x50v wm5: filesys.exe uses 95% cpu

shsmith · 11-21-05, 03:11 PM

I recently upgraded my x50v to wm5. For the most part it has been doing real well and overall I like wm5 better than 2003se.

In the last few days I have started seeing the cpu pegged out, and every time it is in filesys.exe. Soft-reset usually fixed it (for a while), but today even after a soft-reset the cpu is still pegged out in filesys.exe.

Anyone else having this trouble?
Any ideas on how to fix it?

My understanding is that filesys.exe is the host for the file-system hardware drivers, so maybe the real problem is in the rom/bis/sd driver and/or filesystem.

Thanks!

EDIT: 3/25/07 Here is version 6.3 of my patch:
This version adds support for X50V with WM5 rom version A02.
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/attac...7&d=1174598954
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...106009&page=16
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showp...&postcount=230

EDIT: 2/18/06 Here is version 11 of my patch:
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showp...&postcount=116

Originally Posted by shsmith

Here is the next, and final, version of my patch.

From the readme.txt:

2/17/06 v11
Added "Fix CompactionCritPrio256 registry key" checkbox. When checked, this key is reset back to the Microsoft default, which works better than Dell's override value.
Added "Fix Paging registry key" checkbox. When checked, the flash "paging" mode is turned off, resulting in more stability and fewer lockups.
Added exception handler so I can give an error message on non-x50 pdas instead of just crashing.
Added logic to bring the configure window to the foreground if you have another window open at the time you load the patch configuration.
Added logic to recheck power and compaction right away when resuming from standby.
Added a normal 'installer' that places shortcuts in StartUp and the Start Menu.

Note: please remove the previous version before installing this. Unzip the file on your PC and run SETUPCE.EXE to install the patch on your axim via activesync.

I didn't get a chance to make a screen shot of this version before my Axim was taken. If someone could take one and upload it, I would appreciate it. Thanks,

patch_filesys_v11_setup.zip
Screen shot

EDIT: 2/7/06 Here is version 10 of my patch:
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showp...6&postcount=70

Originally Posted by shsmith

Here is a new version of the patch.

2/06/06 v10
Added a second critical section. Not sure if it will make any difference.
Added a configuration dialog that lets you control compaction while on AC power as well as the time
periods between power state checks and compaction checks.
The patch loads without any message, but when you launch it a second time you get the configuration
dialog, with choices to save changed settings, hide (and continue running) or exit the patch.

Screen shot
patch_filesys_v10.zip

EDIT: 2/1/06 Here is version 9 of my patch:
http://www.aximsite.com/...postcount=334

Originally Posted by shsmith

Here is patch v9. This version is compatible with all x50's on WM5 A01 and eliminates the chirping sound. If you liked the sound, you can re-enable it by copying the provided suspend.wav to your \windows folder.

Here is the readme.txt for v9:

2/01/06 v9
Added support for x50mid and x50low.
The sound effect for suspending compaction is now controlled by 'suspend.wav'. Copy the wave file of your choice to \windows\suspend.wav to hear the sound effect. If you do not have a file named suspend.wav, there will be no sound effect.
Changed re-suspend period to 2 seconds.
Changed battery check period to 60 seconds.
Lowered priority of the patch (seems to help by avoiding priority inversion in the compaction thread).

If the rumors are true, maybe Dell may give us a real fix soon and we won't need patches like this any more.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions and feedback on all the various revs I have gone through.

11-21-05, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by shsmith

I recently upgraded my x50v to wm5. For the most part it has been doing real well and overall I like wm5 better than 2003se.

In the last few days I have started seeing the cpu pegged out, and every time it is in filesys.exe. Soft-reset usually fixed it (for a while), but today even after a soft-reset the cpu is still pegged out in filesys.exe.

Anyone else having this trouble?
Any ideas on how to fix it?

My understanding is that filesys.exe is the host for the file-system hardware drivers, so maybe the real problem is in the rom/bis/sd driver and/or filesystem.

Thanks!

How do you have measured this 95% CPU usage ?
Have you inserted any flash- card ?
Have you tried to deactivate the internal flashdisk ?

shsmith · 11-21-05, 08:23 PM

> How do you have measured this 95% CPU usage ?
I am using Super Tasks from softwareandson.

> Have you inserted any flash- card ?
I have a 1 gig SD card installed, but it doesn't seem to matter if it is plugged in or not.

> Have you tried to deactivate the internal flashdisk ?
I don't think you can do that on wm5 as that is what windows boots from.

Earlier today I thought I had hit upon a solution when I cleaned out the \windows\activesync folder. After a soft-reset, the cpu was normal. Then about 30 minutes later, while doing nothing in particular, the high cpu came back, and again it was filesys.exe.

I wonder if maybe activesync is doing something once in a while that triggers this... I have used the trick of definging a "server source" and settig the schedule to "manual" before deleting the source. That stopped it from powering up by itself, but did not help with the occasional filesys.exe problems.

kam33mitch · 11-22-05, 11:51 AM

I have had the same problem and have not figured out a fix. It does not seem to be Activesync though.

11-22-05, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by shsmith

>Then about 30 minutes later, while doing nothing in particular, the high cpu came back, and again it was filesys.exe.

Hmmm...how do you know that it's filesys.exe which is sapping so much processing time?

Phillip

bluevolume · 11-22-05, 02:23 PM

I loaded up the SuperTask app too -- what a great resource.

OK, my Axim was working fine after a reboot. It was in that "Wow, I think I finally screwed with enough settings to make it work!" state. Ran Supertask and the CPU sat around zero. Ran TCMP, and was watching Napoleon Dynamite with 22% CPU usage, and everything still moving along nicely.

Then I run IE and surf around a bit, and the CPU peaks for a bit but it was expected as IE is a hog when rendering pages. Then it locks up and I reboot.

After the reboot, I'm back to the "I can't stand WM5". Every time I click anything it takes a second or two to respond, everything is crawling. I load up Supertask, and see that filesys.exe is taking up 90-94% of the cpu, and has been sitting there doing that since I started writing this.

What is the frigging deal? Why is that process taking up so much time? Somewhere in this is the root of all the OS problems. Dell, can you hear us????

peer78de · 11-22-05, 03:24 PM

Same problem here, I use Vidya Pocket Task Manager to see that filesys.exe uses more than 90 % of my CPU time. I think it is every time data is written to the system, e.g. temporary internet files after surfing via Wifi or installing applications. When I just use Pocket Informant without modifying nothing happens and I can use my Axim for hours running smooth at 104 Mhz. I hope a new WM5 ROM will fix his issue.

rsx · 11-22-05, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by bluevolume

What is the frigging deal? Why is that process taking up so much time? Somewhere in this is the root of all the OS problems. Dell, can you hear us????

Beta testing is cool, isn't it?

ox_from_bws · 11-22-05, 09:29 PM

Used to happen to me too. Then I found the registry tweaks in the forum, applied it.. now my x50v is a lot better now.

henybass · 11-22-05, 10:22 PM

It is also happenned to me and maybe every x50er has this problem.
In my axim,sometimes it run fast and sometimes it run very slowwly and even I reboot the problem couldn't be solved.If check the cpu,the filesys.exe takes too much time of CPU.
Hope that the next rom that can solve this problem will coming soon!

shsmith · 11-30-05, 09:52 PM

I found a nifty tool kit that let me probe filesys a little closer. Using the pps tool from my PC (over activesync) I was able to narrow down the CPU to the msflash.dll module thread within the filesys.exe process.

Here is where I found the pps utility:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~itsme/projects/xda/tools.html

ShadowVlican · 11-30-05, 10:42 PM

any fix for this yet?

bluevolume · 11-30-05, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by shsmith

I found a nifty tool kit that let me probe filesys a little closer. Using the pps tool from my PC (over activesync) I was able to narrow down the CPU to the msflash.dll module thread within the filesys.exe process.

Here is where I found the pps utility:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~itsme/projects/xda/tools.html

Excellent work -- nobody's been able to dive deeper than the process level. This is good information.

This does scare me a bit though, since it is the msflash.dll that is causing the load. I'm pretty sure this is the dll responsible for the ROM reads/writes, and maybe there isn't a way to fix it. This could be the "warning" about the downfalls of persistant storage, finally realized on a functional level. Is that process working in the background to write all of the ROM requests that were queued? Is this the necessary evil of WM5?

rsx · 12-01-05, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by bluevolume

Is this the necessary evil of WM5?

So what now?

WM2003SE is here to stay???!!!

shsmith · 12-01-05, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by bluevolume

Excellent work -- nobody's been able to dive deeper than the process level. This is good information.

This does scare me a bit though, since it is the msflash.dll that is causing the load. I'm pretty sure this is the dll responsible for the ROM reads/writes, and maybe there isn't a way to fix it. This could be the "warning" about the downfalls of persistant storage, finally realized on a functional level. Is that process working in the background to write all of the ROM requests that were queued? Is this the necessary evil of WM5?

The msflash.dll thread uses hardly any CPU under normal circumstances. This gives me some hope that it is a bug, not a characteristic of this type of storage.

In googling around for msflash.dll I found some discussions and registry settings that mention a "compaction" thread that runs inside filesys.exe. I wonder if that is it? Maybe WM is doing what amounts to a "defrag" of the ROM in order to "help" us and to give us "better performance". Unfortunately, the defrag process is worse than the problem it tries to solve. Just a guess... whatever it turns out to be, surely it will eventually be fixed, either by MS or by Dell.