10

Edit: I am still experiencing this issue. ndis.sys is causing issues and I have not been able to resolve it. I am at a loss of what to do. I have tried reinstalling windows AGAIN, reinstalling drivers and disabling throttling, nothing works.

I've had problems with Windows10 regarding DPC latency for a good while now, I've managed to relieve some of the issues but my computer still cannot process in real time according to latencymon.

I get audio crackling along with jaw dropping frame skipping and generally slow behaviour.

The main culprit is ndis.sys and also sometimes dxgkrnl.sys when playing games. I have yet to find out what is causing this problem, I've tried reinstalling wifi drivers, not using wifi (using LAN instead) and it still gives me latency.

Here are a few pastebins with my information:

My driver query: http://pastebin.com/UfN2Y9QV

My directX diagnostics: http://pastebin.com/j2wg7ugG

My latencymon results: http://pastebin.com/hFUPMe2A

It is important to note that Windows 8, the system this device came with had no issues, but whenever I downgrade to windows 8 now the same issues persist. I would rather fix the root of the problem instead of downgrading.

My device is an ASUS G771JM laptop.

Sebastian Olsen
  • 604
  • 2
  • 8
  • 14
  • update all network and graphic drivers – magicandre1981 Jan 29 '17 at 20:30
  • @magicandre1981 and what do you think I haven't tried already? – Sebastian Olsen Jan 29 '17 at 20:31
  • share the zipped ETL file which is captured by this script: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/matthew_van_eerde/2017/01/09/collecting-audio-logs-the-old-fashioned-way/ run it while you hear the audio issues – magicandre1981 Jan 29 '17 at 20:32
  • have you captured the trace while you see the audio glitches? – magicandre1981 Jan 30 '17 at 19:14
  • Here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByHHdTt4Dl1qNzlJemRRWVR6djA – Sebastian Olsen Jan 30 '17 at 20:10
  • Questions: (1) What cable and port for connecting the video device and what video player are you using? (2) Is your Power plan set to High performance? (3) Does this happen when booting in Safe mode? (4) Are you sure the video is played using the GeForce card rather than Intel HD Graphics ? – harrymc Mar 02 '17 at 13:34
  • First off I'm not playing videos or using a video cable, I don't know where you got that idea. Second, the lag happens when I AM using the GeForce card, I don't get DPC latency with integrated graphics, but it's not smooth like Nvidia. And yes, my powerplan is set to high performance. It happens in safemode too. – Sebastian Olsen Mar 04 '17 at 11:43
  • You should also consider running RAM memory tests and testing with different RAM modules plugged in if you can as I've seen faulty (even when mem test passes but physically swapping shows otherwise) RAM modules cause funny video issues in the past . . .Also, by "services" I'm talking about `services.msc` – Vomit IT - Chunky Mess Style Mar 04 '17 at 23:32
  • @MagicallyDelicous Hi, I do use wifi. The comma was separating what I have tried. Anyway, I've tried the HDMI thing and it's the same issue. I have not tried switching RAM, but I will try it. My BIOS is updated, I disabled all network related things, but then other drivers caused issues, such as nvlddmkm.sys, but only when I run my games with the GeForce GPU, not to mention ndis.sys did appear on the list of most DPC latency, even though all network stuff was disabled. – Sebastian Olsen Mar 06 '17 at 11:03
  • Have you tried disabling the processes "Discord.exe" and "osu!.exe"? – HelpingHand Mar 06 '17 at 22:46
  • @EMK Uhm. Those are definitely not the source of the problem. The game I'm playing is osu! And I've tried not running Discord, same issues. – Sebastian Olsen Mar 06 '17 at 22:56
  • @MagicallyDelicous There is nothing to disconnect. This is a laptop. I don't have any ram either to replace with. – Sebastian Olsen Mar 07 '17 at 01:04
  • Well if your laptop just happens to have two RAM modules in it, consider trying with just one connected and not the other, and the same with the other and not the other. Also be sure to try all and stagger RAM bus slots to ensure you try all combinations just to rule something that simple out just in case. Be sure to blow the dust out of the enclosure as well to help ensure you have adequate air flow to prevent overheating and excessive heat build up. Check that all fans within the enclosure works as expected too it you can. – Vomit IT - Chunky Mess Style Mar 07 '17 at 01:10
  • 1
    Media eXperience Analyzer (https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=43105) is the tool to analyze the .etl file. There are a few videos on how to use it in the series here: https://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Defrag-Tools/DefragTools-149-Media-eXperience-Analyzer-part-1 – HelpingHand Mar 07 '17 at 06:55
  • @EMK Is that different than what "Magic Man Andre" already did though? Based on his findings with the file(s) he analyzed, I thought SebMan stated that the corrective suggestion did not resolve the problem. Maybe I'm wrong in my interpretation of that conversation though; I do overlook simple things sometimes so I wouldn't be surprised o{: - )::;;::;;::;;::;;::;;::;;::;;^;^;^;^;^;^;^> – Vomit IT - Chunky Mess Style Mar 07 '17 at 19:17

4 Answers4

0

Looking at the log shows indeed ndis.sys and nvlddmkm.sys spikes:

Total = 98101 for module nvlddmkm.sys
Elapsed Time, >      512 usecs AND <=     1024 usecs,     68, or   0.07%
Elapsed Time, >     1024 usecs AND <=     2048 usecs,     13, or   0.01%
Total,                                                 98101

Total = 2703 for module ndis.sys
Elapsed Time, >      512 usecs AND <=     1024 usecs,    103, or   3.81%
Elapsed Time, >     1024 usecs AND <=     2048 usecs,     19, or   0.70%
Total,                                                  2703

Looking at the stacks shows that NDIS.sys calls your Intel Wifi driver

Line #, DPC/ISR, Module, Stack, Count, Process, Weight (in view) (ms), TimeStamp (s), % Weight
14, , ndis.sys, [Root], 25, , 23,699083, , 0,01
15, , ,   |- ntoskrnl.exe!KiSystemServiceCopyEnd, 5, , 4,746332, , 0,00
16, , ,   |    |- ntoskrnl.exe!NtSetIoCompletion, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
17, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!IoSetIoCompletionEx2, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
18, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!IopAllocateMiniCompletionPacket, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
19, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!KiInterruptDispatchNoLockNoEtw, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
20, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!KiDpcInterruptBypass, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
21, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!KiDispatchInterruptContinue, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
22, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!KxRetireDpcList, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
23, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!KiRetireDpcList, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
24, , ,   |    |    ntoskrnl.exe!KiExecuteAllDpcs, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
25, , ,   |    |    ndis.sys!ndisPeriodicReceivesTimer, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
26, , ,   |    |    ndis.sys!ndisQueuedMiniportDpcWorkItem, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
27, , ,   |    |    Netwbw02.sys!<PDB not found>, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
28, , ,   |    |    Netwbw02.sys!<PDB not found>, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
29, , ,   |    |    Netwbw02.sys!<PDB not found>, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
30, , ,   |    |    Netwbw02.sys!<PDB not found>, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
31, , ,   |    |    Netwbw02.sys!<PDB not found>, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
32, , ,   |    |    Netwbw02.sys!<PDB not found>, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
33, , ,   |    |    ndis.sys!NdisMIndicateReceiveNetBufferLists, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
34, , ,   |    |    ndis.sys!ndisCallReceiveHandler, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
35, , ,   |    |    ndis.sys!ndisMTopReceiveNetBufferLists, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00
36, , ,   |    |    ndis.sys!ndisMIndicateNetBufferListsToOpen, 1, , 1,016103, , 0,00

You use driver version 18.33.5.1 which is the latest version for your Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 adapter. Wait for newer drivers, replace the adapter with a different model (a Gamer Wifi adapter from Killer or newer Intel model) or use LAN cable connection.

Your nVIDIA GPU driver nvlddmkm.sys is version 376.19, which is a bit outdated. Try the driver 378.49 which the most recent one (as 2017-01-31) for your Geforce 860M.

magicandre1981
  • 97,301
  • 30
  • 179
  • 245
  • This is a laptop, there is no way for me to replace the wireless adapter, is there absolutely no way to fix the latency it is causing? This laptop isn't even that old. – Sebastian Olsen Jan 31 '17 at 17:08
  • it is possible. I could remove the adapter on my dell laptop. check if it a PCIe Mini Card based adapter or fixed to the motherboard. – magicandre1981 Jan 31 '17 at 17:10
  • on this picture I can see it is possible to remove it: https://i2.wp.com/laptopmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ROG-G771-4.jpg – magicandre1981 Jan 31 '17 at 17:14
  • This seems sketchy, is there absolutely no way to fix the network drivers as is? I refuse to believe that hardware like this should be struggling basic tasks such as 2D gaming and YouTube. – Sebastian Olsen Jan 31 '17 at 17:48
  • during DPC everything is blocked in windows and the longer it takes, you see sound issues. Intel must update the drivers to reduce the process time of the DPCs. – magicandre1981 Jan 31 '17 at 19:36
  • note that for soldered-on components, "replace" can be achieved by *disabling* the component (in Windows or bios/uefi) and adding an external component (eg USB). – quixotic Feb 05 '17 at 14:13
  • @quixotic when you look at the picture (https://i2.wp.com/laptopmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ROG-G771-4.jpg) you can see that the WLAN adapter can be replaced. – magicandre1981 Feb 05 '17 at 17:24
0

I have had this problem fairly recently, and I solved it by blowing away the system-managed swap file and setting a fixed, 8192 MB file instead (the previous one seemed to be an odd size of 1.5-5.2 GB, which didn’t make a lot of sense).  Anyway – reboot and CPU is running much lower and no stuttering of audio, all the same programs and devices as before.  Previously I’d get it with the onboard audio via the speakers or via the external Fiio which is its own device – but now no problems at all, all since replacing and size-fixing the swap file.

Background

My system specifications:

  • Dell Latitude e6230
  • Core i5 (2x core) with 8gig of RAM and a 512gig SSD just with onboard HD4000
  • onboard audio (as well as an external USB Fiio E17 DAC) and the dreaded Intel 7260 Wi-Fi/bt card and
  • stock Intel gigabit Ethernet
  • OS is Windows 10 Professional, 64-bit

As I mentioned, I have had this problem fairly recently, past few weeks only – the system had been running Windows 7 Pro, 64-bit for nearly 3 years and I'd never experienced this DPC issue on either this or any other systems.

LatencyMon was showing TCPIP.SYS as the main lag driver.

I remember in earlier times fixing the swap file to a set amount to avoid file growth/shrinkage was a useful performance measure, but thought it’d matter less with SSDs; but this seems to have been caused by problems with the former swap file. I’ve just done this so it has not had long to re-fault, but it was re-faulting by now on every other boot and remedy cycle so I have a feeling this is a big part of the problem (at least in this case).

Community
  • 1
Davo-cc
  • 1
0

Try the following commands in an elevated command prompt (cmd.exe run as an administrator), to reset the IP state and log files. It helped me (temporarily) with my latency problems:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew 
netsh winsock reset catalog 
netsh int ip reset reset.log

Hope it helps!

phuclv
  • 26,555
  • 15
  • 113
  • 235
Lampros Fotiadis
  • 1
  • 2
0

Your last resort IMHO is to experiment with these options, both on wired and wireless adapter. I am on mobile, so the following is a phone screenshot.

Not sure what options would help, playing with anything to do with interrupts or offloading may be worthwhile.

enter image description here

LawrenceC
  • 73,030
  • 15
  • 129
  • 214