Extremely high CPU useage even after XP rebuild - SOLUTION NOW IN REPLY!

[phase_k]

Hi everyone,

I have a Vaio PCG-K415B running an Intel Celeron D 345 3.06GHz. I have started another thread regarding upgrading the CPU, but I was wondering if anyone could thrown any light on why I'm having these problems in the first place.

Ok, the basic story is that I recently upgraded my HD from a 40GB to a 160GB drive, and ghosted all the data across. It was around that time that I noticed the laptop had been running fairly slowly but thought that it was probably in need of a rebuild. It hadn't been done in 2 to 3 years.

I reinstalled XP on the C: drive formatting again in NTFS. Having installed all applicable patches and drivers I thought it should be running as fast as it was when new. But it wasn't, I am still seeing the CPU usage hit 100% when doing pretty much any task, be it windows updates, installing other software, updating virus software - anything! When looking in task manager it is the process of whatever program you are trying to run using the most processor time (ie a different app each time)

I can see no obvious reason for this other than a hardware failure of some kind but I can't think where to start trying to find out what is playing up. The obvious first choice I would have thought is the CPU?

Has anyone else got any ideas?

Thanks.

[Blencogo]

As you know it could be hundreds of things!

I presume you have tried looking in Task Manager to see what is using CPU? Also going to MSCONFIG and turning off the software that loads automatically at startup?

Unfortunately this is seldom detailed enough and some System Processes don't appear in Task Manager and occasional hardware/driver conflicts are difficult to isolate.

Have you tried a free program from Windows Sysinternals called Process Explorer that actually shows the breakdown of processes to thread and DLL level? This may be worth a try as it may pinpoint the actual process hogging the CPU.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/systeminformationutilities.mspx?wt.svl=featured

It is also worth checking that DMA is enabled on your hard drive and is the currently active mode. If set to PIO Mode, everything involved in the loading of Windows will go through the processor: -

Start -> Right-Click My Computer -> Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager
Expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
Double-click on Primary IDE Channel -> Advanced Settings.
Make sure ALL devices have "DMA if Available" selected and check that the Current Transfer Mode is "Ultra DMA Mode 4/5/6".
If any device is set to PIO mode then this is your problem.
Go Back and highlight Primary IDE Channel and right-click on it.
Select Uninstall and OK. You must uninstall - disabling is not enough.
Reboot your Vaio to reload the drivers and reset DMA.

[masterix]

Hi phase_k,

I had similar problem with my a417m, CPU was busy, laptop slow, etc. For about a year didn't know what it was, tried almost everything without success, then noticed CPU running on about 800MHz instead of 1.86GHz. I realized that CPU was overheating itself so clock went down... Opened laptop, cleaned cooling fan, since then as new...
Maybe not your case, but I thought I let you (and others) know...
Good luck, I know how frustrating it is...

Cheers

[phase_k]

It is also worth checking that DMA is enabled on your hard drive and is the currently active mode.  If set to PIO Mode, everything involved in the loading of Windows will go through the processor: -

Bingo! In all my time in IT I've not come accross this problem before, funny how things can pass you by.

Only problem, I have followed your instructions to reset the DMA mode, but as soon as Windows has reinstalled the drivers it reverts straight back to PIO mode. Looking in the event log I get 5 consecutive ATAPI '9' errors (The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort0, did not respond within the timeout period) and then an ATAPI '11' error (The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0), which according to my research is the reason it is switching back to PIO mode.

I have checked that the jumpers are set correctly (it is set to master with no jumper), reseated the drive, and looked for firmware or drivers (which don't exist from Samsung - for reference it is a HM160JC).

I'm not sure where to look next as there are numerous listings on the internet for these problems but I can't seem to find any that apply to my situation.

Could it be a hardware fault with the drive?

Thanks for your prompt reply and at least I know where the problem lies now, even if I may have to replace the HD to correct the problem.

Many Thanks,
Karl

[Blencogo]

Hi Karl,

Unfortunately, numerous ATAPI errors could indicate a hardware/firmware fault.

Have a look here. This gives a Registry Edit which resets the timeouts and desensitises your system to the problem. I haven't tried it though: -

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817472/

[phase_k]

Hi,

Ok I tried the reg edits on the Microsoft site, still no luck as I am getting 6 consecutive errors so it is still switching back to PIO as it is not resetting the counter in between.

I have run some tests on the HD (hutil & Hitachi DFT) and both report the HD a clean bill of health. Hmmm...

I would have thought that if EITHER the HD or the MB had a fault that it would show in these tests? It is showing as using DMA level 5 when in these utils!

I am tempted to buy (another) HD but I am not 100% convinced this is going to fix the issue?

Thanks again,
Karl

[phase_k]

I have found the culprit. The hard drive is faulty even though it doesn't show up in ANY of the tests I did as having ANY fault!

I can confirm this as I have taken an image from the newly installed drive, and put it back on to the laptop on a 40GB drive I had in a USB enclosure. The Laptop is now running much more like it used to and in DMA mode 5.

I have ordered a new 160GB drive to replace the smaller one that is currently in the laptop.

Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction. The funny thing is everyone I have mentioned it to (who also work in IT) had never heard of a drive falling back to PIO mode. I bow to your superior knowledge!

As for the Samsung I removed, it is now sitting in a USB enclosure and it runs quickly! How odd.

Thanks,
Karl

[phase_k]

So the saga continues...

Got the new WD 160GB drive, installed it and ghosted it, same problem, it wont come out of PIO mode.

All I can think is that the BIOS has the 137GB limitation and wont allow drives bigger than that.

I have updated to the latest BIOS but no difference. I have now ordered a 120GB drive and put the 160GB on eBay.

Not impressed

[masterix]

As for the Samsung I removed, it is now sitting in a USB enclosure and it runs quickly! How odd.

Looks like problem between HDD and BUS... - data cable?

Maybe it would be worth to have a look inside the laptop again and check connections and connectors as apparently: "With poor cables the device may work, but Windows will probably step down to lower DMA speeds or even to PIO." - from http://winhlp.com/node/10

Good luck

[phase_k]

Installed the 120GB hd and ghosted, now running fine (and fast!) in DMA mode 5 without problems.

FOR ANYONE OUT THERE UPGRADING A SIMILAR LAPTOP DO NOT USE A DRIVE OVER 120GB AS THE BIOS WILL NOT ALLOW IT TO RUN NORMALLY!

That is all!

Thanks for the help everyone