Some programs unresponsible after certain file operations

[Anakunda]

Greetings,

have following problem. I started to notice a long unresponsiveness or even complete freeze of some applications after performing certain file operations. These are the issues:
- In µTorrent if I delete a task only, it continues operation instantly. If I delete task+associated torrent file, it becomes unresponsive for unusual period (mostly 30-60sec.). If I delete task+torrent file+torrent contents, it even freezes completely (didnot confirm if it only is a too long delay or complete freeze but after about 5 min I have given up and killed the application)
- In Corel PhotoPaint if I save a large image to disk, after confirming the filter settings the application becomes unresponsive for about 30-60 sec. and during this period I get continuous system dialogs about application not being ready, Switch To.../Retry/Cancel.
- In Win Explorer if I delete file, it becomes quite long before the confirmation dialog appears and it also takes quite a long the deleting operation self. This doesnot happen always.

I thing all issues are related, not seen these delays on other applications yet.
How do I locate the culprit and fix the problem? I didnot have these delays earlier.

 

[Maguscreed]

The utorrent problem should be solvable by simply moving the download directory out of your my docs area.
say c:\downloads

As for the other apps, it really sounds like your security software is sticking it's nose into these processes and slowing things down.

 

[Anakunda]

The utorrent problem should be solvable by simply moving the download directory out of your my docs area.
say c:\downloads

Thanks for quick response but this is not the case, I use various download locations and it happens always regardless where do I store the data.

As for the other apps, it really sounds like your security software is sticking it's nose into these processes and slowing things down.

How can I find out which process sticking it's nose into them? I only use Comodo Personal Firewall with Defense+ deactivated, then SuperAntiSpyware but not autostarted and SAScore service set start to manual (not running during these file IO problems), UAC turned off, Security Center turned off, Microsoft Security Essentials with runtime protection turned off and MSE service set to manual (not running during the problems). I don't have more security sniffers installed Afaik.

 

[Maguscreed]

Well the quickest easiest test would just be to completely kill the comodo processes (exit program)
and see if the problem persist.
Comodo firewall actually monitors system services too, so it's not outside possibility.

 

[Anakunda]

OK I give it a try but I'm afraid this won't be the solution since I'm using CFW a long time already with same configuration and this issue appeared as late as few weeks ago.

 

[Maguscreed]

Very common misconception especially with security software.
It can be used stable for years and suddenly develop problems. It's a very common mistake in debugging people will often overlook a favorite app or item because it has worked in the past and they like it. Scrutinize everything

 

[alan10]

Well the quickest easiest test would just be to completely kill the comodo processes (exit program)
and see if the problem persist.
Comodo firewall actually monitors system services too, so it's not outside possibility.

I concur it gets you when you do not expect.

I have a simple BAT script that launches a few lines of VB script many times in succession.
The results were horrendously irregular so I switched the Firewall to Block All and Disabled Defense+ (prime suspect) and A.V.
That gave perfection, it iterated regularly many times a second,
BUT at regular 33 second intervals it froze for 5 seconds.

Windows Task manager saw nothing stealing processor time;
Systernals Process Explorer saw Comodo using 25% (1 out of my 4 cores)
Process Monitor gave me faaaarr toooo much information ! !

Then I unplugged the Ethernet cable to the router and the 33 second glitch vanished - perfection as desired.
I unplugged so that with safety from malware I could disable Comodo's firewall,
but with it unplugged there was perfection when both enabled and disabled.

Perhaps my ISP or my Router are checking my connection every 33 seconds,
and that ICMP or whatever makes Comodo catatonic whilst cscript is running.

Regards
Alan

 

[Anakunda]

Well the quickest easiest test would just be to completely kill the comodo processes (exit program)
and see if the problem persist.
Comodo firewall actually monitors system services too, so it's not outside possibility.

I just have done that. I've disabled the CIS service in services manager, then I disabled the CPF agent from startup and had to system restart as CIS service doesnot allow to simply shut it down. After restart I have checked thet the service neither agent isn`t running then tried to add some torrent. After adding to task list I have chosen from µTorrent menu delete task + torrent file. The operation took exactly 55s till torrent client continued to redraw it's UI. I think it's abnormally high time for that. Then Comodo Internet Security is out of the game. Where do I have to look up next?

P.S. I'm watching unusually long times by deleting files also from other programs, the delay is comparable.

Anybody any idea?

 

[Maguscreed]

I'm really about out of ideas on that, as you probably know utorrent is a very simple application.
I can't imagine what else is interfering with it. It's doubtful it's a registry setting as utorrent doesn't even need them to operate.

 

[Anakunda]

I would say that it's not exactly µTorrent's issue. As I wrote similar delays appear in other apps/situations also. Just µTorrent is a good client to demonstrate the behaviour on. I suppose that this problem is more system wide, something interfering or blocking deleting files. I observe a longer delay not observed earlier on Firefox browser when starting a new download. The browser freezes for about 15s (not always but often). I really don't get an idea where I should start to find the problem source. Maybe event log? Some kind of debugging on the µTorrent case? Any profiler, diag tool that could analyze why the mentioned apps stay so long unresponsible? The only common factor of all those situations that they deal with file deleting operations, maybe creating also.

 

[Maguscreed]

Well there is one more question that begs to be asked here now that I think of it.
Have you at any point altered any system services at all?
stopped/started/set to manual

 

[Anakunda]

I don't remember but I think not. Today I disabled Security Center but the problem persists longer. This is the list of runnings services:

Status   Name               DisplayName                           
------   ----               -----------                           
Running  AeLookupSvc        Funkčnost aplikací                    
Running  ASLDRService       ASLDR Service                         
Running  AtherosSvc         AtherosSvc                            
Running  ATKGFNEXSrv        ATKGFNEX Service                      
Running  AudioEndpointBu... Koncové vytváření služby Windows Audio
Running  AudioSrv           Zvuk systému Windows                  
Running  Autodesk Conten... Autodesk Content Service              
Running  BFE                Služba BFE (Base Filtering Engine)    
Running  BITS               Služba inteligentního přenosu na po...
Running  bthserv            Služba pro podporu technologie Blue...
Running  cmdAgent           COMODO Internet Security Helper Ser...
Running  CryptSvc           Šifrování                             
Running  CscService         Offline soubory                       
Running  DcomLaunch         Spouštěč procesů serveru DCOM         
Running  Dhcp               Klient DHCP                           
Running  DirMngr            DirMngr                               
Running  Dnscache           Klient DNS                            
Running  DPS                Služba DPS (Diagnostic Policy Service)
Running  EapHost            Protokol EAP (Extensible Authentica...
Running  EFS                Systém souborů EFS (Encrypting File...
Running  eventlog           Protokol událostí systému Windows     
Running  EventSystem        Systém událostí COM+                  
Running  FDResPub           Publikování prostředků rozpoznávání...
Running  FontCache          Mezipaměť písem Windows               
Running  gpsvc              Klient zásad skupiny                  
Running  hidserv            Přístup k zařízením standardu HID     
Running  IKEEXT             Služba IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying ...
Running  iphlpsvc           Pomocná služba protokolu IP           
Running  KeyIso             Izolace klíče CNG                     
Running  LanmanServer       Server                                
Running  LanmanWorkstation  Pracovní stanice                      
Running  lmhosts            Podpora rozhraní NetBIOS nad protok...
Running  MMCSS              Služba Plánovač multimédií            
Running  Netman             Síťová připojení                      
Running  netprofm           Služba seznamu sítí                   
Running  NlaSvc             Sledování umístění v síti (NLA)       
Running  nsi                Služba rozhraní síťového úložiště     
Running  nvsvc              NVIDIA Display Driver Service         
Running  nvUpdatusService   NVIDIA Update Service Daemon          
Running  osppsvc            Office Software Protection Platform   
Running  PcaSvc             Program Compatibility Assistant Ser...
Running  PDAgent            PDAgent                               
Running  PDEngine           PDEngine                              
Running  PGP RDD Service    PGP RDD Service                       
Running  PGPserv            PGPserv                               
Running  PlugPlay           Plug and Play                         
Running  PolicyAgent        Agent zásad protokolu IPsec           
Running  Power              Napájení                              
Running  ProfSvc            Služba Profil uživatele               
Running  PSI_SVC_2          Protexis Licensing V2                 
Running  RpcEptMapper       Mapovač koncových bodů protokolu RPC  
Running  RpcSs              Vzdálené volání procedur (RPC)        
Running  SamSs              Správce zabezpečení účtů              
Running  SENS               Služba oznamování událostí systému    
Running  ShellHWDetection   Rozpoznávání hardwaru                 
Running  Schedule           Plánovač úloh                         
Running  spmgr              spmgr                                 
Running  Spooler            Služba zařazování tisku               
Running  SSDPSRV            SSDP Discovery                        
Running  SysMain            Superfetch                            
Running  Themes             Motivy                                
Running  TrkWks             Klient služby Sledování distribuova...
Running  UI0Detect          Zjišťování interaktivních služeb      
Running  UxSms              Správce relací správce oken plochy    
Running  WDDMService        WDDMService                           
Running  WdiServiceHost     Hostitel diagnostické služby          
Running  WinHttpAutoProx... Služba WinHTTP WPAD                   
Running  Winmgmt            Služba WMI                            
Running  Wlansvc            Automatická konfigurace sítě WLAN     
Running  wuauserv           Windows Update                        
Running  wudfsvc            Platforma WDF (Windows Driver Found...

 

[Anakunda]

Noone other ideas?
I see the long delay also when in File Open dialog invoke the icon view menu, it takes almost 1 minute before the menu shows. I think all these probs have common source.

 

[alan10]

Process Explorer will show you what is happening to cause the delay.
Far better than Windows Task Manager.
Process Explorer

SysInternals have many tools and a user support forum that may give further advice.

 

[Anakunda]

I know ProcExp very well but don't know what it should show me about this.
But thanks for mentioning Sysinternals forum, I'll try to ask there.

 

[alan10]

It shows what is using processor cycles.
Windows Task Manager could see nothing when my system suffered big hang-ups.
It saw Comodo CFP.EXE and CMDAGENT.EXE but not their CPU usage
(though normally it did see such things.)

Process Explorer could see these things and I could observe continuously updated graphs showing how CMDAGENT.EXE and CSCRIPT.EXE were using the CPU cycles.
The graphs showed what happened when I was not looking, and how it related to other things happening at the same time.
So much better than watching 40 or more numbers simultaneously updating in real-time.

Alan

 

[Anakunda]

That's unfortunatelly not this case, the applications I mentioned don't make any high CPU usage.

 

[alan10]

What does Process Explorer show as consuming processor cycles ?
If you click on the CPU column so the biggest consumers are at the top,
you probably have System Idle Process at the top,
are there any peculiarities in what is shown below this at the time you are waiting for action ?

 

[MvdB]

This might be unrelated to the applications you use... Could be a harddisk problem, either fragmentation or even filesystem messed up.

I would try a checkdisk first and next fragmentation. The latter should be done automatically...but you never know. Doesn't hurt to check.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html

 

[murmatron]

Check Event Viewer System Log for Disk (usually 11) or NTFS (usually 55) events.

You may have bad blocks on your disk.