Oh Benevolent Skuzzy, please bless my post with your presence and wisdom

[Balsy]

Need some advanced help tracking down an issue with a process that I cant figure out.

I have set up a separate hardware profile "Aces High" and shut down all the non essential services (got it down to 15 with my CH software running).  When I boot up under this profile, I still get zone alarm that starts up which I shut down inthe task bar, and a norton antirus program which I can end in the task manager.

heres the wierd part. On about every 2 of 3 boots, I get a "SYSTEM" process that is zapping my CPU at 15% whacks every 5 seconds, very consistently. Obviously this effects gameplay with stutters.  When this isnt happening Im smooth as silk and pegged at 85 fps in the air.

So obviously first swag is its a malware, so  I download and run avast at boot: nothing found, have norton running consistently, zone alarm for a firewall, and I run spybot S&D, Adaware SE, and Spyblaster everyday.  My computer is clean ( Im open for suggestions on other scans if you still feel I have malware).

It is definitely sound related (IMO) because if I end process on that System I lose sound in  AH.  I have reinstalled Audigy ZS drivers, which seems to work once, and then the next boot Im back to this annoying "System" process running.

My next plan of attack is to go into msconfig and do a selective startup  and get rid of any of the non essential startup program. Maybe there is something there that needs a service to run, and the service isnt there???

BTW I do NOT have this problem on a full blown boot up with everything running ( all 31 services).

Balsy

[Balsy]

Update,

Ok went to msconfig, select startup, unchecked system ini, win ini, and disabled all start up items.

Only thing that still loads is nvsvc32, even if i disable it the thing still comes up. I can end process in Task Manager.  Down to a measly 13 process running.

"System" still pinging my cpu every 5 seconds on some boots. Not all , but some.


I have to say the PC is running really lean, and when this "system" thing isnt happening its the best I've been playing AH

I just want to know what the Frig this program is thats pingin my cpu?


Balsy

[Flatbar]

Google is yo friend...

http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/nvsvc32.exe.html

This is an nVidia app that runs if you have selected anything other than the default settings on the card. If you OC the vid card or use antiailiasing or other features this app will be running.

You might be able to get rid of it if you set the vid card to 'run these settings on start up' rather than picking a profile after startup.

I have this app running on my 3.2g machine with a Gf6800GT card and don't have any issues as you have described. I do get stutters but I think it's a skins issue since my stutters only happen when a previously unseen con gets close enough for the skin to render.

[Skuzzy]

You have any power management enabled?  Screen savers?  Themes?

Is the hard drive active during the hits?

[Balsy]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
You have any power management enabled?  Screen savers?  Themes?

Is the hard drive active during the hits?

No themes, XP Screen savers starts after 15 minutes and no the hard drive is not taking hits, just the CPU. The wierd thing is it starts happening immediately upon complete boot up...so I dont think it would be relatedt to the screen saver.

I have now disabled the nvidia service which did stop that one nvsvc from popping up.

It happened on 2 of 3 boots yesterday, and again on the second boot.

So boot 1 and 2, 4, wth 3 and 5 being rock solid.. no problems yersterday

Update: booted this morning twice.. first time "clean" 2nd time my little friend is back taking whacks at my cpu on ~5 second pattern.

How do I check what is utilzing the "System" service?

The mystery continuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuessssss ss.

[Skuzzy]

Have you ever activated the .NET service?  Used anything that required .NET?

[StarOfAfrica2]

Just because you turn Norton off from the taskbar, dont think its off.  Its not.  Its still there, still running.  You cant escape that easy.  

Besides the obvious question of why you are running Avast AND Norton at the same time ...........

My guess would be one of those programs that are still running have some component they are looking for that has been disabled.  Start the computer with NOTHING loading at startup, prevent Norton and Avast and ZoneAlarm and anything else you have from running, and see if you still have a problem.  Dont just shut them off at the taskbar, keep them from ever starting in the rirst place.

[Balsy]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
Have you ever activated the .NET service?  Used anything that required .NET?

Not to my knowledge, is there a way I can check to make sure?

I strictly use this PC for AH, no MS office etc....only other "program" on it is Quicken.

XP PRO
Fx53
Corsair XMS 1gig
Asus Sli Deluxe
BFG 6800 GT


Balsy

[Balsy]

Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
Just because you turn Norton off from the taskbar, dont think its off.  Its not.  Its still there, still running.  You cant escape that easy.  

Besides the obvious question of why you are running Avast AND Norton at the same time ...........

My guess would be one of those programs that are still running have some component they are looking for that has been disabled.  Start the computer with NOTHING loading at startup, prevent Norton and Avast and ZoneAlarm and anything else you have from running, and see if you still have a problem.  Dont just shut them off at the taskbar, keep them from ever starting in the rirst place.

StarOAfrica,

Read my earlier posts, I am booting to a specific Hardware profile with NOTHING but 13 processes running, NO startups. Then Im going into msconfig, and doing a selective startup with no System.ini or Win.ini files.
There is NOTHING running on my system except essential windows services except for the CH CMCTRL software.    I guess I can boot with out that also and see if that may be the issue.  Beyond that Im at a complete loss.

Further, I dloaded and used avast (for its boot time scan) and then promptly removed it.

[StarOfAfrica2]

Originally posted by Balsy

I have set up a separate hardware profile "Aces High" and shut down all the non essential services (got it down to 15 with my CH software running).  When I boot up under this profile, I still get zone alarm that starts up which I shut down inthe task bar, and a norton antirus program which I can end in the task manager.

Balsy

Sorry, what did I miss now?  According to your post (which I re-read as you asked me to), your "special" hardware profile still has ZoneAlarm and Norton running, which you shut down from the taskbar.  If this is not the case, if I am misunderstanding you, I apologize, but thats how you wrote it.

[Balsy]

Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
Sorry, what did I miss now?  According to your post (which I re-read as you asked me to), your "special" hardware profile still has ZoneAlarm and Norton running, which you shut down from the taskbar.  If this is not the case, if I am misunderstanding you, I apologize, but thats how you wrote it.

No problem...I am already doing what you suggested, I may not have written it well.

Absolutely nothing is starting up now when I boot (outside of 13 essential services) And I still have the issue.  Any suggestions are welcome.

Balsy

[StarOfAfrica2]

Then if you have that few processes left running and you are still getting a spike up to 15% of CPU usage, I'd almost bet on some sort of spyware (I include .NET as spyware).  I know you ran the popular suite of detectors, but they dont always find everything.

Try this.

http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/index.html

The free download is awesome, the full version will blow you away.  It shows you EVERYTHING, hidden or not, thats running on your computer.  Ite tells you what it does.  It tells you what its linked to.  It evaluates files for liklihood of being spyware or viruses (not necessarily good at that part, but the descriptions will find out spyware 99% of the time anyway).

[Balsy]

Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
Then if you have that few processes left running and you are still getting a spike up to 15% of CPU usage, I'd almost bet on some sort of spyware (I include .NET as spyware).  I know you ran the popular suite of detectors, but they dont always find everything.

Try this.

http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/index.html

The free download is awesome, the full version will blow you away.  It shows you EVERYTHING, hidden or not, thats running on your computer.  Ite tells you what it does.  It tells you what its linked to.  It evaluates files for liklihood of being spyware or viruses (not necessarily good at that part, but the descriptions will find out spyware 99% of the time anyway).

Thanks for the link and the program. It doesnt show me the program that is hitting my cpu.  I even quarantined anything in red (one norton shell program), and shut off CH control manager. Still same behaviour.

Any other ideas?

[StarOfAfrica2]

Has to be something in the Administrator functions then.  There are services you can turn on and off as Administrator that dont always have processes showing.  One good guide to which services are safe to shut down is

http://www.tweakguides.com

Click on the System Guides link and download the Companion.  Its .pdf format, and very comprehensive on what to do to tune up Windows XP.  

You might also check this one

http://www.butlert.com/kenyon/setup.html

He has some messed up ideas about some things, but even if some of his education is lacking, his ideas still work.  The first one is what led me to this website.  I havent looked at it for some time, but his description of the System Restore problem sounds like yours.

[38ruk]

Go to taskmanager , hit processes tab /view /updatespeed / and turn it to high . Some time a precess will hit quick enought that it wont register on normal speed . Ive had processes hit the cpu that i couldnt see until i turned it up .   38