Audio and image stuttering issue
I've been scratching my head over this for a few months, but I have a system that presents a very odd issue. When the computer has been on without reboot for a few days, the audio and video will begin to stutter. It sounds like gets hung up and freezes in spots, and visually it freezes as well (video, mouse, keyboard, whole kit and kaboodle). Occasionally, the stuttering gets to the point where the keyboard won't input all of its keys when typing, and it just picks up again after the brief freeze. It doesn't matter what is being used, anything from Spotify to Windows Media Player to YouTube will stutter, and even without sound or video, the keyboard and mouse will freeze on screen briefly, stuttering as they would if something is being played. This happens system wide, it doesn't matter what program I'm using.
Usually, a reboot will fix this problem briefly, but it occurs again a few days later. I wasn't going to be bothered by this because it never got worse and I was the only one experiencing this, but recently one of my customers, with the same build and image as mine, started having the same issue. We have tried uninstalling the video drivers and installing the newest drivers, swapping out video cards to rule out faulty hardware, and we have even taken the hard drive out of the tower completely and put it in a new tower (still the same build, however). It still has this stuttering problem even after all this. Unlike mine, this customer's problem doesn't go away for a few days after rebooting, and is near constant.
I'm not sure what the cause is and I don't know where to go from here. This is a Dell Precision T1700 running 64-bit Windows 7, with an NVIDIA Quadro K420 graphics card, 8GB DDR3 RAM, a 512GB SATA Solid State drive, and an Intel i7 quad core processor, as is the customer's build.
Any ideas?
Usually, a reboot will fix this problem briefly, but it occurs again a few days later. I wasn't going to be bothered by this because it never got worse and I was the only one experiencing this, but recently one of my customers, with the same build and image as mine, started having the same issue. We have tried uninstalling the video drivers and installing the newest drivers, swapping out video cards to rule out faulty hardware, and we have even taken the hard drive out of the tower completely and put it in a new tower (still the same build, however). It still has this stuttering problem even after all this. Unlike mine, this customer's problem doesn't go away for a few days after rebooting, and is near constant.
I'm not sure what the cause is and I don't know where to go from here. This is a Dell Precision T1700 running 64-bit Windows 7, with an NVIDIA Quadro K420 graphics card, 8GB DDR3 RAM, a 512GB SATA Solid State drive, and an Intel i7 quad core processor, as is the customer's build.
Any ideas?
Did you run an Antivirus scan on your system ?
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ASKER
No viruses, we have a regular scan so that would have been picked up. I'll try clearing out temp files and monitoring CPU usage. As far as the temp files, it will take a few days to see if this works, because as I stated, rebooting fixes the problem for me for a few days, and I'd like to test this on my machine before going to the customer.
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It's possible your system is overheating?
Is it full of dust?
Does your video card have a fan that isn't working or your cpu fan not working?
Is it full of dust?
Does your video card have a fan that isn't working or your cpu fan not working?
i recommend Always rebooting all pc's everyday at least
is this a problem for you ?
is this a problem for you ?
ASKER
Ron, considering we exchanged the entire tower, it is not a matter of overheating or dust. It happens on at least three different machines.
Nobus, as an enterprise, yes :) the customers may have work up and they lock over night. I can recommend rebooting, but I cannot make this happen every day.
Ramin, I am have started this and I am waiting to see if this works.
Nobus, as an enterprise, yes :) the customers may have work up and they lock over night. I can recommend rebooting, but I cannot make this happen every day.
Ramin, I am have started this and I am waiting to see if this works.
Take one problem machine, reimage it and install up to date software and then see if this works for this one machine.
ASKER
John, we tried this as well. It still continued.
In addition, Nobus, please note that I also stated the customer rebooting doesn't fix the problem for her.
In addition, Nobus, please note that I also stated the customer rebooting doesn't fix the problem for her.
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well - if you have a program with a memory leak - this is the kind of thing that happens
then you have 2 options : find the cause, or reboot regularly
you can use msconfig to disable all programs on startup - and see if it happens again, for starting to troubleshoot
then you have 2 options : find the cause, or reboot regularly
you can use msconfig to disable all programs on startup - and see if it happens again, for starting to troubleshoot
ASKER
So to report:
I ran sfc /scannow and chkdsk /r/f, and we ran CCleaner. We have cleared all temporary files, disabled audio, checked drivers for both audio and video (all have been reinstalled and are up to date), process explorer doesn't show any anomalies when the stuttering happens, and nothing interesting comes up in the event logs either. CPU and memory usage is low even when the stuttering happens.
I don't know if the hardware stress will do it since we've swapped out towers and video cards, but I'll see if we can arrange to do that.
Thank you, everyone, for your input and continued assistance.
I ran sfc /scannow and chkdsk /r/f, and we ran CCleaner. We have cleared all temporary files, disabled audio, checked drivers for both audio and video (all have been reinstalled and are up to date), process explorer doesn't show any anomalies when the stuttering happens, and nothing interesting comes up in the event logs either. CPU and memory usage is low even when the stuttering happens.
I don't know if the hardware stress will do it since we've swapped out towers and video cards, but I'll see if we can arrange to do that.
Thank you, everyone, for your input and continued assistance.
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ASKER
Thank you, dbrunton. It's not overheating and as I stated, there's nothing showing there is any throttling. We maybe can try a different video card but we don't have that on hand. I don't think it's hardware, however.
If you are sure it is not hardware and you said you have done a fresh install, and further the basic specs are fine, then:
1. There is a legacy software or incompatible software issue.
2. The design of the hardware is faulty.
1. There is a legacy software or incompatible software issue.
2. The design of the hardware is faulty.
...this may seem like a strange question but the problem is already strange so here goes...
There isnt a portable fan plugged in to a battery backup nearby is there?
There isnt a portable fan plugged in to a battery backup nearby is there?
what about my post? --> memory leak ?
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Ron, there is on mine, but not on my customer's. I'll see what happens when I leave mine unplugged.
Nobus, nothing indicates a memory leak.
joinaunion:
Diagnostics Completed
Hardware
CMOS
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
CMOSChecksum Test Passed
CMOSPattern Test Passed
CPU
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Register Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Level 2 Cache Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Math Register Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)MMX Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE2 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE3 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSSE3 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE4.1 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE4.2 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)AVX Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)AVX2 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Prime Number Generation Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Floating Point Unit Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Stress Test Passed
DVD-RW Drive
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceDRAM Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceFlash ROM Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceMain IC Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceTray Out Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceSpindle Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceTray In Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceOPU Test Cannot Run
HD Audio Controller
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
High Definition Audio ControllerPCI Express Status Test Passed
High Definition Audio ControllerPCI Express Status Test Passed
High Definition Audio ControllerPCI Express Status Test Passed
Hub
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
Keyboard
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Dell USB Entry KeyboardUSB Status Test Passed
Memory
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
System MemoryPattern Test Passed
System MemoryWalking Ones Left Test Passed
System MemoryWalking Ones Right Test Passed
System MemoryAuxiliary Pattern Test Passed
System MemoryBit Low Test Passed
System MemoryBit High Test Passed
System MemoryNibble Move Test Passed
System MemoryCheckerboard Test Passed
System MemoryMoving Inversion Test Passed
System MemoryModulo20 Test Passed
System MemoryAddress Test Passed
System MemoryWindows Memory Test Passed
System MemoryAdvanced Pattern Test Passed
Mouse
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
USB Optical MouseUSB Status Test Passed
Network Card
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I217-LMTCP/IP Internal Loopback Test Passed
PCI Bus
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
PCI SubsystemConfiguration Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) Xeon(R) processor E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core processor PCI Express x16 Controller - 0C01PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series PCI Express Root Port #1 - 8C10PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series PCI Express Root Port #2 - 8C12PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series PCI Express Root Port #5 - 8C18PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
PCI standard PCI-to-PCI bridgePCI Express Status Test Passed
Sound Card
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Polycom CX600USB Status Test Passed
Hard Drive
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Status Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Thresholds Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceTargeted Read Test (SSD) Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceRandom Seek Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceLinear Read Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceLinear Read Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Short Self Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Thresholds Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceRandom Seek Test Passed
System Board
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
System BoardRTC Accuracy Test Passed
Video Card
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
NVIDIA Quadro K420Video Memory Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420GPU Pipeline Data Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Shader Rendering Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Fixed Transformation and Lighting Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Wireframe Line Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Wireframe Shader Rendering Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Shader Rendering DX10 Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Shader Rendering DX11 Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Multiple Rendering DX9 Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Primary Surface Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Standard Mathematical Operations Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Advanced Mathematical Operations Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Memory Fault Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Address Fault Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Address Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Moving Inversion Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Pattern Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Block Move Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Random Number Sequence Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420PCI Express Status Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Transformation and Lighting Stress Test Passed
The only anomaly was the DVD drive but it passed in a quick test after this.
Tony, the pagefile is managed by Windows.
Nobus, nothing indicates a memory leak.
joinaunion:
Diagnostics Completed
Hardware
CMOS
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
CMOSChecksum Test Passed
CMOSPattern Test Passed
CPU
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Register Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Level 2 Cache Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Math Register Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)MMX Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE2 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE3 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSSE3 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE4.1 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)SSE4.2 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)AVX Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)AVX2 Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Prime Number Generation Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Floating Point Unit Test Passed
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz (CPU:0)Stress Test Passed
DVD-RW Drive
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceDRAM Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceFlash ROM Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceMain IC Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceTray Out Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceSpindle Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceTray In Test Passed
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GHB0N SCSI CdRom DeviceOPU Test Cannot Run
HD Audio Controller
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
High Definition Audio ControllerPCI Express Status Test Passed
High Definition Audio ControllerPCI Express Status Test Passed
High Definition Audio ControllerPCI Express Status Test Passed
Hub
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
USB HubUSB Status Test Passed
Keyboard
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Dell USB Entry KeyboardUSB Status Test Passed
Memory
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
System MemoryPattern Test Passed
System MemoryWalking Ones Left Test Passed
System MemoryWalking Ones Right Test Passed
System MemoryAuxiliary Pattern Test Passed
System MemoryBit Low Test Passed
System MemoryBit High Test Passed
System MemoryNibble Move Test Passed
System MemoryCheckerboard Test Passed
System MemoryMoving Inversion Test Passed
System MemoryModulo20 Test Passed
System MemoryAddress Test Passed
System MemoryWindows Memory Test Passed
System MemoryAdvanced Pattern Test Passed
Mouse
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
USB Optical MouseUSB Status Test Passed
Network Card
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I217-LMTCP/IP Internal Loopback Test Passed
PCI Bus
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
PCI SubsystemConfiguration Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) Xeon(R) processor E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core processor PCI Express x16 Controller - 0C01PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series PCI Express Root Port #1 - 8C10PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series PCI Express Root Port #2 - 8C12PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series PCI Express Root Port #5 - 8C18PCI Express Status Test Passed
PCI Bridge
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
PCI standard PCI-to-PCI bridgePCI Express Status Test Passed
Sound Card
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
Polycom CX600USB Status Test Passed
Hard Drive
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Status Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Thresholds Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceTargeted Read Test (SSD) Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceRandom Seek Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceLinear Read Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceLinear Read Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Short Self Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceSMART Thresholds Test Passed
LITEONIT LCT-512L9S-11 22 SCSI Disk DeviceRandom Seek Test Passed
System Board
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
System BoardRTC Accuracy Test Passed
Video Card
Hardware TypeDiagnostic NameResult
NVIDIA Quadro K420Video Memory Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420GPU Pipeline Data Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Shader Rendering Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Fixed Transformation and Lighting Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Wireframe Line Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Wireframe Shader Rendering Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Shader Rendering DX10 Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Shader Rendering DX11 Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Multiple Rendering DX9 Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Primary Surface Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Standard Mathematical Operations Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Advanced Mathematical Operations Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Memory Fault Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Address Fault Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Address Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Moving Inversion Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Pattern Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Block Move Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Random Number Sequence Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420PCI Express Status Test Passed
NVIDIA Quadro K420Transformation and Lighting Stress Test Passed
The only anomaly was the DVD drive but it passed in a quick test after this.
Tony, the pagefile is managed by Windows.
Last thought.
What type of keyboard and mouse do these systems have?
If they are not standard USB types (you might have wireless ones) then try standard USB keyboard and mouse.
What type of keyboard and mouse do these systems have?
If they are not standard USB types (you might have wireless ones) then try standard USB keyboard and mouse.
Can you confirm if you have current video driver by running auto detect here,
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Scan.aspx?lang=en-us
Also in bios settings you should disable the onboard video.
Please post back results.
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Scan.aspx?lang=en-us
Also in bios settings you should disable the onboard video.
Please post back results.
ASKER
Thank you, we think changing the pagefile helped the most, but we were unable to continue seeking a solution to the actual problem and updated to Windows 10 for those afflicted machines. If this happens again, we might be able to continue working towards a real solution, but thus far there is none. Thank you to those who contributed greatly.
Now run Disk Cleanup from Admin Tools and select all the folders to clean up temporary folders.
Shut down, start up, and test.