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[glynor]

Interesting.  I turned off virtual memory paging file and so far memory usage (1/2 day) has been stable.

Don't do this.

[jmone]

Task Scheduler had a GoogleUpdateTask that was trying to reinstall the toolbar that I'd cleaned out (so it would fail and try again each hour).  I've now just disabled the schedule as well.

[jmone]

Don't do this.

Seems the advice from MS has changed a bit over the years and that your page file size should decrease as your RAM grow.  They even suggest that if you have enough RAM for your Peak Commit then a page file size should be no larger than what is needed for a Crash Dump. http://www.tweakhound.com/2011/10/10/the-windows-7-pagefile-and-running-without-one/

..... To optimally size your paging file you should start all the applications you run at the same time, load typical data sets, and then note the commit charge peak (or look at this value after a period of time where you know maximum load was attained). Set the paging file minimum to be that value minus the amount of RAM in your system (if the value is negative, pick a minimum size to permit the kind of crash dump you are configured for). If you want to have some breathing room for potentially large commit demands, set the maximum to double that number..

To test I just disabled (instead of trying to work out a Crash Dump config size yet).  So far this is what it looks like at the end of the working day with all the front end apps closed.  Much better.... and no slugishness, but lets see how it goes over the Weekend without a reboot.

[6233638]

If you don't already, I highly recommend that when you set up the system again, you use a restricted user account (rather than administrator) and leave UAC on at the highest level.
Unless they are no longer available, I would re-download anything you plan on installing on the system.

Seems the advice from MS has changed a bit over the years and that your page file size should decrease as your RAM grow.  They even suggest that if you have enough RAM for your Peak Commit then a page file size should be no larger than what is needed for a Crash Dump. http://www.tweakhound.com/2011/10/10/the-windows-7-pagefile-and-running-without-one/

No matter how much RAM you have, you should still leave the page file enabled - just let the system manage it. If disabling the page file fixes your problem, something is seriously wrong with your system. I'd recommend wiping it again if you're already infected with malware.

[jmone]

FYI - when I upgraded to 8.1 Trend Micro was not compatible and there was plenty of advice that the std MS security suite was fine.  I've now reinstalled Trend and doing a full scan of the main SSD just in case.....  and it all came up clean.  I've also re-enabled the page file so lets see....

Edit - Then did a scan of the 30TB Media Drives and saw all free memory disappear at about 1GB per minute into "Standby" memory.  My PC then started slowing down then blue screen (I guess page file filled up as well). 

I have no idea what is eating the memory like this.  I've now uninstalled the Intel LAN Drivers.... but I'm just guessing....  I have no issue on the other 8.1 PC's

[jmone]

I'm also getting these errors in Event Viewer

Faulting application name: JRService.exe, version: 19.0.86.0, time stamp: 0x529e651f
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, version: 6.3.9600.16408, time stamp: 0x523d45fa
Exception code: 0xc00000fd
Fault offset: 0x0003f756
Faulting process ID: 0x1fe8
Faulting application start time: 0x01cef19cb386924c
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\J River\Media Center 19\JRService.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll
Report ID: f19ee4cc-5d8f-11e3-826a-c86000ed0003
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

[6233638]

FYI - when I upgraded to 8.1 Trend Micro was not compatible and there was plenty of advice that the std MS security suite was fine.  I've now reinstalled Trend and doing a full scan of the main SSD just in case.....  and it all came up clean.  I've also re-enabled the page file so lets see....

Edit - Then did a scan of the 30TB Media Drives and saw all free memory disappear at about 1GB per minute into "Standby" memory.  My PC then started slowing down then blue screen (I guess page file filled up as well). 

I have no idea what is eating the memory like this.  I've now uninstalled the Intel LAN Drivers.... but I'm just guessing....  I have no issue on the other 8.1 PC's

It seems like malware would be the most likely culprit, and personally I've never had any issues with Microsoft's own anti-virus/anti-malware. But I run on a restricted account and check anything that's being run/installed.

[glynor]

FYI - when I upgraded to 8.1 Trend Micro was not compatible and there was plenty of advice that the std MS security suite was fine.  I've now reinstalled Trend and doing a full scan of the main SSD just in case.....  and it all came up clean.  I've also re-enabled the page file so lets see....

Neither of these will find things not classified as "viruses" by the AV industry, but which may still be "malware".  I'd run a pass of MalwareBytes.

[jmone]

I had already used MalwareBytes to remove the stuff that got installed.....

Anyway, I'm doing another pave/nuke to be sure but I'm now starting to wonder if the one of the lower level drivers (eg HDD) is causing the leak... as I could crash the PC just doing a file scan using in Trend.  

So the plan is to get just Win8.1 installed an updated, the
- backup / set a restore point
- test
- install one app / drive at a time
- repeat

[JimH]

Does your wife seem happy this week?

We could send her a gift.

[jmone]

Does your wife seem happy this week?

They don't know the half of it!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jan-cloninger-and-rosemary-strembicki-lcsw/how-is-technology-affecting-your-family_b_3915849.html

We could send her a gift.

New Husband?

[jmone]

The good news is I'm about half way through re-installing all the progs and the Memory Allocation seems to be working as it should.  I've just done the MC reinstall and had memory being eaten and released just fine during rebuilding the thumbnails.

[jmone]

I'm also setting up a VM (Win7) on this PC to test / run some of the shareware stuff.....just in case...

[jmone]

OK - all back up with the exception of the shareware stuff that is in a VM to see if they play nice first (I notice many of the sourceforge stuff has "option" spyware bundled these days).  Here is my Day 0 Mem Useage so lets see how it goes!  I've also got Restore Points and WHS backups at a few stages of the restore if needed.

[jmone]

It is looking pretty stable, and I'm not seeing any slow downs but did see memory usage grow overnight (but it was released when shutting apps).  The one that really changed from startup was MC and it went from:

On startup (with MC Server Only running): 43K Commit, 19K Working Set
1 Day Later (with MC Server Only running): 1,096K Commit, 306K Working Set

Now MC had done a bit that day doing file mgt, importing, deleting, serving Library Servers, Gizmo and Playing Locally (mostly all video).

[InflatableMouse]

But how is that vm looking?

[jmone]

Fine so far.  However I've only run it when required + I reaaaaly paid attention to the optional crapware some of the applications "asks" to install.   No sign of any adware so far but I'll let them live in the VM where possible just in case.

[jmone]

Uggg.... MS Office Apps (Outlook, Word, Excell) are all being generally unresponsive (slow to do stuff like move a col or even selecting stuff to cut and paste) again so I had to reboot (now fine).  I'm now wondering if it is Citrix Receiver that I use to remote into work when not on site (it is a work day today and I did not use it on the Weekend).  Citrix Receiver has issues with the latest version of IE so I switched to Chrome at this point.  Off course I'm just guessing.  I'll see how it goes today but then I'm off for the rest of the week.

Edit: Citrix Reciever will "work" in IE11 but you run it in compatibility mode + in private.

[6233638]

Does it have to be Chrome? I wouldn't let that get on my system...

[jmone]

...I presume they will eventually fix it with IE and I "presume" other web browsers are fine.  I'm really don't care about browsers as IE had always been OK for what I do, what is wrong with Chrome?

[6233638]

what is wrong with Chrome?

Well, Google is an advertising company. They may have many other products and services, but these are really all just to create a better profile of you for advertising purposes - that's their main source of revenue. It's why Gmail, YouTube, and all their other services are trying to push you into using Google+.
 
So why hand over all your browsing habits to a company which has a history of repeatedly breaking and ignoring privacy laws?
Even after they have been caught, fined, and told to destroy that data, they hold onto it.
 
And frankly, I just don't think Chrome is a very good browser. Back when they started out and had the most barebones product on the market, sure it was quicker than the rest, because it was doing far less. These days it's not any faster or more memory efficient than the other browsers - it may appear that way due to its split process architecture though.

[6233638]

Oh look, it's happened again: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-privacy-features-android-shortly-after-adding-them

[jmone]

Problem Solved (I think) - It is a memory leak in the NIC - more in this thread - http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=85926.0

[JimH]

This may be an important discovery.  It could explain some other Win 8.1 problems.  Thanks for your thorough work tracking it down.  And for not beating us up in the process.

[jmone]

.....  And for not beating us up in the process.

MC is the....canary in a coal mine

(idiomatic) Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions; something which warns of the coming of greater danger or trouble by a deterioration in its health or welfare.