Stuttering & BSODs

[adam1991]

Over the last couple of months I've seen some new bad behavior when watching 7MC. It's hard to describe, but I'll start with "stuttering". Both the video and the audio do a Max Headroom-like thing, and the audio stuttering exhibits itself as a low-frequency "buzz" if you will. This happens only for a second or less, and it's only occasionally, but sometimes it's more frequent than others. It does not look/sound exactly the same from instance to instance.

The HTPC is hooked directly to the TV via HDMI. This happens both with recorded TV and with Netflix (both watched via 7MC). It does not happen on extenders.

I guess I should try Netflix through a browser next, to see if the behavior happens there.

Correlating with this behavior is an increased frequency of random restarts. Over the last two years I've gotten a handful of random restarts, but since this "stuttering" started I'm getting a few a week. I even got the BSOD the other day.

I glanced at some system logs, but could find nothing more than "the system restarted". I don't know if I'm looking at the right logs or not. I have no knowledge that the the stuttering and restarts are connected in any way, other than observed correlation between behaviors.

I ran sfc /scannow as directed; it said it "fixed" some things, but the behavior has not changed. It's still there.

I run 7MC unaltered except for ShowAnalyzer and DTB doing commercial skip. In addition I have installed MS Security Essentials and Malware Bytes. I do not have Windows Updates turned on. I have run updates in the past, but until the last month or two the system ran fine since the last time I updated. The system has a 500MB spinning drive for Windows and a separate 2TB drive for recorded TV.

I did run a couple of updates from Intel's web site, for the motherboard hardware. Again, the behavior did not change.

I hate to think that I'm looking at a failing hard drive, but that's all I'm left with. So, before I panic I come to the experts for advice. Any ideas?

[leroys1000]

I have some periodic problems that I tracked down to the 24 pin ATX power connector.
Seems a couple of the pins pull a high load and get a bit hot and cause carbon build up.
You might try unplugging and replugging the 24 pin connector and see if it clears up.
I actually soldered in a new connector,but it still does it periodically due to heat.
I just disconnect it and reconnect it.
It's enough to make a clean connection again.
Unplug the AC before doing this.
Other than that,it sounds like there may be a bad cap in the power supply causing problems.

[foxwood]

It definitely sounds more like a hardware than a software problem. I'd lean towards a power-supply or motherboard problem, though, rather than a hard drive problem. If you have a spare power-supply handy, I'd definitely suggest you swap it in - even if it's to loud for normal HTPC use, you can live with it for a day or two too see if the stutters go away.

[adam1991]

hmmmm, you may be right. I've exited the 7MC interface and am watching Netflix via browser, and am still getting this behavior to at least some degree.

I will monitor this for the next few hours...

[slowbiscuit]

Use Win7's memory diagnostic to check out your RAM too, could be a DIMM going bad. Also try another video card (if you can) if you're not using onboard video. Run chkdsk /r on both drives.

Definitely sounds like hardware.

[erkotz]

I'd personally start by updating video drivers, as they tend to cause bugchecks in my experience, and given you are using HDMI they process the audio, too.

[adam1991]

thanks. Yeah, I had already put RAM test on my list. I can try another video card, no problem; I just have to source one. Which one was the cheap one that handles 29/59?

erkotz: I haven't run Windows Update in a long while, because if it ain't broke don't fix it. But now it's broke, I guess; since the Intel update didn't find any video drivers, would you recommend to see what MS has?

[Scallica]

Use Win7's memory diagnostic to check out your RAM too, could be a DIMM going bad.

Also, download a bootable memory tester from http://www.memtest.org and let it run for a while.

I would check the health of your hard drives using HDSentinel as well.

[mcewinter]

You've been having problems for the past two years? When did you build the machine? Your BIOS could be out of date, especially if you've been having problems early on. Updating drivers on an old BIOS only expounds the issue. At least that's one more theory but that's the only time I've experienced random restarts and blue screens; that, and power supply issues.

Edit: Quite often, when you score a good deal on a motherboard it is very likely that the current installed BIOS is out of date. Not a rule of thumb but it's the first think I check with any new motherboard.

[adam1991]

No, sorry--everything's been good for the last two years. This came up over the last month, maybe two.

I think that's why the consensus is, hardware. I'll find some time to do a memory test, and then a chkdsk. I'll also look up HDSentinel.

[Coorzman]

Check the power supply. Are you using onboard video or a video card? A lot of the newer video cards require a power connection from the power supply. If you have a multimeter you can test the power supply. There are tons of "How to" articles on testing your power supply. If you don't have a multimeter then maybe just trying a new power supply may save you some time. If it doesn't fix the issue then you can always return it. I've had computer do the same thing and I wound up replacing everything in the computer just to find out that the power supply would start flaking out once it reached a certain temperature.

[adam1991]

Onboard video, Intel board w/i3 Clarkdale.

I'm carefully doing one thing at a time and then looking for results; I've run sfc /scannow and chkdsk on the boot drive, and I finally ran Windows Updates (hadn't been run since Nov 2011). That caused a snag or two which I resolved (hence the idea, if it's not broken don't fix it), and am now looking to see if the problem still exists.

I did run memtest86+ for a half an hour or so, which I know isn't exhaustive--but it showed nothing. Come end of the TV season I'll run it overnight just to make sure, but given the frequency of the artifact I'd think it would have found something if it were memory.

So far I think the artifact has gone away, but I'll wait to make that judgment. About the only reasonable thing left is to check the power supply. I can do that pretty easily.

It's an Antec unit that came with the case, and I blow the case out a couple times a year--and in fact, did so just a couple of weeks ago. It's only two years old, but if I have to replace it, that's not the end of the world. And you're right, it may be easier just to replace it and see what happens.

[giggitygoo]

For whatever it may be worth, I had a problem that sounds very similar to that reported here and I tracked it down to MalwareBytes. When Malwarebytes is running in the background, I get intermittent sound/video stutters during playback. However, if I close malwarebytes, the problem disappears. I'm going to contact their support to see if they can explain why. I noticed you listed MBAM as being installed on your system - have you tried playing something with it disabled?

[adam1991]

Oooo, I do have Malware Bytes. I did give a passing thought to disabling that and MSE just to see what happens. but I never executed on that plan....

That's far easier than working the power supply. Thanks!

[adam1991]

See above. I chose to do things one at a time and watch to see if this behavior changed. I ran sfc /scannow and chkdsk, and after each one the behavior did not change. A quick memory test showed nothing abnormal.

I finally decided to buck up and do Windows Updates, which I hadn't done since November 2011. It caused some grief; first DTB addin stopped working because of a "missing file" related to DirectX; a quick Google search said "do NOT grab that file from the web, you'll get in trouble, just reinstall your media software or repair your Windows installation". Crap. Aha, sfc /scannow to the rescue. Fixed it. Then this last Monday evening I happened to notice that Windows Explorer had crashed, causing recording to stop working (I missed both 2 Broke Girls shows as well as Dallas and H50). A simple reboot fixed it, but for now I'm holding my breath.

Anyway, it seems that this problem is no longer exhibiting itself--but I can't tell you exactly when it stopped, other than recently.

Based on the MalwareBytes mention above, I checked their web site and found out that they had an update on April 9 (to version 1.75). That might coincide with the behavior going away. The update before that was Dec. 27, and that might coincide with the behavior starting.

Based on that, if this happens again I'm starting with Malware Bytes before I do anything else.

[adam1991]

I can confirm that the stuttering or whatever is no longer present--not in recorded TV, not in Netflix, nowhere.

To recap, the behavior occurred out of the blue a couple/three months ago, with no changes to the computer other than the regular Security Essentials and Malware Bytes updates. It affected WMC and Netflix, even in a browser. I also saw the screen saver stutter a couple of times.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced this is the same Malware Bytes issue that giggitygoo reports. But I have no real way to confirm that right now. Should it occur again, I will disable both MSE and MBAM and see what happens.

[giggitygoo]

I realize that this is way out of date at this point, but I too noticed that this issue disappeared. Funny thing is that I contacted Malwarebytes about the problem, and they essentially blew me off. They said they never heard of it and that they'd have their team check it out and get back to me. No one ever did, despite multiple followup emails to them. I wonder if they found the problem and fixed it, though no idea why they had to be jerks and not even let me know.