Frequent, intermittent "Not Responding" message

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Hi there,

About a year ago I bought a fabulous new computer which I love, but as of the past few months it's been lagging, glitchy, and I keep getting "not responding" messages when using virtually any program (most notably Chrome and GIMP, both of which I use a LOT). I have run several malware scans to check for evil things, but nothing seems to pop up. I've defragged, and numerous other things, but to no avail. It feels as if there is some kind of conflict somewhere internally, but I have no idea where to start as far as that is concerned. When I bought it, it was fast and the huge screen was glorious as I work a lot with images, but it has slowed a great deal and this "not responding" thing has pushed my patience to its limit.

If anyone can help, I'd sure appreciate it. (Also, deepest apologies if this is in the incorrect category...as I am running Windows 8, I thought I would start here. Please advise if I should post somewhere else.)

Details:
Lenovo IdeaCenter Horizon 27; Windows 8.1; Intel Core i5-3337U CPU @ 1.8GHz; RAM 6.00 GB (5.89 GB usable); 64-bit Operating System, x64-based processor; Full Windows Touch Support  with 10 Touch Points; NVIDIA 3D Vision Driver 327.02; NVIDIA Graphics Driver 327.02; NVIDIA PhysX System Software 9.12.1031; Kaspersky Internet Security; Malwarebytes 2.0.2.1012; CCleaner

If more info is needed, please let me know and I will be happy to find it for you.

Thank you for your help,

~ T

[DaveLembke]

I'd start with running memtest86 on the system. This is downloaded and burned to a CD or DVD or if you know how to make a bootable USB flash drive you can boot it off that as well. This test will check the RAM of the system to make sure that there are no issues. I'd run it through a few full tests, this could take about an hour or so. If it reports back with red information below the stats in while with blue background then there is an issue with a memory stick and the memory stick may have to be replaced.

Other hardware problems that can cause this issue is if the hard drive itself is experiencing problems such as delayed write errors etc. So I would look in even logs to see if there is anything there that points to a problem such as hard drive issues. ( * I had a laptop in the past that was acting randomly laggy and unresponsive and memory test was fine, and I started to have issues with the HDD making some strange noises. When I looked in event logs I saw that it had been warning me about the hard drive being ill for about 2 weeks, but I never saw any messages or error messages broght forward to my attention. It was just reporting and writing it to the log silently.)

[SuperDave]

Please run this check just to eliminate that possibility.
Test your RAM here.

[DaveLembke]

Thanks SuperDave for sharing the link to memtest86... I just realized now that i forgot to include that. oops 

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Hello again, and thank you for your responses.

I have not yet run the memory test, but ran across something of interest on the way to doing that. My dear and ever patient husband took a look at the event logs and found this. I'm happy to continue on with the test if you think I still should, but thought I would run this by your first to get your feedback.

Log Name:      Application
Source:        ESENT
Date:          10/3/2014 12:56:54 PM
Event ID:      507
Task Category: Performance
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      theDragon
Description:
LiveComm (2932) C:\Users\Terri\AppData\Local\Packages\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\LiveComm\94cf7e63c67d5bf8\120712-0049\: A request to read from the file "C:\Users\Terri\AppData\Local\Packages\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\LiveComm\94cf7e63c67d5bf8\120712-0049\DBStore\livecomm.edb" at offset 4726784 (0x0000000000482000) for 8192 (0x00002000) bytes succeeded, but took an abnormally long time (40 seconds) to be serviced by the OS. This problem is likely due to faulty hardware. Please contact your hardware vendor for further assistance diagnosing the problem.

So...your thoughts?

Thanks much. ~ T

[DaveLembke]

With the new info that you shared, I'd suggest a Hard Drive check. Here below is link to CrystalDiskInfo. You can download and run the Standard Edition ( Portable ) 2.7MB as a zip file and then unzip the zip file and run it. It will scan the system for Hard Drives and you can then select the Hard Drive and look to see if there are any issues with it. If it reports back as Green = Good then this is not an issue, however if it reports back with Yellow or Red then your Hard Drive is failing and you can look at the list of info to see where the problems are.

The reason why i am suggesting this scan of the Hard Drive to check its health is because the error complains about it taking 40 seconds. As seen here "  took an abnormally long time (40 seconds) to be serviced by the OS. This problem is likely due to faulty hardware. ". When hard drives fail they can give you warnings like this where it gets sluggish to read sections etc. If the drive has a health issue you will know it quickly. It shows everything from bad sector count to operating hours and specs of the drive.

http://crystalmark.info/download/index-e.html

Lastly, a bad hard drive can also give symptoms similar to memory issues because systems use some hard drive space as swap paging space ( virtual memory ). Based on the new info, it is more likely that you have a Hard Drive that is possibly not healthy, but CrystalDiskInfo will let you know if this is it or not.

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Hi there again,

Thanks for the info. I'll do that now.

I ran the memory test yesterday and it came up clean, no issues. I am happy to post that report for you, but at this moment I can't seem to find it. I clicked (y) to save a copy of the report, but it didn't tell me where it stashed it. Or, at least I didn't see that information. If you need it though, I will dig it out for you if you could guide me to where that might be. 

Thank you again,

~ T

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Well now, that test says everything is fine. Green all the way.





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[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Hello there once again. Just wondering if there was another test I could run for you, some more info I could get you? Any other ideas why this could be happening?

Thanks much,
~ T

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

So. It is official. I have been abandoned here. Oh...the loneliness and despair are virtually indescribable. Sadness washes across the land like a giant, sad, washy thing. Sadness, oh the sadness....

However, if someone picks up this thread and has any ideas on what I might be able to do to help alleviate this agonizingly annoying random Utter-Lag, I would be most grateful. Thank you.   

Best to you,
~ T

[Allan]

Okay, let's talk.

1) You said you ran some Malware scans. What  did you use? If you did not run FULL system scans with BOTH your installed AV and with MalwareBytes, please do so now.

2) Nobody seems to have asked you what the EXACT symptoms are that you are experiencing. For example, what is the EXACT error message you get? EXACTLY when do you get it? Does it happen all the time or only after a period of time? Does it happen with the first app or only when several apps are open? Please provide as much data as possible.

3) What is new or different since the last time everything worked properly (ie, new hw, new sw, virus, error, etc)?

[patio]

So. It is official. I have been abandoned here. Oh...the loneliness and despair are virtually indescribable. Sadness washes across the land like a giant, sad, washy thing. Sadness, oh the sadness....

However, if someone picks up this thread and has any ideas on what I might be able to do to help alleviate this agonizingly annoying random Utter-Lag, I would be most grateful. Thank you.   

Best to you,
~ T

You haven't been back since October...why is it on our Volunteer Helpers ? ?

Oh the sadness...

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Hi and thank you to both patio and Allan for picking this back up.

First, addressing patio's comment, I had indeed returned several times since October, but was waiting ever so patiently for a response before posting again. I respect, admire, and in many ways, even worship the Volunteer Helpers here, and am extremely grateful to all of you for the help that has been provided over the years. So, I most humbly wish to clarify that my speaking up again was in no way putting anything "on" the CH Helpers. Quite the contrary, I know there are numerous people writing you all, every day, and I truly was quietly waiting my turn in line. My deepest apologies if my last post came across in any way whatsoever as being tinged with the slightest bit of impatience or ingratitude, as that was most definitely not, nor would it ever be, my intention.

With a deep bow of reverence, thank you. 

[TiffanyDiamondclaw]

Now, on to Allan. Thank you for the questions, I'll do my best to answer them:

1) I have run full scans with both Malwarebytes and Kaspersky, but will re-do and post here.

2) Details:

     A) The message I get is not a popup, but rather the machine freezes, screen goes a misty grey, and across the top says "Chrome (not responding)," or "GIMP (not responding)."
     
     B) Exactly when these things happen, is difficult to answer. It appears to me to be completely random, I have seen no pattern. At times I may have many tabs open on Chrome and have no problem, for days even. Then at other times, no matter if it is one or many tabs, I get the halting/freezing thing again. It does not happen all the time, but when it does (which can be three or four times a day in one day, and nothing the next, then once the day after that, etc...) it tends to not let go regardless of my actions, such as closing all programs or restarting.

     C) I cannot pinpoint exactly when it started, but it seems to me that it may have started about the time that I renewed my Kaspersky AV. I have tried turning Kaspersky off to see if that makes a difference, and besides getting urgent warnings from Kaspersky that it needs to be on to protect me from the big bad internet, it didn't make much of a difference.   

Thank you again, I really appreciate all you do! 

[Allan]

Okay, let's try some basic tests first - ram and hd:

To check the ram, download memtest (http://memtest.org/). Burn it to a cd using a dedicated .iso burning utility (http://www.petri.co.il/how_to_write_iso_files_to_cd.htm), make sure the cd drive is at the top of the boot order in bios, then boot to the newly created cd and run the utility.

Hard Drive Diagnostics: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287
Make sure you select the tool which is appropriate for the brand of your hard drive.
Depending on the program, it'll create bootable floppy, or bootable CD.
If downloaded file is of .iso type, use ImgBurn: http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn .iso file to a CD (select "Write image file to disc" option), to make the CD bootable.
For Toshiba drives, see here: http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=ServicesSupport/FujitsuDrivesUSandCanada/SoftwareUtilities#diagnostic

Also, please look in device manager. Are there any yellow or red symbols?