Topic: Why doesn't MC take advantage of available CPU? [solved -- drive related] (Read 5019 times)

AoXoMoXoA · « **on:** June 15, 2008, 12:25:35 pm »

Yes I know a large library slows the database as there is much data to process, but what I do not understand (and has never been answered when I have asked) is

Why doesn't Media Center grab the available 80% - 90% of the CPU which is idle to expedite these large data sorts & changes, rather than sitting there looking lost at 2% - 3% CPU?

Simply put, my question is:
Is this by design, or do I have some sort of system issue?

If it was using all available resources I'd just consider upgrading my PC, but with the majority of resources apparrently left unused an upgrade seems senseless.

Mastiff · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2008, 01:03:28 pm »

On my server (Q6600 with 8 gig RAM) clicking on a new view makes CPU usage jump up to around 30 % for the two seconds or so it takes to sort my 100 K plus tracks. That means it's maxing out the first core and takes a bit off the next as well. It may be your system.

JimH · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2008, 01:21:56 pm »

Virus checker.

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2008, 01:24:56 pm »

Quote from: JimH on June 15, 2008, 01:21:56 pm

Virus checker.

OK, I will uninstall AVG again (although it had no noticable effect last time I did so and althouth I also have AVG set not to monitor: mp3 files, flac files, or MC}}

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2008, 01:27:39 pm »

Quote from: Mastiff on June 15, 2008, 01:03:28 pm

On my server (Q6600 with 8 gig RAM) clicking on a new view makes CPU usage jump up to around 30 % for the two seconds or so it takes to sort my 100 K plus tracks. That means it's maxing out the first core and takes a bit off the next as well. It may be your system.

Thanks Mastiff, I am seeing a different behavior with AMD Athlon64 x2 Dual 3800+ and 2gb RAM, also 100,000+ files

JimH · « **Reply #5 on:** June 15, 2008, 02:04:59 pm »

Quote from: AoXoMoXoA on June 15, 2008, 01:24:56 pm

OK, I will uninstall AVG again (although it had no noticable effect last time I did so and althouth I also have AVG set not to monitor: mp3 files, flac files, or MC}}

And MC's library files?

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #6 on:** June 15, 2008, 02:38:52 pm »

Quote from: JimH on June 15, 2008, 02:04:59 pm

And MC's library files?

yup, those too, sorry for the ommission. Anyway AVG has been uninstalled.

hit_ny · « **Reply #7 on:** June 16, 2008, 06:45:25 am »

and ?

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #8 on:** June 17, 2008, 03:36:09 pm »

Quote from: hit_ny on June 16, 2008, 06:45:25 am

and ?

no significant improvement

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #9 on:** June 19, 2008, 07:40:29 am »

Switching to a clean install of Windows 2000 Pro (with SP4 and all Windows Updates) with little else besides MC installed (and no A/V software), Media Center seems ever so slightly more responsive.

Could there be a difference in the way W2K and WinXP handle Dual Core CPU's?

JimH · « **Reply #10 on:** June 19, 2008, 08:27:09 am »

Your first post says almost nothing about what your real problem is. This is the only fact you've given.

Quote from: AoXoMoXoA on June 15, 2008, 12:25:35 pm

Why doesn't Media Center grab the available 80% - 90% of the CPU which is idle to expedite these large data sorts & changes, rather than sitting there looking lost at 2% - 3% CPU?

Can you describe what you do, step by step? And what you think is slow? Exactly and in seconds?

Thanks.

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #11 on:** June 21, 2008, 05:05:44 pm »

Sorry I did not have a chance to respond sooner.

I am referring to MC pausing, appearing to do nothing, while refusing to respond to any input on the interface. The Windows Task Manager shows MC hovering between 0-3% CPU usage while 90% or more of the CPU capacity is unused and available. It will hold in this state for anywhere from 20-45 seconds (or more) before MC finally grabs about 40-60% CPU and begins to act.

This senario plays out when I am editing tag on an album, at the time I press F2, once again when I hit enter or click on another tag field. I have also seen this behavior after a view change if I grab a drag bar and scroll the view too suddenly, or upon selecting files and scrolling by mousewheel.

After seeing Mastiff's comments above I decided to look more into OS and system issues, including removing the A/V as suggested and even trying another OS with little else besides MC installed.
To be fair to MC, it did seem to lag less in Win2K than WinXP, and again less so on a single-core CPU running W2K, so it may be related to use of multiple cores.
Also I should add that once MC 'gets traction' it processes at an acceptable rate.

Another observation was that upon reinserting my lossless drives and running an import, MC showed no indication of lagging as described above. This leads me to wonder about whether MC is aving issues with looking for the 'missing drives' when they are offline.

JimH · « **Reply #12 on:** June 21, 2008, 05:58:44 pm »

Sorry, but that's just not an MC problem. Or not alone, at least. Something else must be going on.

If most people saw a program not responsive for 20 to 45 seconds, we wouldn't have any customers.

I've said most of this before I imagine, but please check the Weird Problems thread for ideas.

Other things I can think of are:

1. A problem with disk access
2. A problem with network access
3. Plug-ins
4. Bad disk drive
5. Bad memory
6. Corrupt library

It just sounds like MC is waiting for something OS related.

Try a new library with MC in default state, completely stock. Import as many files as you want.

Quote

This senario plays out when I am editing tag on an album, at the time I press F2, once again when I hit enter or click on another tag field.

Any file? Or just some specific codec (APE, for instance)? Stock fields?

Can you duplicate this on another PC?

DarkPenguin · « **Reply #13 on:** June 23, 2008, 10:40:23 am »

I get occasional issues like this with my WD WorldBook NAS device. (Gigabit ethernet support on that device is a A LIE! A LIE I tells ya!) I have the same issue if I just double click the device in explorer.

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #14 on:** June 23, 2008, 10:56:46 am »

Jim, I am more than willing to accept that it is not an MC issue (or an MC-only issue), matter of fact that is why I have tried both WinXP and Win2K.
As far as another machine, my main MC/media machine (the one with the behavior in question) uses LOCAL drives, to try using another machine requires using network drives and thus adds another variable.

I have tried your other suggestions in recent past while trying to isolate this issue, but like removing A/V software I am willing to re-explore these possibilities.
Disk access is normal in Windows and other programs which leads me to believe there is no problem there.
I have run MemTest and SeaTools which both report no errors or isues.
I avoid plugins other than Sleeptimer and Library Server, and have tested with LS deactivated and Sleep Timer removed. I have also tried a fresh, clean library (no clones from older libraries or such).
Unless there is a Dual-Core CPU accessing issue, an Asus/NVidia chipset/driver issue, or a drive polling issue caused by library drives being off-line, I am at a loss at this point.

Quote from: DarkPenguin on June 23, 2008, 10:40:23 am

I get occasional issues like this with my WD WorldBook NAS device. (Gigabit ethernet support on that device is a A LIE! A LIE I tells ya!) I have the same issue if I just double click the device in explorer.

I am not using NAS or other network storage, only local drives.

Matt · « **Reply #15 on:** June 23, 2008, 10:59:49 am »

For us to be able to help, you need to provide:

1) A detailed, step-by-step way to reproduce a lag
2) Some investigation into things that help, like a smaller library, working in a playlist view, closing other open tabs, etc.

Otherwise I think we're all shooting in the dark.

jgreen · « **Reply #16 on:** June 23, 2008, 11:58:35 am »

I saw something similar, and I believe it is related to video codecs that I managed to screw up (again).

For me, everything works fine--EXCEPT--when I try to do an "IsMissing" on my Video collection. Then MC will sit and wait and wait, with no CPU overhead, looking completely frozen. Finally it recovers perfectly, and the operation is complete.

This has been the case for about 2 months, after doing a trial of and then removing "AnyDVD". I am simply too lazy to try and straighten it out.

I'm sure you haven't messed up your system as thoroughly as I have, but what you describe sounds like MC is waiting for something, as it did in my case.

Matt · « **Reply #17 on:** June 23, 2008, 12:08:34 pm »

Quote from: jgreen on June 23, 2008, 11:58:35 am

For me, everything works fine--EXCEPT--when I try to do an "IsMissing" on my Video collection. Then MC will sit and wait and wait, with no CPU overhead, looking completely frozen. Finally it recovers perfectly, and the operation is complete.

IsMissing(...) has to hit the physical file system each time it is evaluated. It will be _much_ slower than database-only functions, and so should be used sparingly.

hit_ny · « **Reply #18 on:** June 23, 2008, 12:39:52 pm »

And *only* to find missing links.

Very valuable for that purpose, otherwise less so

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #19 on:** June 23, 2008, 04:22:23 pm »

I found something that helps, running MJ instead of MC is an improvement with virtually no lag ?
Same library, same files, same drives, same OS. Same everything.

Another oddity, I got hold of a dual drive usb enclosure and put two SATA drives in it then copied all my lossy files (basically a copy of all the files that I am running online in the main machine).
I plugged it into my laptop and using a copy of my main library form the main machine did a "Find & Replace" of the drive letter to point to the USB drive.
Running this on my laptop it is very snappy with virtually no lag.
Same library, same files. Different PC, different drives. (laptop is only 1.6gb dual core vs 2.0gb dual core in main machine)

I intend to test the USB drive on the main machine, with the regular library as done on the lappy.

btw, this is all still stemming back to the series of posts we had about a month back related to lag, same behavior which never really left.

Matt · « **Reply #20 on:** June 23, 2008, 04:45:17 pm »

For us to help you, please answer my questions from above.

Mr ChriZ · « **Reply #21 on:** June 23, 2008, 05:18:36 pm »

Have you got any virtual handhelds set up?
I used these as a method of backing stuff up but it would cause MC to hang for long periods.

JimH · « **Reply #22 on:** June 23, 2008, 05:38:04 pm »

MJ doesn't do video or photos, so it could be a DirectShow filter for video ....

It could also be a problem related to a feature in MC that isn't in MJ. In MC's options for General/Features/Advanced, turn off podcasts, TV, etc.

AoXoMoXoA · « **Reply #23 on:** June 29, 2008, 08:42:34 pm »

I have been unable to answer Matt with a step-by-step as to how to 'create' the lagging since it happened anytime I selected and edited files so there was nothing I could describe. Also between all that had been stated in this thread as well as the thread I posted for related issues last month (and the emailed log and library files) there was nothing I could add.

However, I believe I have resolved the issues I had with lagging.

Taking a cue from Mr Chriz I removed my "virtual hand-held" devices, which were pointing to two of the four drives in the library.
I also moved the IDE drives from the motherboard to seperate controllers to allow for only one drive per channel.

At this point, while I have not done extensive testing & tagging, MC appears to once again be functioning normally.
Thanks for all the help.

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Author Topic: Why doesn't MC take advantage of available CPU? [solved -- drive related] (Read 5019 times)