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CSRSS.EXE causing hard drive to thrash

P

Pacfanweb

Lifer
This has been going on for awhile. Pretty sure it's not virus related. I've run about every scanner there is out there, including making a Linux-based boot disc from Bitdefender and running that.

What happens is this: Computer seems to run fine after a reboot. But let it go to sleep, and wake it back up, and start surfing, then after a little while I'll notice that it's sluggish. When that happens, I can look down and the hard drive light is on, solid.

Fire up Task Manager, and the top I/O read offender is CSRSS.EXE, and it'll be some fantastic number, like 115K reads. Compared that to right now, when the PC is working normally, CSRSS is reading 1,360k. Doesn't seem to be using the CPU much, just the hard drive.

Anyway, it'll do that for awhile, and eventually stop, but while it's doing it, the computer is practically unusable.

I've turned off disk indexing. Ran numerous scans. Googled it to death...found plenty of complaints similar, but not exactly, and no resolutions that way. Can't figure out why it does this, so I thought I'd ask here. I know a format and reinstall would probably fix it, but the computer runs flawlessly otherwise, and that's a pain in the rear...seems like a sort of nuclear option that I'd rather save for a last resort.
 
If you want to not use that process then click on control panel:
Then admin tools
Then services

Once the services window is open and you do not share anything on your network Then find server and workstation. Disable them both.
This will disable file and print sharing and will also prevent IIS from running if you have it installed.
Reboot your pc and it should feel a lil bit faster but not by much.
 
If memory serves, there is a trojan out there that uses that name, and at that time (this has been a few years) AVG was very good at detecting it.

Edit: sorry, that was a bit vague. On the Processes tab if you right click on the csrss and choose Properties the location should be C:\Windows\System32 if it is genuine.
 
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If the problem occurs every time after resuming from sleep mode, I might be inclined to try using msconfig with a selective startup, only allow core OS stuff to start to see whether that makes any difference. If it doesn't, I'd have Process Monitor (a free MS/sysinternals utility) at the ready and monitor file related activity when the problem occurs. The selective startup might assist in the monitor because it should reduce the amount of other activity.

Aside from that, if you have Win7 I'd try sfc /scannow on the off-chance that it might make a difference. If Win8x, the dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth command.

Aside from that, I'd try uninstalling whatever security software you have and re-test.

I wonder whether it's a dodgy driver though, as that's the only thing I can think of what would be affected by going in and out of sleep mode. If I was going to pursue that possibility, I'd update all drivers first, re-test, then remove/uninstall all hardware/drivers that isn't strictly needed to test for the problem, disable all unnecessary integrated peripherals, and re-test.
 
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Does not do it every time. And when it does happen, it's after I've woken it up and been surfing for awhile.

Only AV is Microsoft Security Essentials.

I do have selective startup and have a lot of fluff turned off.

Here are the things that are enabled at startup:

Microsoft Security Client
Realtek HD Audio Manager (sound)
MagicTuneEngine (Monitor)
Software Manager (Macrovision)
KTbWorks Application (Kensington mouse)
UA (Samsung)
GammaTray (Monitor also)

Now when the problem has occurred, I've tried killing the Gamma Tray and Magic Tune, and it made no difference. But that's a pretty minimal startup suite, I think.
 
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