Different performance depending on profile used

[Dave and Rosanna]

Hi all,
I'm using XP SP3 on and AMD X2 processor (dual core)
I've been trying to troubleshoot a performance issue that shows up as
occasional stuttering during 720p video playback; some problems
running an mpeg2 encoder - frame synch errors on the second pass.

I logged onto to a second profile on my machine (very lightly used)
and these problems don't exist there, only on my main profile.
For example, with the mpeg-2 encoding, 70 frames per sec on my main
profile, but 90 fps using the second profile - error free.

Anybody have any insights as to this behavior?
TIA,
Dave

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

Hi all,
I'm using XP SP3 on and AMD X2 processor (dual core)
I've been trying to troubleshoot a performance issue that shows up as
occasional stuttering during 720p video playback; some problems
running an mpeg2 encoder - frame synch errors on the second pass.

I logged onto to a second profile on my machine (very lightly used)
and these problems don't exist there, only on my main profile.
For example, with the mpeg-2 encoding, 70 frames per sec on my main
profile, but 90 fps using the second profile - error free.

Anybody have any insights as to this behavior?
TIA,
Dave

One of your accounts probably loads up some tasks at logon time that the
other one doesn't. Check the Task Manager to see what's going on.

 

[Dave and Rosanna]

One of your accounts probably loads up some tasks at logon time that the
other one doesn't. Check the Task Manager to see what's going on.

Not that I can see. The task manager on the better-performing profile has
ctfmon.exe while
the other doesn't. In both cases the cpu used was only 0 - 2% before
starting my encoder test.

 

[Dave and Rosanna]

I have resolved the problem by recreating the offending profile following
the
procedure documented in here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151

However, what this corruption was about, or why it only affected this
esoteric performance issue,
(at least as far as I could seems) is an absolute mystery.
Perhaps user profiles inevitably "go bad" after a few years of use and
should be recreated
as an act of preventative maintenance ?