- Dec 26, 2012
- 494
- 88
- 19,090
I've been experiencing problems with audio popping, crackling, and looping accompanied by system freezes that usually last for less than a second, for a couple of weeks now and it's been getting worse over time. The problems seem to get worse with increased CPU and disk load.
I checked with LatencyMon and it appears that there are multiple drivers responsible for high DPC latency, as well as ntoskrnl.exe. This is the LatencyMon report:
The Drivers tab shows 8 drivers with a maximum execution time exceeding 1ms:
ntoskrnl.exe: 14,1 ms
portcls.sys: 10,0 ms
USBPORT.SYS: 7,7 ms
tcpip.sys: 6,9 ms
dxgkrnl.sys: 6,5 ms
ndis.sys: 5,4 ms
nvlddmkm.sys: 4,3 ms
CLASSPNP.SYS: 2,0 ms
I've tried reinstalling my Realtek audio and chipset drivers to solve the portcls.sys problem, but to no avail.
It's strange how many different drivers are involved, most of which seem unrelated. I also can't really put a finger on when exactly the audio problems started happening, because they're getting progressively worse and I didn't really notice them at first.
Maybe there is a root cause for all of this, but I don't know where to look. Malwarebytes says the system is clean and Windows is on an SSD, so malware or disk fragmentation probably don't cause this.
I checked with LatencyMon and it appears that there are multiple drivers responsible for high DPC latency, as well as ntoskrnl.exe. This is the LatencyMon report:
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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. 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 0:11:01 (h:mm:ss) on all processors.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SYSTEM INFORMATION
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Computer name: LOEK-PC
OS version: Windows 10 , 10.0, build: 15063 (x64)
Hardware: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd., F2A88XN-WIFI
CPU: AuthenticAMD AMD Athlon(tm) X4 860K Quad Core Processor
Logical processors: 4
Processor groups: 1
RAM: 16327 MB total
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU SPEED
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Reported CPU speed: 3817 MHz
Measured CPU speed: 1 MHz (approx.)
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.
WARNING: the CPU speed that was measured is only a fraction of the CPU speed reported. Your CPUs may be throttled back due to variable speed settings and thermal issues. It is suggested that you run a utility which reports your actual CPU frequency and temperature.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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): 1519,653678
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 4,163898
Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 946,832244
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 1,670801
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED ISRs
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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): 227,221640
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation
Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0,158790
Driver with highest ISR total time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation
Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0,190419
ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 273237
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 2000-3999 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): 14091,613309
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: ntoskrnl.exe - NT Kernel & System, Microsoft Corporation
Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0,089074
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: nvlddmkm.sys - NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 384.76 , NVIDIA Corporation
Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0,501414
DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 2979648
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-999 µs): 22
DPC count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 1
DPC count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 22
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.
Process with highest pagefault count: none
Total number of hard pagefaults 0
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 0
Highest hard pagefault resolution time (µs): 0,0
Total time spent in hard pagefaults (%): 0,0
Number of processes hit: 0
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PER CPU DATA
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 33,310829
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 227,221640
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 4,685351
CPU 0 ISR count: 260687
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 10006,394289
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 11,586007
CPU 0 DPC count: 2814755
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 24,655488
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 204,940529
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 0,346310
CPU 1 ISR count: 12258
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 14091,613309
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 0,984557
CPU 1 DPC count: 75382
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CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 4,122296
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 91,798009
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0,003105
CPU 2 ISR count: 270
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 160,985591
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 0,409862
CPU 2 DPC count: 52780
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 3,786590
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 11,649463
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0,000147
CPU 3 ISR count: 22
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 100,052659
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0,277582
CPU 3 DPC count: 36812
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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. 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 0:11:01 (h:mm:ss) on all processors.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SYSTEM INFORMATION
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Computer name: LOEK-PC
OS version: Windows 10 , 10.0, build: 15063 (x64)
Hardware: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd., F2A88XN-WIFI
CPU: AuthenticAMD AMD Athlon(tm) X4 860K Quad Core Processor
Logical processors: 4
Processor groups: 1
RAM: 16327 MB total
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU SPEED
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reported CPU speed: 3817 MHz
Measured CPU speed: 1 MHz (approx.)
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.
WARNING: the CPU speed that was measured is only a fraction of the CPU speed reported. Your CPUs may be throttled back due to variable speed settings and thermal issues. It is suggested that you run a utility which reports your actual CPU frequency and temperature.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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): 1519,653678
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 4,163898
Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 946,832244
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 1,670801
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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): 227,221640
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation
Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0,158790
Driver with highest ISR total time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation
Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0,190419
ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 273237
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 2000-3999 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): 14091,613309
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: ntoskrnl.exe - NT Kernel & System, Microsoft Corporation
Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0,089074
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: nvlddmkm.sys - NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 384.76 , NVIDIA Corporation
Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0,501414
DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 2979648
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-999 µs): 22
DPC count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 1
DPC count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 22
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.
Process with highest pagefault count: none
Total number of hard pagefaults 0
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 0
Highest hard pagefault resolution time (µs): 0,0
Total time spent in hard pagefaults (%): 0,0
Number of processes hit: 0
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PER CPU DATA
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 33,310829
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 227,221640
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 4,685351
CPU 0 ISR count: 260687
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 10006,394289
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 11,586007
CPU 0 DPC count: 2814755
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 24,655488
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 204,940529
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 0,346310
CPU 1 ISR count: 12258
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 14091,613309
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 0,984557
CPU 1 DPC count: 75382
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 4,122296
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 91,798009
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0,003105
CPU 2 ISR count: 270
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 160,985591
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 0,409862
CPU 2 DPC count: 52780
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 3,786590
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 11,649463
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0,000147
CPU 3 ISR count: 22
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 100,052659
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0,277582
CPU 3 DPC count: 36812
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Drivers tab shows 8 drivers with a maximum execution time exceeding 1ms:
ntoskrnl.exe: 14,1 ms
portcls.sys: 10,0 ms
USBPORT.SYS: 7,7 ms
tcpip.sys: 6,9 ms
dxgkrnl.sys: 6,5 ms
ndis.sys: 5,4 ms
nvlddmkm.sys: 4,3 ms
CLASSPNP.SYS: 2,0 ms
I've tried reinstalling my Realtek audio and chipset drivers to solve the portcls.sys problem, but to no avail.
It's strange how many different drivers are involved, most of which seem unrelated. I also can't really put a finger on when exactly the audio problems started happening, because they're getting progressively worse and I didn't really notice them at first.
Maybe there is a root cause for all of this, but I don't know where to look. Malwarebytes says the system is clean and Windows is on an SSD, so malware or disk fragmentation probably don't cause this.
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