the processor becomes really hot and the fan starts on its own. As soon as I start the Windows Task Manager by pressing ctrl+alt+del the CPU usage drops from high 80-100% to 1-5%.

To see if my computer was being used as a dummy to relay over the internet, I disabled my internet connection but the problem persisted.

I am using XP Home, with Athlon 2200 processor with 512 MB memory. I use McAfee AV, E-Z Armor Firewall and loads of anti-spywares ( Spybot, Ad-Aware, Spyware Doctor, MS-antispyware and Ewido Security suite).

MS Anti-spyware, McAfee AV, E-Z Armor Firewall and Google Desktop are allowed to "always run" in the background.

My partitioned drives are defragmented.

I do have Limewire (disabled on startup), but the problem persists even when I am not connected to the internet. So, I would rule out some malacious program accessing the internet.

I know wireless cards may use a lot of memory trying to find available wireless networks, but disconnecting it too does not make a difference.

I do not have SETI style programs on my laptop.

Can someone tell me why the CPU usage shoots up to 100% when my laptop is idle?

Thanks in advance.

[edit on 6-6-2005 by Quake]