Rc5 Keyrate way down.

[Schola]

I just installed windows 2000 on my c466 w/ 128mb of ram. Under win98se I used to get like 1.2mkeys a second but now I only get anywhere from 200,000 to 900,000. The only things runnin in the systray are Motoral SM56 Modem software, AIM, and RC5. Windows is optimized for applications and not services. Is there anything special I schould know. I did not notice this kind of slow down with my main machine, a T-Bird 700.

This machine is getting a ram upgrade to, it will have 224 by the end of the week or so.
Thanks
schola

 

[JonB]

The added RAM won't make a noticeable difference. Something is stealing CPU times, and it may be some service that isn't happy.

First, look in your Task Manager, Processes tab, and see what is using CPU time. Not just the CPU column, but the CPU Time (accumulated time) column. If your computer has been on for several hours with no known activity, then DNETC should have 98% or higher of the accumulated time.

Second, look in the Event Viewer. It will tell you about services or programs that are having problems. I found that my DHCP service was not running properly and hogging a lot of time trying to fix itself. Since I wasn't using my computer's DHCP, I put it in Manual, and the problem was solved.

Third, there are some common time stealers. Find Fast is the worst, because you don't get anything of value for the CPU time it steals. Defragging uses time, but at least there is a benefit. Games use time, but man does not live by cracking alone.

When I am not on my Win2Kpro T-Bird computer, DNETC gets 99.7% of CPU time. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

[efun]

"Games use time, but man does not live by cracking alone"

sure he does dig out one of those old p133's for games and see how your keyrate improves

 

[DanC]

<< but man does not live by cracking alone >>

.

WHAAAAAT?????!!!!! :Q

 

[Schola]

I don't use this machine to play games, I am on spring break.This is my moms machine that I built for her. I only use it to surf the web and to find info in my quest to use/understand Linux.


JonB: Dnetc.exe has probably around 90 of the cpu time. The only other thing that has a large percentage is stisvc.exe which is probably 9 percent of the remaining 10 percent. I have no clue to what it is though. Everything else is nominal. The dnet process is running in the high 80's to mid 90's for cpu colum, with that stisvc.exe taking the remaining portion but not always at 10 or so. Somtimes less. Hope this helps.

Thanks
schola

 

[efun]

something is wrong with stisvc.exe I have my win2k box thats been running for 3 weeks or so and that hasnt even gotten a second of cpu time yet. I'd look into that one.

 

[JonB]

Here is the culprit's usage. It looks for scanners and cameras. It is busily waiting for one to connect. The icon is probably in the Systray. Try right clicking on it and disabling it to see if you rate improves.

stisvc.exe > WDM StillImage- > Service

 

[Schola]

Well there is a scanner attached to this machine, it is a Umax Astra 610P Parell Port. However ther is no icon or anything in the systray, all that is in the systray is the windows sound icon, the sm56 modem icon, ethernet icon, aim, dialup icon and the rc5. So what schould I be looking for then. Here is a screenshot with the task manager and everything else.

http://www.geocities.com/hcndeehan/desktop/desktop.jpg

 

[JonB]

Well, I have a UMAX scanner also, but it has a small icon in my systray. It also uses about 30 seconds of CPU time per day for that luxury. I can right click on it and choose different scan functions quickly.

Anyway, I would check to see if turning the scanner on or off affects CPU time. Also, if it is a shared parallel port, is the printer on or off. Are you using a IEEE 1284 printer cable so that it can communicate efficiently with the scanner? Is your printer port set for Standard, ECP or EPP in the BIOS?

Personally, I'd kill &quot;stisvc.exe&quot; in the Task Manager and see if it causes problems. It will come back on the next reboot since it is starting as a service. You said it is your Mom's computer, so how much crap will you take for messing around on it?

 

[Schola]

<< Well, I have a UMAX scanner also, but it has a small icon in my systray. It also uses about 30 seconds of CPU time per day for that luxury. I can right click on it and choose different scan functions quickly >>



Well when I installed it, I just went to control pane --> scanners and digital cameras, and of the two listed that w2k supported this was one of them, so i just used that driver.



<< Personally, I'd kill &quot;stisvc.exe&quot; in the Task Manager and see if it causes problems. It will come back on the next reboot since it is starting as a service. You said it is your Mom's computer, so how much crap will you take for messing around on it? >>



I will go ahead a kill the process then and see what it does. She doesn't care what I do to the machine really.



<< Anyway, I would check to see if turning the scanner on or off affects CPU time. Also, if it is a shared parallel port, is the printer on or off. Are you using a IEEE 1284 printer cable so that it can communicate efficiently with the scanner? Is your printer port set for Standard, ECP or EPP in the BIOS? >>



Unfortunatly there is no on or off button, the only way I used to be able to turn the lamp off was to run this vista scan software that came with it, but I don't know where it went. Its probably boxed up somewhere in the basement. The printer is connected to the back of the scanner but is currently off, it is using one of those heavy duty purple PP cables w/ gold leads that the suckers at BB like to sell you. The scanner is connected by your average PP cable that I scrounged up in the basement. As for the setting of the Parell Port, I have no idea, but I will reboot and find out what it is set to in the Bios.

Thanks
schola

 

[Schola]

Well I tried to kill the thread but it gave me this error.
The operation could not be completed. Access is denied.
I am logged in as administrator so I don't know why it won't let me kill the thread.

schola

 

[JonB]

When an application won't die from the Task Manager, it is usually because it has &quot;dependencies&quot; on something else you didn't or couldn't kill.

I'll take a look when I get home and see if I can come up with more info.

 

[Schola]

Thank You

schola

 

[JonB]

OK, I'm at home (had to flush some OGR buffers before 5pm) and there is a service in my list called &quot;Still Image Service.&quot; It is what loads stisvc.exe on bootup.

Mine is set to Manual as a startup type, so it isn't currently loaded or running. Try setting it as Manual, then reboot. It shouldn't load unless some program specifically needs it.

If you find that it is still running after reboot, take a look in your Startup Folder(s) for Scanner programs that are loading on startup. Move them out of the startup folder, reboot once again, and see how it looks.

 

[mindless]

Try stopping the 'Still Image Service' (Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Services). Thats what uses the stisvc.exe and you should be able to stop it there.

 

[Schola]

Ok, I went ahead a set that to manual. So when every I decide to scan in a image it will turn back on, so that I can scan right? There is not any scanning software in start up so I don't have to worry about that.

Thanks you all.
schola