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Anybody ever have problems with ACPI.sys?

SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,741
12,762
In a van.... down by the river
So here's the scoop. My old PC fairly regularly goes off the deep end WRT to CPU usage. From task manager it shows "System" is the culprit... which is kind of useless information. :D

So I install "Process Explorer" and find that when the CPU utilization gets unruly, it's because of "hardware interrupts" and "DPCs" - which is only *marginally* useful information.

So I install RATTV3 to get some idea of what is causing all the hw interrupts & DPCs. And I get this:

ACPI.sys insanity.

Now I've pretty much reached the end of my PC knowledge. I tried disabling ACPI in BIOS but of course the system wouldn't boot, presumably because XP was installed originally with ACPI enabled.

Is there any way to disable ACPI in the OS? I'd like to try to test this hypothesis, but I don't want to permanantly FUBAR my system.

When I was running a Fedora dual boot, Fedora never had any CPU issues like this... presumably because it didn't handle ACPI the same way or at all.

Any ideas from the crowd? It's making my wife :banghead: , which we all know is not a good way to have things....
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,100
1,150
NC
Further info:

Service pack information
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP.

Note The fix for Windows XP was not released as an individual hotfix.
Click to expand...
MORE INFORMATION
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

After you apply the service pack or the hotfix, you must modify the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ACPI\Parameters registry subkey.

To do this, follow these steps.
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ACPI\Parameters
Note If the Parameters subkey does not exist, right-click ACPI, point to New, and then click Key. Type Parameters as the subkey name, and then press ENTER.
3. Right-click the Attributes entry, and then click Modify.

Note If the Attributes entry does not exist, right-click Parameters, point to New, and then click DWORD value. Type Attributes as the entry name, and then press ENTER.
4. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, click Hexadecimal, type 100 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
5. Quit Registry Editor.
Click to expand...
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,100
1,150
NC
Okay, well, ACPI isn't really necessary for basic functionality of the operating system, it's just advanced power management. Try this:

-Go to Device Manager
-Expand the list next to "Computer"
-Right click the ACPI entry
-Click "Update Driver"
-Tell Windows to install from a specific location, and not to search - you'll choose one from a list
-Select "Standard PC" from the list
-Reboot, and disable ACPI in the BIOS

Windows should boot now without ACPI (knock on wood).
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,741
12,762
In a van.... down by the river
binary visions said:
Okay, well, ACPI isn't really necessary for basic functionality of the operating system, it's just advanced power management. Try this:

-Go to Device Manager
-Expand the list next to "Computer"
-Right click the ACPI entry
-Click "Update Driver"
-Tell Windows to install from a specific location, and not to search - you'll choose one from a list
-Select "Standard PC" from the list
-Reboot, and disable ACPI in the BIOS

Windows should boot now without ACPI (knock on wood).
Click to expand...
I suppose that there's a reasonable chance at that point that they system won't boot with ACPI enabled or disabled? 'Cause then my wife might slaughter me. :D
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,100
1,150
NC
SkaredShtles said:
I suppose that there's a reasonable chance at that point that they system won't boot with ACPI enabled or disabled? 'Cause then my wife might slaughter me. :D
Click to expand...
Nah, if it still doesn't boot with ACPI in the BIOS disabled, just re-enable it. I would be pretty shocked if it didn't boot just because you switched to a standard PC from ACPI enabled in Device Manager. Its a standard (and simple) driver.

I just gave it a shot on my work machine (WTF do I care? It's not mine and I get paid whether or not I'm being productive :D) and I rebooted with no ill effects.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,100
1,150
NC
No advanced power management now... expect your electricity bills to skyrocket at least $0.08 or $0.09 per month ;)
 
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