100% cpu with no processes using it

[370forlife]

My primary hard drive will not go into DMA mode, just PIO mode.

I've heard somewhere that it can cause your cpu to shoot up to 100% cpu usage. I've been having this problem lately. The cpu usage will shoot up to 50-60% cpu usage (only uses 1 thread at 100%,) and it seems to only happen when a certain program that sounds similar to uflorrent is running.

Running Process explorer, it shows that it is the hardware interrupts that are sucking up the cpu when the program that sounds like uflorrent is opened.

Any Ideas?

[gg1978]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

If you're stuck in PIO mode, the CPU has to mediate every transfer to/from the hard drive directly.. WHether it's 2kB or 2GB. Then again, windows usually does 64K at a time, but whatever.. I'd try reverting back to the standard MS supplied IDE/SATA driver, whatever it may be, and maybe replace the data cable if that doesn't work.. You're really tanking your performance with that kind of thing going on.. I've got a dying Samsung DVDROM drive that's in PIO mode, but i hardly notice it because i just use my DVD burner instead.. I really need to replace it..

[NxB]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

Your driver is messed up. Hard drive or cable could be going belly up but I'd check this first. I had this problem with the via 4in1 drivers a long long time ago. Torrent does a lot of disk accesses which are horribly slow in PIO mode. Windows in general barely runs in pio mode.


To cause Windows to attempt to reinitialize the protected-mode IDE driver:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
2. Locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\IOS
3. In the right pane, right-click the NOIDE value, and then click Delete.
4. Quit Registry Editor.


If XP got rid of the NOIDE key try reinstalling the IDE driver or reverting.

[370forlife]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

It is because it is stuck in pio mode.

I have 2 hard drives on this cable, my old 60gig as the slave, and the 80gig as the master, and the 60gig is running in UDMA4, and the 80gig is running in PIO.

Do you think it is because of my cable?

[Wizard]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

1. What is this board? Does matter.

2. Always replace the 80 wire IDE cable to confirm and reset the NOIDE and see if it fixes. If not. Replace both hard drives. 60GB and 80GB are bit old drives now. Did you insure that both drives jumper are set to CS? This is requirement of 80 wire cabling setup.

3. What is your power supply?

Cheers, Wizard

[NxB]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

>>This is requirement of 80 wire cabling setup.

Strangely enough I've been setting my drives to master/slave forever and ever and not had a problem. Only had weird issues when both drives were set to CS. A lot of customers come in with it set up this way though.

I wouldn't say to replace both drives right away. You could upgrade and be stuck with a 500gb with the same problem.
Run Hiren's boot cd and test the drives, but before you do that replace the cable. Also try testing the drives together and individually.

[370forlife]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

1. What is this board? Does matter.

2. Always replace the 80 wire IDE cable to confirm and reset the NOIDE and see if it fixes. If not. Replace both hard drives. 60GB and 80GB are bit old drives now. Did you insure that both drives jumper are set to CS? This is requirement of 80 wire cabling setup.

3. What is your power supply?

Cheers, Wizard

Following NxB's instructions, the VxD entry wasn't in there for some reason.

>>What is your power supply?<<

Delta DPS-700

[370forlife]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

Har-Har!!!

It twas el cable.

[Wizard]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

Mainboard model #?

Some are notorious to have issues, some good. Is firmware up to date as well?

And what is the hard drives models for 60GB and 80GB?

Cheers, Wizard

[Toasty]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

I didn't think you could (or should) mix modes on one cable. Had this problem with older CD ROM drive on same cable with hard drive. Hard drive was dreadfully slow until I moved CD to the other IDE port.

Toast

Edit: Good, you got it working! What cable type were you using and what did you replace it with?

[370forlife]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

Supermicro X6DAL-G

Its working now, was the cable. Switched to a 80pin, its now running both at UDMA-5.

The 60gig is a Hitachi 5400rpm 2mb cache, the 80gig is a Western Digital 7200rpm 8mb cache.

[dood]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

I didn't think you could (or should) mix modes on one cable. Had this problem with older CD ROM drive on same cable with hard drive. Hard drive was dreadfully slow until I moved CD to the other IDE port.

Toast

Edit: Good, you got it working! What cable type were you using and what did you replace it with?

You can mix devices with different modes on the same channel, but both devices will be limited to the speed of the slowest device. That CD drive was probably ATA/33, which would make the HD run at ATA/33, even if it was capable of ATA/100 or more.

[Wizard]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

Yeah, what was old cable?

Good thing you tried the cable.

Cheers, Wizard

[370forlife]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

Yeah, what was old cable?

Good thing you tried the cable.

Cheers, Wizard

It was some generic 40pin ide cable from a old compaq, but it was braided.

[Wizard]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

40 wire cable is PIOx only. 80 wire is *required* when running UDMA and above.

This is reasons why I have not run into this issue with this policy.

Cheers, Wizard

[jpdoe]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

message erased.

[gdement]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

40 wire cable is PIOx only. 80 wire is *required* when running UDMA and above.

This is reasons why I have not run into this issue with this policy.

Cheers, Wizard

It's not required for ATA33, so that should have worked if the cable was in good shape.

[severach]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

40 wire cable is PIOx only. 80 wire is *required* when running UDMA and above.

The 40 wire cable is suitable for several non-Ultra DMA modes which are plenty fast for most purposes and noticeably better than any PIO mode. The 80 wire cable is only required for the Ultra DMA modes.

http://en.kioskea.net/contents/pc/ide-ata.php3

[NxB]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

I try to stay away from 40 wire cables. A working 40 is better than a screwed up 80 tho.

[Nama]

Re: 100% cpu with no processes using it

I may be completely off here but "System Idle Processes" is supposed to keep your pcu at 99%.