Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

[Guest Mythran]

After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

"unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to my

input for several minutes. This slow response clears up after using the

system over a period of 5 minutes or so. It is becoming a pain having to

wait for what I type to be displayed on the screen. If I try right-clicking

on ANY file, pffft, I can go off and get a cup of coffee, lunch, and get

comfortable reading a book before the context menu appears.

I assume that maybe all running programs are being cached to disk during a

certain period of time of being idle, and that is why I get the slow

response. If I am actively using the computer with an application open but

minimized for a long period of time, the single application that was

minimized will have a slow response for a few minutes before being a fully

productive or responsive app again. So I think there is a connection there.

 

This isn't a problem with a single application. I usually don't have more

than 4 or 5 applications open at the same time. My machine specs are decent

(2 GB Memory on a P4 3.2 GHz proc) and my applications that are open are not

CPU intensive (but some are memory hungry...*cough* visual studio .Net,

which I only have 1 copy of VS open usually).

 

Is there a setting/registry key that specifies an application time to

"cycle" memory into cache after a certain amount of idle time for the

application or computer? Is there another way to prevent this "slow-down"

without having to sit and actively use all open applications?

 

Thanks,

Mythran

[Guest PD43]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

"Mythran" <kip_potter@hotmail.com> wrote:

>After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

>"unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to my

>input for several minutes.

 

Do you have the Indexing service running?

[Guest Mythran]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

 

 

"PD43" <pauld1943@comcast.net> wrote in message

news:c95jt3ht1mu03f1l14rpi8ck9mho3p9758@4ax.com...

> "Mythran" <kip_potter@hotmail.com> wrote:

>

>>After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

>>"unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to my

>>input for several minutes.

>

> Do you have the Indexing service running?

 

No, I turned it off because IIRC it locks certain files I need during my

development (while indexing)...I'm not sure which as it has been several

years since I ran into the problem, but I think that was the problem and

cause for me to turn it off....will enabling it help to speed things up

after an idle period?

 

Thanks,

Mythran

[Guest John McGaw]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

Mythran wrote:

> After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

> "unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to

> my input for several minutes. This slow response clears up after using

> the system over a period of 5 minutes or so. It is becoming a pain

> having to wait for what I type to be displayed on the screen. If I try

> right-clicking on ANY file, pffft, I can go off and get a cup of coffee,

> lunch, and get comfortable reading a book before the context menu appears.

> I assume that maybe all running programs are being cached to disk during

> a certain period of time of being idle, and that is why I get the slow

> response. If I am actively using the computer with an application open

> but minimized for a long period of time, the single application that was

> minimized will have a slow response for a few minutes before being a

> fully productive or responsive app again. So I think there is a

> connection there.

>

> This isn't a problem with a single application. I usually don't have

> more than 4 or 5 applications open at the same time. My machine specs

> are decent (2 GB Memory on a P4 3.2 GHz proc) and my applications that

> are open are not CPU intensive (but some are memory hungry...*cough*

> visual studio .Net, which I only have 1 copy of VS open usually).

>

> Is there a setting/registry key that specifies an application time to

> "cycle" memory into cache after a certain amount of idle time for the

> application or computer? Is there another way to prevent this

> "slow-down" without having to sit and actively use all open applications?

>

> Thanks,

> Mythran

>

>

 

Hard disk shutting down to save power? If you go away and do not "lock" the

computer is is still slow? I take it BTW that by "lock" you mean logging

off, if not you might want to clarify.

[Guest PD43]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

"Mythran" <kip_potter@hotmail.com> wrote:

>No, I turned it off because IIRC it locks certain files I need during my

>development (while indexing)...I'm not sure which as it has been several

>years since I ran into the problem, but I think that was the problem and

>cause for me to turn it off....will enabling it help to speed things up

>after an idle period?

 

Enabling indexing NEVER speeds things up.

[Guest Mythran]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

 

 

"John McGaw" <nowhere@at.all> wrote in message

news:OKGxGqVhIHA.4740@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Mythran wrote:

>> After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

>> "unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to my

>> input for several minutes. This slow response clears up after using the

>> system over a period of 5 minutes or so. It is becoming a pain having to

>> wait for what I type to be displayed on the screen. If I try

>> right-clicking on ANY file, pffft, I can go off and get a cup of coffee,

>> lunch, and get comfortable reading a book before the context menu

>> appears.

>> I assume that maybe all running programs are being cached to disk during

>> a certain period of time of being idle, and that is why I get the slow

>> response. If I am actively using the computer with an application open

>> but minimized for a long period of time, the single application that was

>> minimized will have a slow response for a few minutes before being a

>> fully productive or responsive app again. So I think there is a

>> connection there.

>>

>> This isn't a problem with a single application. I usually don't have

>> more than 4 or 5 applications open at the same time. My machine specs

>> are decent (2 GB Memory on a P4 3.2 GHz proc) and my applications that

>> are open are not CPU intensive (but some are memory hungry...*cough*

>> visual studio .Net, which I only have 1 copy of VS open usually).

>>

>> Is there a setting/registry key that specifies an application time to

>> "cycle" memory into cache after a certain amount of idle time for the

>> application or computer? Is there another way to prevent this

>> "slow-down" without having to sit and actively use all open applications?

>>

>> Thanks,

>> Mythran

>>

>>

>

> Hard disk shutting down to save power? If you go away and do not "lock"

> the computer is is still slow? I take it BTW that by "lock" you mean

> logging off, if not you might want to clarify.

 

I checked power settings, everything is "Always On".

By "lock" I mean by locking the computer, not logging off...(WindowsKey +

L).

 

I don't know, I won't leave my work computer without locking it :) First,

it's not a good idea, second, it's not allowed :D

 

Mythran

[Guest Bruce.]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

"Mythran" <kip_potter@hotmail.com> wrote in message

news:8B4872B1-D803-4A73-B965-003BCAD09335@microsoft.com...

> After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

> "unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to my

> input for several minutes. This slow response clears up after using the

> system over a period of 5 minutes or so. It is becoming a pain having to

> wait for what I type to be displayed on the screen. If I try

> right-clicking on ANY file, pffft, I can go off and get a cup of coffee,

> lunch, and get comfortable reading a book before the context menu appears.

 

Just to see if you're being CPU starved, leave the task manager Performance

tab on the screen next time you leave it. See what the CPU usage is when

you first wake it up. If it's high, use the Processes tab to see which task

is loading the system.

 

Also watch the I/O Reads and Writes on the Processes tab (you might have to

add those columns, View -> Select Columns) to see if a process is thrashing

the disk.

 

Bruce.

[Guest Mythran]

Re: Slow Response After Long Idle Periods

 

 

 

"Bruce." <noone@example.net> wrote in message

news:uM5vc#VhIHA.5824@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> "Mythran" <kip_potter@hotmail.com> wrote in message

> news:8B4872B1-D803-4A73-B965-003BCAD09335@microsoft.com...

>> After I leave the computer idle for an hour or so, when I come back and

>> "unlock" the computer, all the programs are very slow at responding to my

>> input for several minutes. This slow response clears up after using the

>> system over a period of 5 minutes or so. It is becoming a pain having to

>> wait for what I type to be displayed on the screen. If I try

>> right-clicking on ANY file, pffft, I can go off and get a cup of coffee,

>> lunch, and get comfortable reading a book before the context menu

>> appears.

>

> Just to see if you're being CPU starved, leave the task manager

> Performance tab on the screen next time you leave it. See what the CPU

> usage is when you first wake it up. If it's high, use the Processes tab

> to see which task is loading the system.

>

> Also watch the I/O Reads and Writes on the Processes tab (you might have

> to add those columns, View -> Select Columns) to see if a process is

> thrashing the disk.

>

> Bruce.

>

>

 

Thanks, I'll try it...although, not sure if it'll help. Any perf. monitors

I should be using/keeping an eye on?

 

Mythran