NT problem: MSTASK.EXE uses 50% (1cpu) in dual cpu setup

[mattrix]

Hello....

I am presently running NT 4.0 workstation, service pack 6a on a BP6 with two cpus installed, and when the machine is idling, or any other time, MSTask.exe consumes the equivalent of one cpu, or 50%. If I look at the graphs in the Performance tab of the NT task manager, CPU usage shows about 50% but the usage history varies.

It's a system task so I can't kill it. Rebooting doesn't change anything as it comes up and starts chunking away.

I didn't have much luck at Microsoft's website or at ntfaq.com either.

I put in sp 6a last night on a whim, wondering whether that'd help.

I just looked at mstask.exe ... 125,424 bytes ... dated 10/5/2000 ... file version is 4.71.2721.1

And, there are no scheduled tasks.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Doh!]

have you updated the bios for bp6? if not, updating bp6 bios is a must.

 

[nasty]

MStask.exe is the taskmanager you use to view cpu-load, memory and running processes. When you aren't viewing these, the taskmanager isn't running and you haven't got a problem!

 

[mattrix]

Thanks for the input, folks.

I believe there's at least one bios version I can upgrade. My net connection wasn't working very well last night so I'll look now.

I thought taskmgr.exe was the task manager. I'm running NT here at work and taskmgr.exe is using about 2 to 3% of the available cpu (a smokin' 200MHz Pentium Pro).

mstask.exe is doing nothing at present.

There's also a taskman.exe that I found which is part of the task manager (I viewed properties and that's what it said the description was) but that's not presently running.

 

[jaywallen]

Hi, mattrix.

MSTASK.EXE is the task scheduler. If you're not running scheduled tasks, you can certainly kill it. If you have to keep it, I don't know what to suggest. Don't use it on any NT4 boxes around here, and it doesn't consume so much as 1% CPU time on any of the W2K boxes. (Of course, that would be a different version.) Do you have a lot of different tasks scheduled, or, perhaps, one task scheduled very, very frequently?

Regards,
Jim

 

[mattrix]

Hello Jim, et al...

I have no tasks scheduled.

When I try to kill the process, it tells me in some form or another, no can do... (I'll try it when I get home and report the message ... something like access denied)

Is there some handy way to stop it from running at all, like stopping some service?

Thanks!

 

[mattrix]

As far as BIOS upgrades, there are a few! One of them reports to fix the bug in 2k that makes it say 80%cpu utilization. Not sure that has anything to do with it but I'm thinking it can't hurt.

Am I right in assuming that BIOS upgrades are cumulative? (That is, you only put in the one you want, as opposed to putting in v1 in then v2 then v3, etc)

 

[mattrix]

Oops... I mean the bug in the bios that makes it report 80% under 2k. Not a 2k bug, but a BP6 bios bug, I understand.

 

[jaywallen]

Hi, mattrix.

I see the problem. You shouldn't try to kill a service from the Task Manager if there's another way to shut it down. In this case, and most others, there is another way to stop it. Just go into the Control Panel's Services applet, select the corresponding service (Don't know if it'll be called Task Scheduler or MSTASK or what.), and hit the stop button. Then double-click on it, and change it from Automatic to Manual in the Startup Type portion of the Service dialog.

That should take care of this thing starting, but I'm kind of confused by all of this. I'm new to Windows, having just started working with NT and W2K in May of this year, so maybe I'm not the one who would know... But I can't find MSTASK.EXE on any of the NT4 workstations around here. It does appear on all of the W2K systems, though. Another thing that confuses me is that, whether the program belongs there or not, there just isn't any way that I'd expect a task scheduler to be eating cycles like that -- especially if it wasn't being used to schedule or run anything.

And, you know what? That file date is WEIRD for an NT4 file. The version of my MSTASK.EXE file on my W2K Pro notebook is 4.71.2137.1, and it is dated Dec. 07, 1999. Of course your version might have been installed in a security update or something, but our NT4 workstations are all at SP6a, which was many months ago, anyhow, so it isn't there as the result of a Service Pack installation.

WRT BIOS updates, that's correct. You just apply the most recent one. Follow directions carefully for flashing your BIOS. I always disconnect EVERYTHING external except the power and monitor cords before flashing a BIOS.

Regards,
Jim

Edit: Okay, I leave the danged mouse and the danged keyboard attached, too. Heck, I usually use a notebook, so that's why I forgot about those. Almost forgot about the monitor. Shoot me.

 

[mattrix]

Could it be put in with IE?

 

[mattrix]

I'll try it at home.... it does stop and start quite nicely here at work.

 

[jaywallen]

You're quite right. The Task Scheduler is installed with IE5, and that explains why it exists on none of the NT4 boxes around here. They run IE4.01 SP2. The ATSVC.EXE executable performs the function of scheduling tasks on NT4 systems until IE5 replaces it with MSTASK.EXE. You might want to do a search on the term "Task Scheduler" at the Microsoft Technet site. It appears that there are some security issues with the original IE5 Task Scheduler, and there have been articles posted as a result. Not sure whether the update to IE 5.01 fixes this or not.

Hope you get to the bottom of this!

Regards,
Jim

 

[mattrix]

I went into the control panel and and into Services. The task scheduler stops on command. Just for yucks, I restarted it... it shot up to 50% ...

Haven't upgraded the bios yet. Hopefully in the next few days.

Thanks to all of you for your help!