Computer stuttering when watching video / typing

[dapkevic]

Hi,

Computer started stuttering all of a sudden when playing a video or even typing and e-mail (letters lag on screen). I've ran scans with all kinds of anti-malware software (avast!, AVG, Malwarebytes), but they all come out clean. How can I tell whether this is a hardware or a software issue? Would really appreciate any advice. Many thanks.

 

[paulpicks21]

Welcome to the forums dapkevic,

It could be a number of things, I see you are running a pretty heavy OC on your CPU, my 1st port of call would be to return it to stock and see if the problem is still there.

If it is, then have you made any changes recently to your setup like hardware changes, OC's on any parts or even think about what software you have installed since it started happening.

Paul.

 

[Sardonicus]

Defrag the HDD...it sometimes clears up the problem.

 

[Layback Bear]

paulpicks12 has a very good point. That is a lot of overclock. A couple of simple things you could try after backing off some of that O/C. A simple reboot can solve many small problems. Some people don't do one for days just use sleep. Another one would be starting in safe mode and see if the problem is still there. You could also check in msconfig/start up and services and see if some non Microsoft things are running in the back ground that are not needed sucking up resources. If you have any questions on how to do any of these things just ask.
Their are many things or a combination of things that can cause this but I like to start with the simple fixes first.

 

[dapkevic]

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for your replies. So easy ones first. The computer is rebooted every night and defragged every week. I've already removed most of the startup things on msconfig. I've been watching the processes and could not identify anything that is causing the spikes. However, the spikes don't go anywhere near 100% of CPU usage, so I would have thought that lack of resources should not be a problem.

Now, on the overclock. Apparently it's 4.2GHz, not 4.4GHz that I put down under my specs. It came overclocked from the retailer. Could you please explain how I can take it to stock? Will I be able to get it back up though? I would hate to lose it, if it turns out that it's not the cause of the problem. Thanks a lot for your advice!

 

[Layback Bear]

What retailer would that be? The way to go to default is enter the bios and set it to default. Before doing that wright down all the settings first so you can return to there. I'm not a Gigabyte person so I can't really help their.
Start your computer in Safe Mode and see if the problem is still there.

 

[dapkevic]

Hey,

I ended up formatting the drive and installing a fresh version of Windows. It seems that this resolved the stuttering issue.

I bought the machine from Overclockers UK.

By the way, after installing hundreds of Windows updates, one got stuck. The details of the update are below. Any idea how to force this to go through? Thanks a lot.

Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 for x64-based Systems (KB2656373)

Installation date: ‎15/‎07/‎2012 20:46

Installation status: Failed

Error details: Code 80073712

Update type: Important

A security issue has been identified that could allow an authenticated remote attacker to compromise your system and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

More information:
MS12-025: Description of the security update for the .NET Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1: April 10, 2012

Help and Support:
Microsoft Support

 

[brianzion]

hi and welcome to the forums

install this codec pack from K-Lite Download K-Lite Codec Pack Full

The K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of DirectShow filters, VFW/ACM codecs, and tools. Codecs and DirectShow filters are needed for encoding and decoding audio and video formats. The K-Lite Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your audio and movie files. With the K-Lite Codec Pack you should be able to play all the popular audio and video formats and even several less common formats.

 

[Layback Bear]

Make sure you have all unnecessary things unplugged from the computer. Printer, card readers, external hard drives, ect. I always reboot after a lot of updates whether directed to by Windows or not.
Take a look at this.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=22

 

[kegobeer]

Don't install codec packs, unless there is some need to do it.

Regarding the error: Windows Update error 80073712

 

[dapkevic]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your thoughts.

kegobeer - I've tried this, but when I click on 'upgrade', my Windows 7 installation says that the version of Windows I'm running is more recent than the one I am trying to install and does not allow me to proceed. This must be because of all the updates to Windows I've installed to-date.

Layback Bear - the installation of this file fails. Probably because it's older than the updates for .NET that have already gone through.

Any other ideas? By the way, why do I need this .NET stuff at all? Perhaps I should just leave it alone? Many thanks.

 

[Layback Bear]

Whether you need it or not; I don't know. Go here and take a look.
Download: Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Web Installer) - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details