IT Services Circle
Dec 18, 2023 · Fundamentals
What Does the CPU Do When the System Is Idle? Understanding the Idle Process and Halt Instruction
When a computer has no active user tasks, the CPU appears idle but actually runs a special system idle process that repeatedly executes the privileged halt instruction, allowing the processor to enter low‑power states while the operating system manages process queues and scheduling.
CPUIdle ProcessKernel
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