Crackling sound Windows 10 - very high DCP Latency

[didokon]

Hello,
I've been trying to find a solution to this in the past week or so but I found nothing...
I've already checked every other thread related to this on this forum or on google in general, and still nothing

After leaving my PC on for something like 10 hours, I start having these cracking sounds which make videos/media unwatchable, sound keeps stuttering, videos also stop for 0.2-0.3 sec every 5 sec or so, listening to music is a suicide, etc.
Restarting the PC fixes this, but I don't get why it shouldn't be possible for me to have my PC on 24/7 without problems, and that's what I've always done before without any problem at all.
I don't exactly know when this started, but I began noticing it when I bought my new HyperX Cloud II, and updated something related to them in order to fix the terrible mic volume. Probably they were going on also before though, I don't know :/
The problem persist even if I remove the headset and use my speakers instead. Just now while I was writing this and preparing screenshots, tools, etc. the stuttering appears to have stopped, even though LatencyMon and DPC Latency checker still tell me something is wrong (highest latency: 25000 micro seconds)
I've finally downloaded LatencyMon, which gives me the following result:
As you can see from the pics:
1) It tells me one of the problems is network related, but I don't have a Wlan adapter and I've always been using ethernet cable just fine with the same "old" motherboard with 500mbit speed so I would leave the cable out, though it is a bit old and the thing that blocks it in the PC is broken, but idk if that can be a problem. The speedtests at the beginning always fluctuates for 3-4 sec until it stabilizes at like 470mbit more or less, could it maybe be a sign of a bad cable being used? Can this be the network issue LatencyMon is talking about? I have no idea unfortunately. Also, I've already disabled CPU Parking and I don't think my PSU has problems to be honest.
2) dxgkrnl.sys appears to be one of the processes causing trouble, this time the ms were low but I've seen them at double the value sometimes. Same goes for tcpip.sys when I'm watching videos (which is when I see the audio/stuttering problems).

I really don't know what to do, I've disabled audio enhancements as suggested in multiple forums, but nothing. I've run tools which fixed this for other users, but nothing again.
Can someone please help me? I'm pretty desperate.
Thanks a lot :)

 

[OldGrayGary]

Hi didokon ... and welcome to the forums ...

Just as a quick first test, try a System Restore, using a restore point from before the issues started. Don't install any drivers for the new headset right away afterwards, just test the audio with the set of system files from a month or so ago ... before the trouble started.

System Restore in Windows 10


1) Right-click the Windows Start Menu icon
2) Select System
3) Select System Protection (a blue link in the upper left-hand corner)
4) Select System Restore
5) Choose a restore point from before the current trouble started.
_______________

If that doesn't work, we'll need a bit more info about your system. One of the easier ways to do this is to use our SysNative info-gathering app .. the details & instructions are in the BSOD guide here at SysNative (but you can post your files in this thread, since you aren't experiencing BSODs - or "fatal errors") ...
https://www.sysnative.com/forums/bs...ng-instructions-windows-10-8-1-8-7-vista.html

And a little note: we have had quite a lot of threads here lately with audio/video issues in Windows 10 systems. Unfortunately, not a lot of success in solving them. So far, our suspicions are that the drivers available for Windows 10 are still immature (or non-existent in some cases) ... and that Windows 10's many changes (new memory management, more background activity with "telemetry", indexing, defragging (non-SSD drives), Superfetch, Media indexing, Photos app album activity, "Live Tiles" updating, Windows Update peer to peer background file sharing, ugh - the list goes on and on... --- Many users have ended up going back to previous versions of Windows to enjoy better fidelity for their audio/video experience. But we can give things a go, and see if we catch lightning in a bottle...

Another quick fix try I can mention - if you have an Nvidia card in your current system, try the latest driver, installed using the "custom" install option, and the "clean install" option. You can opt out of many GeForce Experience and Streaming modules, should you not need them. Certainly try a different cable if you have a spare, or try a new one (Ethernet cables are inexpensive) ... And if you have a wireless mouse or keyboard, test things using a wired mouse & keyboard.

Getting late here in Southern California .... I'll check back in tomorrow
Cheers

[late edit ... I always forget something (getting old) ... you can uninstall DPC Latency Checker. I don't believe it has been updated since Windows 7, and it's results aren't terribly reliable in later versions of Windows. Resplendence's Latency Monitor was updated to work with Windows 10, so you are OK there .... in fact, if you'd like, post a Latency Monitor bar graph of the ISR, DPC, & Pagefaults activity and a processes list for each sorted by Interrupts/ISR, DPC Latencies, and Hard Pagefaults (where the highest cause of each is at the top of the list) ... Thanks!]

 

[OldGrayGary]

A few more things to try:

You can try these, in fact, before you try the System Restore.

I took a quick look over at some threads at a few other forums - for users with your headset, and quite a few have issues much like yours. Apparently some of them experience the issues when the headphones are plugged into the USB port, but not when plugged into the 3.5 mm audio ports. Others report that the trouble disappears after adjusting some volume levels. You can have a quick read & try some of their ideas as "quick-fix" tries too...
New HyperX Cloud II headset sound quality issues : pcmasterrace

 

[didokon]

Hi, thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, the perfmon report thing isn't generating anything, it just says "gathering data for 60 seconds" and nothing happens even after 10 minutes.
I will post the data gathered by the App of your website instead.
By the way, I do not have a restore point unfortunately, and even if I did, I wouldn't be using it since it would mean going back months and I can not lose all the material I have added to the PC since then just because of this sound issue.
Also, why do you think the problem only starts several hours after the PC is on?
wdf0100.sys appears to be the problem on the DPC side, what could that mean? Anything I can do?
Same for the directx thing on the ISP side, what would you recommend?
Thanks

 

[didokon]

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks. You are likely to experience buffer underruns appearing as drop outs, clicks or pops. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. Also one or more ISR routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. At least one detected problem appears to be network related. In case you are using a WLAN adapter, try disabling it to get better results. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates.
LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for 0:07:24 (h:mm:ss) on all processors.




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SYSTEM INFORMATION
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Computer name: PC-DIDO
OS version: Windows 8 , 6.2, build: 9200 (x64)
Hardware: All Series, ASUS, ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC., MAXIMUS VII RANGER
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz
Logical processors: 8
Processor groups: 1
RAM: 16325 MB total




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU SPEED
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reported CPU speed: 3998 MHz
Measured CPU speed: 1 MHz (approx.)


Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the BIOS setup for more accurate results.


WARNING: the CPU speed that was measured is only a fraction of the CPU speed reported. Your CPUs may be throttled back due to variable speed settings and thermal issues. It is suggested that you run a utility which reports your actual CPU frequency and temperature.






_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEASURED INTERRUPT TO USER PROCESS LATENCIES
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The interrupt to process latency reflects the measured interval that a usermode process needed to respond to a hardware request from the moment the interrupt service routine started execution. This includes the scheduling and execution of a DPC routine, the signaling of an event and the waking up of a usermode thread from an idle wait state in response to that event.


Highest measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 4383,979762
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 4,649113


Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 4381,162130
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 2,941122




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED ISRs
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Interrupt service routines are routines installed by the OS and device drivers that execute in response to a hardware interrupt signal.


Highest ISR routine execution time (µs): 1430,404452
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation


Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0,095350
Driver with highest ISR total time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation


Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0,097429


ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 153715
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-999 µs): 6
ISR count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 2
ISR count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED DPCs
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DPC routines are part of the interrupt servicing dispatch mechanism and disable the possibility for a process to utilize the CPU while it is interrupted until the DPC has finished execution.


Highest DPC routine execution time (µs): 4112,943472
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: ndis.sys - NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification), Microsoft Corporation


Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0,059718
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: nvlddmkm.sys - NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 368.39 , NVIDIA Corporation


Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0,299625


DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 2590464
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-999 µs): 2977
DPC count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 46
DPC count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 3
DPC count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED HARD PAGEFAULTS
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.


NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.


Process with highest pagefault count: chrome.exe


Total number of hard pagefaults 3331
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 616
Highest hard pagefault resolution time (µs): 504123,995498
Total time spent in hard pagefaults (%): 0,125434
Number of processes hit: 28




_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PER CPU DATA
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 17,452971
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1430,404452
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 3,346156
CPU 0 ISR count: 143973
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 4112,943472
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 8,846551
CPU 0 DPC count: 2185367
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 4,634053
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 137,934217
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 0,114725
CPU 1 ISR count: 9623
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 1028,236368
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 0,521886
CPU 1 DPC count: 55199
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 4,393786
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 73,563032
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0,000771
CPU 2 ISR count: 126
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 2907,128064
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 0,957638
CPU 2 DPC count: 131089
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 3,937443
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 1,895448
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0,000002
CPU 3 ISR count: 1
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 705,077039
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0,038065
CPU 3 DPC count: 28564
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 4 Interrupt cycle time (s): 3,681886
CPU 4 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0,0
CPU 4 ISR total execution time (s): 0,0
CPU 4 ISR count: 0
CPU 4 DPC highest execution time (µs): 487,107554
CPU 4 DPC total execution time (s): 0,067231
CPU 4 DPC count: 60630
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 5 Interrupt cycle time (s): 3,905206
CPU 5 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0,0
CPU 5 ISR total execution time (s): 0,0
CPU 5 ISR count: 0
CPU 5 DPC highest execution time (µs): 709,294647
CPU 5 DPC total execution time (s): 0,045324
CPU 5 DPC count: 38667
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 6 Interrupt cycle time (s): 3,847646
CPU 6 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0,0
CPU 6 ISR total execution time (s): 0,0
CPU 6 ISR count: 0
CPU 6 DPC highest execution time (µs): 707,289895
CPU 6 DPC total execution time (s): 0,089579
CPU 6 DPC count: 57314
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 7 Interrupt cycle time (s): 4,019389
CPU 7 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0,0
CPU 7 ISR total execution time (s): 0,0
CPU 7 ISR count: 0
CPU 7 DPC highest execution time (µs): 185,431216
CPU 7 DPC total execution time (s): 0,079387
CPU 7 DPC count: 36661
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[didokon]

FIXED!!!

(TLDR at the end)

For anyone that has been affected by the same problem, I've found a solution that can work if your situation is similar to mine.
Finally I've found out what was causing the audio/video stuttering lag, and I have found confirmation of that after having identified the faulty program and having googled its name + "DPC latency" and stuff like that.
Ready for the truth?..........................The faulty program was...............AVAST the stupid antivirus!!!
I got so, so, SO pissed at this nonsense that I told myself: "f*** this". I decided to perform a clean Windows 10 install. For the 3rd time. In 6 months (3rd time is the good one they say).
I've kept LatencyMon running since the first boot with the freshly installed OS and installed the programs I usually use/need the most one by one, checking for any issues on LatencyMon. Every program was fine, until I remembered that I had forgotten to install an antivirus, so it was time to hurry up and make good use of my Avast key which lasts till next december (luckily, I paid it less than 5$...) Without even thinking about it, I installed it and after like 10 minutes I told myself, just to be sure: let's check if it's the antivirus causing all the problems... I would have never thought of that, since I saw many good reviews on Avast and I saw it wasn't generally causing any problem,pairing well with Malwarebytes too; However I really wanted to be 100% sure, so I checked. Guess what? Installed Avast, checked LatencyMon and boom, 4x the DPC latency of before, stuttering which would have increased with the hours passing until forcing me to reboot once again, songs blocking, ears bleeding, etc.
I then went on to restore the system to a previous point I had created before installing Avast (thank god I wanted to be 100% sure and I created the restore point), and every problem was magically gone!
Needless to say, I am never installing any product from that company again, given the struggle I've been through for the past month or so. I have also seen a few bug reports about this, yet nothing has happened in the past 2-3 years on Avast's side. Not what I expect from my antivirus, bye Avast, waste of money and time.
I am really SO glad that I've managed to fix this, many thanks also to OldGrayGary for your efforts and time.
Good luck to anyone else having this problem...

Bye :)

TLDR: Uninstall Avast. Restart. Profit.

 

[OldGrayGary]

Hi again

Thanks for letting us know that Avast was causing the audio/video issue on your computer.

Avast is a more-thorough-than-average antivirus protector ... I'm curious to hear if you had the free version installed, or the premium "Internet Security" version installed. If it was the latter: a user here on our forums found that the "port-scanning blocking" modules of some firewalls were causing audio/visual problems ... and that disabling that feature in the firewall resolved the issues. Since most modem/router/gateway Internet equipment has built-in port-scanning blocking, you don't necessary compromise your security by turning the feature off in the antivirus package's firewall (because it is redundant).

If it was simply slowing things down from scanning ... I'd be interested to hear about that too.

 

[didokon]

I had the Internet Security one, and the reason I bought it was because it had a firewall in it. Since the firewall causes problems, I have no reason now to use that version of Avast anymore. I have switched to Kaspersky instead, finding that pretty much every antivirus which has a firewall increases my DPC latency, but Kaspersky has major differences in terms of impact it seems. My highest DPC execution time with Avast was 3301, with Kaspersky it's 1100 at most; Highest ISR with avast was around 750, with Kaspersky it doesn't go over 100 most of the times; the highest measured interrupt to process latency on avast was 25000 (!) and with kaspersky the max I've got is like 1100 which is just slightly above cap and will likely not cause me any issue at all... So, though the program does sometimes tell I have issues, it's not written in red and I haven't really heard any latency so I'm perfectly fine with Kaspersky for now.

 

[OldGrayGary]

Thanks again.... thanks especially for letting us know which firewall behaved itself better. Kaspersky is a nice choice ... their "Rescue CD" is nicely capable, too (I use it along with several other tools in my repair work for malware cleanup tasks).

If you'd like, you can mark this thread solved (using the thread tools in the upper right hard corner of the thread) ... this can help other users find your successful solution faster (folks tend to look at the "Solved" threads first!).

Cheers