Mysterious Win 7 Pro 64 Slowdown - Maybe Underclocking Itself?

(Jack - a broken slow mode switch is a common issue with his board and he has all the symptoms. The solution is an RMA but since he bought the board a while back he's trying to figure out a way around that)

TDK -
not sure about your hotkey but I'd guess you are right, you need a basic usb keyboard

anytime you are "stuck" on 800mhz I recommend this procedure:

1) reset bios to default settings, then save

2) turn off machine and play with slow mode switch position. E.g. Move it left, move it right, return it to middle.

3) reboot, check frequency when running hyper-pi

4) If freq=4ghz you're good, if freq=800mhz return to step 1

figuring out all the changes made to bios by a slow mode switch malfunction is going to be a nightmare, so its easiest to just get used to living with the bios default settings

to disable wake on lan within windows even though its enabled in bios, do start > run > devmgmt.msc > enter, click on network adapter section, right click on your lan adapter, properties, power management, then uncheck "allow this device to wake the computer". Anytime you reset bios, you may need to need re-do this step.

I have better luck with motherboard companies by calling them. You have to wait on hold for 45 minutes, but after that its easy. You may not need to post on the forum as the issue has been discussed at length, here are some posts, maybe you can pick up some tips.

MSI Z170A Gaming M3 - problem with stock CPU - need to know what is this LED

MSI Gaming M7 +6700K running at 800mhz - Potential Solution?

MSI Gaming 970 FX8350 CPU limited to 1400 MHZ

i7 6700K in Z170A Stuck at .8 Ghz

MSI Z170A Gaming M5, multiplier stuck at 8x!!!

CPU speeds stuck in slow mode?

Hi johnhoh. I’ve got to run out and do my ‘errands,’ so I’ll do the top part of your post later.

johnhoh said:

… snip…
to disable wake on lan within windows even though its enabled in bios, do start > run > devmgmt.msc > enter, click on network adapter section, right click on your lan adapter, properties, power management, then uncheck "allow this device to wake the computer". Anytime you reset bios, you may need to need re-do this step.

I have better luck with motherboard companies by calling them. You have to wait on hold for 45 minutes, but after that its easy. You may not need to post on the forum as the issue has been discussed at length, here are some posts, maybe you can pick up some tips.
…

The disable trick worked, thanks. Good idea trying to call MSI; I hadn’t thought of that. Yeah, starting all over on the MSI forum would be a pain for such.

Gotta run…

Layback Bear said:

I have read through this thread several times. A lot of trial and error.

I would suggest doing some basic again.

1. Plug your mouse and keyboard into the motherboard usb 2.0 on the back of the computer.

Hi Jack. Thanks for the tips. The keybrd and mouse are currently in the back of the computer. The mouse has always been there. Originally I had my PS2 hooked up but about 5-6 months ago I got this slightly curved wireless keybrd by Logitech. I prefer corded keybrds and mice (my mouse is corded) but this was the only keybrd that had a gentle curve; the MS keybrds were too radical for me to try. (I have trouble typing and figured the curve would help. It does, but only slightly.)

Please note that I built this box over a year ago and has worked great until this problem. I think it was Jan. or Feb. of 2016 when I got it together.

2. Don't use sleep or hibernation until all other problems are solved.

I have been in the habit for a while now to turn it off at night. During the day, when I step away for 2-4 hours is a different story; I usually have too much running to ‘start all over again,’ so I put it to sleep during the day. I have had better success in sleep mode when it is running ‘fast’ as it comes back ‘fast.’ It’s a lot more iffy on fresh boot.

3. Set your bios to 'Default' and leave it that way until all other problems are solved.

It’s been set to default numerous times, no change, and a fresh BIOS flash, too. It’s current at default and is still running at 800 MHz.

4. Verify that the needed proper USB 3.0 drivers are installed.

I installed the drivers on the motherboard’s CD and all USB devices have worked just fine. I have no idea how verify if they are ‘proper’ or not…

I did note, however, when I got the latest BIOS, they (MSI) has a ‘fast USB’ utility available. I did not d/l or install this as I don’t know what it is.

Note.
All needed drivers and chip-set are included on your motherboard DVD.
They will not need updated to work properly.
If needed for what ever reason you can do that later.

If one doesn't start off with the proper basics all the tinkering in the world will not help a lot.

Jack

Yes, I installed the CD’s drivers and the like when I built this, so it’s all MSI stuff.

johnhoh said:

... snip...
anytime you are "stuck" on 800mhz I recommend this procedure:

1) reset bios to default settings, then save

2) turn off machine and play with slow mode switch position. E.g. Move it left, move it right, return it to middle.

3) reboot, check frequency when running hyper-pi

4) If freq=4ghz you're good, if freq=800mhz return to step 1

figuring out all the changes made to bios by a slow mode switch malfunction is going to be a nightmare, so its easiest to just get used to living with the bios default settings

...snip...

CPU speeds stuck in slow mode?

Hi johnhoh. I ran out of time yesterday, but did (re)apply your tips again this morning. No joy as I’m still at a painful 800 MHz.

So far I’ve only had time to check out one of your links. I picked the bottom one at random. In it, it suggest manually setting the CPU Ratio manually. I right-clicked on this setting in BIOS, but all I get is several “Favorite” choices. So I looked at the PDF manual and all it says is:

“▶CPU Ratio [Auto]
Sets the CPU ratio that is used to determine CPU clock speed. This item can only be
changed if the processor supports this function.”

So I guess I’m stuck not being able to try to manually set it to 40 or 42…
.

Download Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel® XTU)

Layback Bear said:

The "Das 4 Professional" solved my keyboard problem. I have two system and two "Das 4 Professional" keyboards.

I'm writing a book and I have been typing for hours today without pain.
That is something I couldn't do before with other keyboards.
Using a mouse and keyboard should not be painful.

Jack

That's a nice looking keybrd, Jack. I use to love mechanical keybrds and did not like the soft and/or chicklet keybrds when they came out. I'm glad to hear it's doing you good! My Logitech K350 has firm keys, not mushy, but they're not mechanical. I just Googled it and couldn't find the key switch specs at several places.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of book? I've known a few writers and got a feel for how it's not easy at all like a lot of folks think. Two have 'self-published' and one is still writing many years later.
.