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  1. #1

    Default Dropped buffers again

    I am running the latest version of SAC64, 1.1b. It runs perfectly on my notebook computer, with no dropped buffers, but on my other rack, that has been idle fora while, I still get dropped buffers. I had all this smoothed out long ago with the 32bit version, but since I updated to SAC64 I still get a few dropped buffers every hour or so. I have been through all the tweaks, shut off the various things in BIOS (hyperthreading, C6 states,etc.), etc. I have even been using Process Lasso to set Process Priority to Realtime and CPU Affinity to core 3. I have stopped various things from running in services and task manager, but I still get a few dropped buffers. This is at 64-4. The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-H77MD3H rev. 1.0 with BIOS F12. I am running Windows 10 build 1803 on this machine.I guess there is still some Windows background process running that stomp on SAC64. The could even be called by Task Manger to where they run and are then terminated.

    Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Quote Originally Posted by dbarrow View Post
    I am running the latest version of SAC64, 1.1b. It runs perfectly on my notebook computer, with no dropped buffers, but on my other rack, that has been idle fora while, I still get dropped buffers. I had all this smoothed out long ago with the 32bit version, but since I updated to SAC64 I still get a few dropped buffers every hour or so. I have been through all the tweaks, shut off the various things in BIOS (hyperthreading, C6 states,etc.), etc. I have even been using Process Lasso to set Process Priority to Realtime and CPU Affinity to core 3. I have stopped various things from running in services and task manager, but I still get a few dropped buffers. This is at 64-4. The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-H77MD3H rev. 1.0 with BIOS F12. I am running Windows 10 build 1803 on this machine.I guess there is still some Windows background process running that stomp on SAC64. The could even be called by Task Manger to where they run and are then terminated.

    Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
    is the screen saver/idle screen turning on?
    Last edited by cgrafx; 09-16-2019 at 09:26 AM.
    ---------------------------------------
    Philip G.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Quote Originally Posted by cgrafx View Post
    is the screen saver/idle screen turning on?
    Yes, sorry. I didn't state that. I have tweaked out 10+ SAC systems to work without dropped buffers. For some reason I am having issues with this one computer. I have literally done 100 tweaks, turning off services, removing tasks from the task scheduler. It almost always seams like I solved the problem, but then later there are a few dropped buffers. It's maddening. I ave SAC running on my notebook computer here at my office, with Firefox and several other programs running and I have no dropped buffers all day. I am almost at the point of just building a new computer, so I may end up asking for motherboard/processor/graphics suggestions. The Gigabyte motherboard in the "problem computer is about 8 years old. I guess however Windows adapted to that motherboard involves some other error checking/reporting processes that just aren't running on other computers I have tweaked.

    Thanks for your suggestions so far. The Process Lasso program seems to give the best ongoing feedback as to what is running in the back ground, but I still haven't nailed down what pops up every hour or two to stomp on SAC. Is there some easy way to list all the tasks that have run over a period of time? There must be some task that is running here and there that causes the dropped buffers.
    Last edited by dbarrow; 09-16-2019 at 05:21 PM.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    I am still getting some dropped buffers. About two per hour.It looks like Windows 10 "trustedinstaller.exe" and "tiworker.exe" are doing something. They are related to Windows Update, which I have turned off. I am not sure what keeps turning it on periodically. I have even lowered its CPU Priority in Process Lasso. Any ideas? My notebook computer doesn't seem to be running these process and SAC can run on it for days with no dropped buffers.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Hello,

    Can you please send me a screen capture of your just booted desktop?

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Not that this is specific to the issue your experiencing, but on my test machine if I let the idle screen turn on, the system will drop buffers. There isn't an easy way to determine what specific process is running because viewing the process list disables the idle screen.

    It may be possible to run a remote session through ssh and view the process list while the idle screen is active, but I haven't attempted to do that yet.

    Also increasing the pre-buffers will not stop the dropped buffer problem.

    Direct from Bob: "The pre-buffer number will not fix a glitching machine... only the buffer size controls that."

    So you would be better off running 1x128 than 4x64.

    ---------------------------------------
    Philip G.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    This computer is running some Microsoft crap that the other computer isn't running, I just found another one: "wlidsvc", which is Microsoft Live ID Service. In services.msc it is now called "Microsoft Account Sign In Assistant". It showed up as a sub process of svchost. I disable that, too, now. SAC has been running for a few hours now. This is farther than it made it in the last two weeks. I think when Windows was installed on this computer, it put LOTS of other unnecessary services that had to do with logging into Microsoft accounts, syncing with mobile phones, WiFi, etc. This is not a laptop and doesn't need all that stuff and I certainly don't want it sending telemetry to Microsoft. There still may be more, but I am getting this stuff rooted out. Process Lasso shows whatever was running recently, after I get dropped buffers. I go look the services/programs up and they turn out to be communication crap I didn't even know about before. I have tweaked out LOTS of Windows computers for audio and video editing and I have never encountered these processes running before. I had to re-install Windows 10 a while back when an update crashed my whole setup. I guess the newer version and various updated put these demons in and setup all kinds of hidden triggers to keep them popping up.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Quote Originally Posted by cgrafx View Post
    Not that this is specific to the issue your experiencing, but on my test machine if I let the idle screen turn on, the system will drop buffers. There isn't an easy way to determine what specific process is running because viewing the process list disables the idle screen.

    It may be possible to run a remote session through ssh and view the process list while the idle screen is active, but I haven't attempted to do that yet.

    Also increasing the pre-buffers will not stop the dropped buffer problem.

    Direct from Bob: "The pre-buffer number will not fix a glitching machine... only the buffer size controls that."

    So you would be better off running 1x128 than 4x64.

    I think I missed something. What is the "idle screen"? Also, can you give me some more detail on Project Lasso? That is what is helping me knock these culprits out one by one, but I am unclear about a few things. Do you have "Pro Balance" running? I do, so I am not sure if Process Lasso is juggling some other background processes when SAC64 seems idle.I let it all run overnight and I still got 11 dropped buffers this morning. Svchost and Backgroundtaskhost have launched various sub processes. It doesn't look like backgroundtaskhost is even running/has run on my notebook computer, that runs SAC64 flawlessly. My notebook IS more powerful and has 12 cores vs. the 4 in the other machine that's dropping buffers. I may just rebuild with a new motherboard, processor, SSD,etc.
    Last edited by dbarrow; 09-17-2019 at 08:32 AM.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Another background process,Time Broker, was running and is apparently unnecessary, since other people have shut it down. This is what I found and I was try disabling it later, when I get home:

    "Runtime Broker kept thrashing my system, usually using 40% of my CPU although memory use wasn't much, according to the Task Manager. I'm currently using Windows 10 Pro x64 version 10240.

    Runtime Broker is a service called Time Broker, which can be disabled through editing the registry.
    Right-click on the Start Menu Icon. Go to RUN and type regedit.exe and select OK.

    Find the following entry:

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\TimeBroker] "Start"=dword:00000003

    Change the 3 to a 4.

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\TimeBroker] "Start"=dword:00000004

    4 is Disabled, 3 is Manual and 2 is Automatic startup.

    Before editing, the original value was 3. Set to 4 to disable. Just change the 3 to a 4 through the MODIFY menu selection, exit regedit and reboot your system.

    After this edit, Runtime Broker no longer runs and the CPU at idle is now only 0 to 1 or 2 percent.

    No adverse affects after disabling Runtime Broker on my system."
    Last edited by dbarrow; 09-17-2019 at 08:47 AM.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Dropped buffers again

    Quote Originally Posted by dbarrow View Post
    I think I missed something. What is the "idle screen"? Also, can you give me some more detail on Project Lasso? That is what is helping me knock these culprits out one by one, but I am unclear about a few things. Do you have "Pro Balance" running? I do, so I am not sure if Process Lasso is juggling some other background processes when SAC64 seems idle.I let it all run overnight and I still got 11 dropped buffers this morning. Svchost and Backgroundtaskhost have launched various sub processes. It doesn't look like backgroundtaskhost is even running/has run on my notebook computer, that runs SAC64 flawlessly. My notebook IS more powerful and has 12 cores vs. the 4 in the other machine that's dropping buffers. I may just rebuild with a new motherboard, processor, SSD,etc.
    The Idle screen is the screen saver and even the if its set to just blank the screen it causes dropped buffers on my test system.

    I would not recommend letting process lasso do anything other than set CPU affinity and priority. Do not let it optimize your system tasks or it will be making arbitrary decisions about what to run and when.

    Its an expensive utility to set affinity and priority, but I couldn't find any other utilities that would do that reliably without causing other problems.
    Last edited by cgrafx; 09-17-2019 at 09:00 AM.
    ---------------------------------------
    Philip G.

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