[SOLVED] frequent long stutters occurring from "system interrupts" ramping up usage CPU usage to 100% according to Task Manager.

[Cro55ed]

I have a Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 that started having issues with Windows having corrupted drivers, preventing it from even booting (before this happened, there wasn't any system interrupts). Inside the laptop was an M.2 NVME SSD, and I ordered a ADATA SU760 SATA SSD from Amazon to replace the NVME drive. After installing the drive with Windows 11, frequent stutters would occur and would even crash some games and applications. I installed as much drivers as I could from Acer's website but to no avail. Thinking W11 was the issue, I removed W11 and put W10 (remembering to install all the drivers again) - hoping that would be the solution. But while there were less stutters, it wasn't gone at all. Hell, I ran Hard Disk Sentinel to see if there was anything wrong with the drive and even updated the BIOS to the newest version: there wasn't anything wrong with the drive and the BIOS update didn't help either.

I am literally stuck and I really hope it isn't the SSD that is the problem and would appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[kerberos_20]

interrupts are between hardware and cpu...it is controlled by drivers
you could run latencymon, it could probably tell which driver is doing it
https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

 

[Cro55ed]

interrupts are between hardware and cpu...it is controlled by drivers
you could run latencymon, it could probably tell which driver is doing it
https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

I ran the test on latencymon and it said that my system has trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. The test ran for 3 hours and 8 minutes. Though, I don't really understand much of anything here.




Here is what I got. Are reported ISRs and DPCs something I should be concerned about?



_
CONCLUSION
_
Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or
pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. At least one detected problem appears to be network
related. In case you are using a WLAN adapter, try disabling it to get better results. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings
in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates.
LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for 3:08:43 (h🇲🇲ss) on all processors.


_
SYSTEM INFORMATION
_
Computer name: DESKTOP-SSNO3G0
OS version: Windows 10, 10.0, version 2009, build: 19044 (x64)
Hardware: Nitro AN515-54, Acer
BIOS: V1.33
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz
Logical processors: 8
Processor groups: 1
Processor group size: 8
RAM: 8029 MB total


_
CPU SPEED
_
Reported CPU speed (WMI): 240 MHz
Reported CPU speed (registry): 240 MHz

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the
BIOS setup for more accurate results.


_
MEASURED INTERRUPT TO USER PROCESS LATENCIES
_
The interrupt to process latency reflects the measured interval that a usermode process needed to respond to a hardware request from the moment the interrupt service
routine started execution. This includes the scheduling and execution of a DPC routine, the signaling of an event and the waking up of a usermode thread from an idle
wait state in response to that event.

Highest measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 5312.50
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 7.304747

Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 5304.70
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 2.584217


_
REPORTED ISRs
_
Interrupt service routines are routines installed by the OS and device drivers that execute in response to a hardware interrupt signal.

Highest ISR routine execution time (µs): 695.095833
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: HDAudBus.sys - High Definition Audio Bus Driver, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0.008449
Driver with highest ISR total time: Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0.016349

ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 1455937
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-1000 µs): 315
ISR count (execution time 1000-2000 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 2000-4000 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


_
REPORTED DPCs
_
DPC routines are part of the interrupt servicing dispatch mechanism and disable the possibility for a process to utilize the CPU while it is interrupted until the DPC
has finished execution.

Highest DPC routine execution time (µs): 3928.986667
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: ndis.sys - Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS), Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0.027162
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0.087405

DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 8660897
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-10000 µs): 5651
DPC count (execution time 1000-2000 µs): 14
DPC count (execution time 2000-4000 µs): 2
DPC count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


_
REPORTED HARD PAGEFAULTS
_
Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of
resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.

NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks
and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.

Process with highest pagefault count: msmpeng.exe

Total number of hard pagefaults 228572
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 41724
Number of processes hit: 153


_
PER CPU DATA
_
CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 373.484999
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 695.095833
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 14.159173
CPU 0 ISR count: 1378677
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 3928.986667
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 62.251518
CPU 0 DPC count: 6702385
_
CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 145.150133
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 517.21250
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 0.620613
CPU 1 ISR count: 74494
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 1206.313333
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 9.486539
CPU 1 DPC count: 597507
_
CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 113.619749
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 523.040833
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0.030965
CPU 2 ISR count: 3079
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 709.341667
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 2.075692
CPU 2 DPC count: 355373
_
CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 106.737851
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 35.0050
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000036
CPU 3 ISR count: 2
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 820.160833
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0.961793
CPU 3 DPC count: 193485
_
CPU 4 Interrupt cycle time (s): 68.839164
CPU 4 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 4 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 4 ISR count: 0
CPU 4 DPC highest execution time (µs): 618.30750
CPU 4 DPC total execution time (s): 1.835447
CPU 4 DPC count: 350097
_
CPU 5 Interrupt cycle time (s): 60.033340
CPU 5 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 5 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 5 ISR count: 0
CPU 5 DPC highest execution time (µs): 614.141667
CPU 5 DPC total execution time (s): 0.429355
CPU 5 DPC count: 95498
_
CPU 6 Interrupt cycle time (s): 73.707197
CPU 6 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 6 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 6 ISR count: 0
CPU 6 DPC highest execution time (µs): 598.616667
CPU 6 DPC total execution time (s): 1.479365
CPU 6 DPC count: 228861
_
CPU 7 Interrupt cycle time (s): 72.071492
CPU 7 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 7 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 7 ISR count: 0
CPU 7 DPC highest execution time (µs): 707.680
CPU 7 DPC total execution time (s): 0.661305
CPU 7 DPC count: 143358
_

 

[kerberos_20]

it did tell you what goes wrong with your PC, your network card drivers are bad

 

[Colif]

try disabling any network adapters you aren't using, in device manager. its one way to fix latency

some of the tips in this can help

 

[Cro55ed]

try disabling any network adapters you aren't using, in device manager. its one way to fix latency

some of the tips in this can help

Coming back to this. I have disabled the the internet adapters that aren't used, but it still appears in task manager.

 

[Cro55ed]

it did tell you what goes wrong with your PC, your network card drivers are bad

What is the solution? Should I format the SSD from windows 10 iso and reinstall Windows from there?? Actually, the laptop drivers site had multiple drivers for each category.

 

[ubuysa]

What is the solution? Should I format the SSD from windows 10 iso and reinstall Windows from there?? Actually, the laptop drivers site had multiple drivers for each category.

Personally, I would do a fully clean reinstall of Windows and allow Windows Update to find and install all drivers that it can. Then use Device Manager to see whether any devices don't have drivers (yellow triangle with black exclamation mark).

Windows 10 (and 11) make a much better job of finding the correct drivers than earlier versions of Windows did.

 

[Colif]

Still better off going to motherboard website after an install as win 10 & 11 are good but they don't find everything.

op, I would suggest running the Acer Care center, if its not installed you can find it here under Applications - https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7964?b=1
it will check you have newest drivers for the Acer. Beats trying to figure out which of the drivers listed under it are new or not. Or even right.

 

[Cro55ed]

Personally, I would do a fully clean reinstall of Windows and allow Windows Update to find and install all drivers that it can. Then use Device Manager to see whether any devices don't have drivers (yellow triangle with black exclamation mark).

Windows 10 (and 11) make a much better job of finding the correct drivers than earlier versions of Windows did.

I reinstalled Windows and installed everything (including optional stuff) from Windows Update and it still hasn't been fixed. Device Manager also doesn't show any Yellow Triangles. How troublesome...

 

[Colif]

have you got latencymon again?
Did you run the Acer Care centre app or download it from the Acer site?

If a reinstall didn't fix it, its possibly a hardware cause.

 

[Cro55ed]

have you got latencymon again?
Did you run the Acer Care centre app or download it from the Acer site?

If a reinstall didn't fix it, its possibly a hardware cause.

Sorry for late response but due to personal reasons, I wasn't able to run Latencymon up until now. (I hope you'll respond)


Results below:

_
CONCLUSION
_
Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or
pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. Also one or more ISR routines that belong to a
driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and
BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates.
LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for 4:21:45 (h🇲🇲ss) on all processors.


_
SYSTEM INFORMATION
_
Computer name: DESKTOP-T06H0KL
OS version: Windows 10, 10.0, version 2009, build: 19044 (x64)
Hardware: Nitro AN515-54, Acer
BIOS: V1.33
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz
Logical processors: 8
Processor groups: 1
Processor group size: 8
RAM: 8029 MB total


_
CPU SPEED
_
Reported CPU speed (WMI): 240 MHz
Reported CPU speed (registry): 240 MHz

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the
BIOS setup for more accurate results.


_
MEASURED INTERRUPT TO USER PROCESS LATENCIES
_
The interrupt to process latency reflects the measured interval that a usermode process needed to respond to a hardware request from the moment the interrupt service
routine started execution. This includes the scheduling and execution of a DPC routine, the signaling of an event and the waking up of a usermode thread from an idle
wait state in response to that event.

Highest measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 2615.0
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 8.132119

Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 2567.90
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 2.755030


_
REPORTED ISRs
_
Interrupt service routines are routines installed by the OS and device drivers that execute in response to a hardware interrupt signal.

Highest ISR routine execution time (µs): 1104.30
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: HDAudBus.sys - High Definition Audio Bus Driver, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0.029513
Driver with highest ISR total time: Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0.034779

ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 2652092
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-1000 µs): 569
ISR count (execution time 1000-2000 µs): 1
ISR count (execution time 2000-4000 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


_
REPORTED DPCs
_
DPC routines are part of the interrupt servicing dispatch mechanism and disable the possibility for a process to utilize the CPU while it is interrupted until the DPC
has finished execution.

Highest DPC routine execution time (µs): 4502.071667
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: ntoskrnl.exe - NT Kernel & System, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0.010638
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0.044040

DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 7558680
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-10000 µs): 1875
DPC count (execution time 1000-2000 µs): 7
DPC count (execution time 2000-4000 µs): 6
DPC count (execution time >=4000 µs): 7


_
REPORTED HARD PAGEFAULTS
_
Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of
resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.

NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks
and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.

Process with highest pagefault count: msmpeng.exe

Total number of hard pagefaults 113162
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 24957
Number of processes hit: 178


_
PER CPU DATA
_
CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 444.581665
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1104.30
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 42.316753
CPU 0 ISR count: 2567590
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 1571.910833
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 32.506534
CPU 0 DPC count: 5186157
_
CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 197.788579
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 563.864167
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 1.363705
CPU 1 ISR count: 84096
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4502.071667
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 12.578633
CPU 1 DPC count: 1186356
_
CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 167.739805
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 332.251667
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0.017213
CPU 2 ISR count: 971
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4473.447083
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 2.635750
CPU 2 DPC count: 355328
_
CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 143.692694
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1.256667
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000001
CPU 3 ISR count: 1
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4470.969583
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0.482508
CPU 3 DPC count: 72048
_
CPU 4 Interrupt cycle time (s): 116.792520
CPU 4 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1.696667
CPU 4 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000002
CPU 4 ISR count: 1
CPU 4 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4441.189167
CPU 4 DPC total execution time (s): 2.260583
CPU 4 DPC count: 316208
_
CPU 5 Interrupt cycle time (s): 110.973492
CPU 5 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1.683333
CPU 5 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000002
CPU 5 ISR count: 1
CPU 5 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4438.329167
CPU 5 DPC total execution time (s): 1.933209
CPU 5 DPC count: 168513
_
CPU 6 Interrupt cycle time (s): 98.832927
CPU 6 ISR highest execution time (µs): 2.159167
CPU 6 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000002
CPU 6 ISR count: 1
CPU 6 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4407.258333
CPU 6 DPC total execution time (s): 1.654644
CPU 6 DPC count: 178681
_
CPU 7 Interrupt cycle time (s): 92.259144
CPU 7 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1.990833
CPU 7 ISR total execution time (s): 0.000002
CPU 7 ISR count: 1
CPU 7 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4404.034583
CPU 7 DPC total execution time (s): 1.281628
CPU 7 DPC count: 97284
_

 

[Colif]

well, its not the network drivers this time. I don't think...

Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0.010638
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation

you have an Nvidia GPU, can you open Nvidia control panel
open Manage 3d settings
scroll right pane down to Power management mode, and select Prefer Maximum Performance and click apply

that fixed it on my pc for a while but I eventually removed the newest Nvidia drivers, and let windows update find some. They seem to work better for me now.

can you run Latencymon again but show me the results of the Drivers tab as it might show me more useful information.
I am unsure how to use the report info really.

 

[kerberos_20]

well look at it this way, wdf is storage, hard pagefaults is swap file, 178 processes were hit by not having enough ram

 

[Colif]

wdf isn't storage, its windows driver framework
i believe lots of drivers use parts of it to function - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...s/wdf/using-the-framework-to-develop-a-driver

Process with highest pagefault count: msmpeng.exe

that is defender, its possible it ran a scan hence lots of hard page faults.

A hard fault happens when the address memory of a certain program is no longer in the main memory slot but has been instead swapped out to the main paging file. This forces the system to go looking for the missing memory on the hard disk instead of fetching it from the physical memory (RAM). Whenever this happens, your system will suffer certain slowdowns and increased hard disk activity. But the degree in which you’ll end up feeling the effects of a hard fault is highly dependent on the rest of your PC’s components.

What is: Hard Faults Per Second

Hard faults are a normal part of how modern computers are currently processing memory information. A hard fault occurs when a memory block had to be

appuals.com

more ram could help

 

[kerberos_20]

wdf isn't storage, its windows driver framework
i believe lots of drivers use parts of it to function - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...s/wdf/using-the-framework-to-develop-a-driver

right, my fault

anyway if latency mon doesnt see which driver is causing it, try installing windows performance toolkit, it can be installed thought windows ADK, you can record whats your PC doing (including drivers DPC/ISR execution times)
once installed, run this command in cmd\powershell with admin rights:
xperf.exe -on base+interrupt+dpc

let it run for some time, latency mon can be running aswell, shuldnt really matter atlest youll know if latency is bad through it
after some time when latencymon says that its bad, stop tracing with this command:
xperf.exe -d c:\temp\interrupt_trace.etl

in c:\temp you will have interrupt_trace.etl file, compress it and upload it to cloud/webhosting and share link, you are also free to check it with windows performance analyzer (wpa) which was installed previously, here some short guide

 

[Cro55ed]

wdf isn't storage, its windows driver framework
i believe lots of drivers use parts of it to function - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...s/wdf/using-the-framework-to-develop-a-driver


that is defender, its possible it ran a scan hence lots of hard page faults.

What is: Hard Faults Per Second

Hard faults are a normal part of how modern computers are currently processing memory information. A hard fault occurs when a memory block had to be

appuals.com

more ram could help

I find it strange that all of a sudden I need more RAM.

 

[Colif]

well, the more ram would reduce number of hard page faults as all the info would still be in ram. But if the page faults seen on report are result of a Defender scan, it may not be a problem.

try running the program Kerberos suggested.

 

[Cro55ed]

right, my fault

anyway if latency mon doesnt see which driver is causing it, try installing windows performance toolkit, it can be installed thought windows ADK, you can record whats your PC doing (including drivers DPC/ISR execution times)
once installed, run this command in cmd\powershell with admin rights:
xperf.exe -on base+interrupt+dpc

let it run for some time, latency mon can be running aswell, shuldnt really matter atlest youll know if latency is bad through it
after some time when latencymon says that its bad, stop tracing with this command:
xperf.exe -d c:\temp\interrupt_trace.etl

in c:\temp you will have interrupt_trace.etl file, compress it and upload it to cloud/webhosting and share link, you are also free to check it with windows performance analyzer (wpa) which was installed previously, here some short guide

First command returned -
xperf: error: NT Kernel Logger: Cannot create a file when that file already exists. (0xb7).

I also checked and I can't find a folder named Temp, so the second command says -
xperf: error: Merge ETL: The system cannot find the path specified. (0x3).

I installed Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 2004, installed windows performance toolkit, and used cmd with admin rights. No idea what I did wrong.

 

[kerberos_20]

First command returned -
xperf: error: NT Kernel Logger: Cannot create a file when that file already exists. (0xb7).

I also checked and I can't find a folder named Temp, so the second command says -
xperf: error: Merge ETL: The system cannot find the path specified. (0x3).

I installed Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 2004, installed windows performance toolkit, and used cmd with admin rights. No idea what I did wrong.

The error message is misleading and has nothing to do with a file that already exists. It happens when a different tool already started a NT Kernel Logger to capture ETW data.

Example of tools are Process Explorer (starting with Version 14), the Resource Monitor form Windows Vista/7 and Process hacker (with the extended tools plugin). All use ETW to capture Network and Disk IO statistics. This conflicts with xperf because xperf also captures ETW data. So before running xperf close those tools or disable disk/network IO tracing in the options of Process Hacker or use Process Explorer 12.04, which was the latest version without disk/network IO tracing.

I hope this helps you to fix the issue

 

[Cro55ed]

The error message is misleading and has nothing to do with a file that already exists. It happens when a different tool already started a NT Kernel Logger to capture ETW data.

Example of tools are Process Explorer (starting with Version 14), the Resource Monitor form Windows Vista/7 and Process hacker (with the extended tools plugin). All use ETW to capture Network and Disk IO statistics. This conflicts with xperf because xperf also captures ETW data. So before running xperf close those tools or disable disk/network IO tracing in the options of Process Hacker or use Process Explorer 12.04, which was the latest version without disk/network IO tracing.

I hope this helps you to fix the issue

How would I use process explorer to get you the info that you need?

 

[kerberos_20]

How would I use process explorer to get you the info that you need?

xperf needed, rest of mentioned apps needs to be closed