My computer comes to a halt when I'm reading my e-mails and surfing the web due to "waiting on cache

[omahamike74]

I recently had to take this computer in for a motherboard exchange under an extended warranty to Best Buy because it died!  After I got it back, it never has run right. and now I keep getting the message "waiting on cache"  and it sits there doing nothing for some time. I have run every test that now comes with the UEFI  bios, which took quite awhile to do all of the tests, with good results... no bad memory, and the hard drive is OK. I use Google "Chrome", and I have read that it is a memory hog, so I cleared all my cookies and cache in Chrome. buit it didn't help. Please don't tel me to dump Chrome!  I used Eudora a long time ago, but had to change for one reason or another and had to learn Chrome! I am 77 years old and my learning curve is shot, and I don't think I would be able to start fresh with another browser! The thing that bugs me is that it has run badly since the motherboard exchange, and had never been as fast as it was before. 

I have "Fix Me Stick with the Russian viurus protection in it now and Microsoft "Defender" so it isn't a virus either. So can someone figure this out?? The mouse and keyboard are paralyzed while it's dealing with the cache.  There is 12 megs of  RAM that all checks out through UEFI. 

Both the HP and the Best Buy extended warranties are expired  now, so I can't take it back to Best Buy to complain either. I am just about to the point where I am about ready to use one of my other computers for my main one and trash this one! 

Thanks in advance...

[mdklassen]

> I keep getting the message "waiting on cache"  and it sits there doing nothing for some time.

Some motherboards have a special socket for a stick of RAM that is used as a "cache", to speed-up the computer.

This image shows a 512MB 'NVM' stick mounted on the MSI motherboard.

If you have a similar stick of RAM on your motherboard, it may have failed.

So, the motherboard futilely "waits" for it to respond.

With the computer powered-off, and the power-cord disconnected, remove that one screw holding it down, and gently remove that stick.

Then, reconnect the power-cord, and reboot, to see if the "wait" is gone.

Yes, your computer will be (slightly) slower without the usage of the "cache", but it still will run.

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[omahamike74]

I haven't had the box open since Best Buy repaired it under either their warranty or HP's, but I surely doubt that they would have used anything to replace the motherboard with other than a genuine HP part. And I doubt that HP ever used MSI motherboards in their retail sale desktops. Also, wouldn't the UEFI memory check  check any extra RAM if it was in there??? I ran all thosee tests (and it took several hours to do them all) and everything was OK.  

I will open up the case and see if that  chip is in this computer, but I highly doubt that it is even there.

I have also heard that Chrome is quite a memory hog... has anyone else  had this problem and is using "Chrome"?? I'm about ready to sideline this computer and use another one as my main box. 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my query... I appreciate it!

[mdklassen]

> I surely doubt that they would have used anything to replace the motherboard with other than a genuine HP part.

Me, too.

> And I doubt that HP ever used MSI motherboards in their retail sale desktops. 

Me, too.

Sorry about using a "non-HP" image.   From http://images.google.com

I picked the best-available image of a motherboard that shows the 'M.2' slot.

That image happened to be of a MSI motherboard, not an HP motherboard.

My points were to show the relative size of the M.2 card, its "horizontal" orientation (unlike the "vertical" RAM sticks), and the mounting-screw to secure it to the motherboard.

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[omahamike74]

So exactly what are you saying??? That this configuration wouldn't be IN my computer, OR that it IS possible to be in there?? I assumed that the cache memory was the cache on the memory sticks themselves, so I tested the memory and it tested OK. I would also believe that ANY memory in the computer (Cache included) would have been tested by the UEFI bios testing. 

So, it looks like this box is headed for the junk pile and I'll have to come up with a big hunk of change  to buy another one. But after the  headaches and drama around the 5820 printer and now this, I will have to find a completely different brand for my next computer. I have been a loyal HP user and I have recommended HP to everyone,, but that must change, I guess. Maybe I'll just have to go back to building my own!! Oh well..... nothing is forever!!

Any other ideas out  there??? Before I trash it!! I havbe been very happy with this box since I bought it, then it died, and now it's a P I T A.!!!

[mdklassen]

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So exactly what are you saying??? That this configuration wouldn't be IN my computer, OR that it IS possible to be in there?? I assumed that the cache memory was the cache on the memory sticks themselves, so I tested the memory and it tested OK. I would also believe that ANY memory in the computer (Cache included) would have been tested by the UEFI bios testing. 

Any other ideas out  there??? Before I trash it!! I havbe been very happy with this box since I bought it, then it died, and now it's a P I T A.!!!

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No, the "cache" is not embedded on the sticks of RAM.  If present, it is a separate stick of RAM.

You are getting the "waiting on cache" message because the UEFI BIOS is trying to test the "cache" memory.

You said that HP replaced the motherboard.

So, is the replacement a 100% match for the original?

From: HP ENVY 700-414 Desktop PC Product Specifications

Product release information

* Product number - J4V91AA
* Release date - 17-Sep-2014
* Country/region sold in - United States

and

Motherboard - Memphis-B
• Manufacturer: Pegatron
• Form factor: uATX - 24.4 cm (9.6 inches) x 24.4 cm (9.6 inches)
• Chipset:Intel H87
• Memory sockets: 2 x DDR3
• Processor socket: LGA 1150
• Expansion Slots:
•  1 PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.0)
•  3 PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.0)
•  1 PCI Express half-length mini card
• For more details, see Memphis-B motherboard specifications.

See: http://support.hp.com/doc-images/683/c03924162.jpg

for a picture of the original motherboard.

Note the string: IPMB7-MP  in the centre of the motherboard.

Does your motherboard have the identical string?

Notable by its absence is a slot for any "cache" RAM.

But, that is the original motherboard -- possibly not what your computer currently has.

Can you use your smart-phone to take a picture of the current motherboard, and post it here?

[omahamike74]

Thanks for persuing this further.... I really do appreciate it! 

The motherboard exchange was done by Best Buy in Omaha. They send larger repairs out to their  repair facility.  I took it to them because I had purchased their Geek Squad extended warranty and I also had the HP extended warranty that I bought on their web pages, so I had two warranties at that time and since Best Buy is local (Only 70 miles away from me where I live) I brought it to them. I understood that they contacted HP after they got it and I assumed that they got ther parts directly from HP... but who knows for sure? 

I will open up the box and take a picture of what's inside  after the replacement, but I don't have a picture of what it was originally. I will do this probably tomorrow, as I don't want to have to disconnect cabling and move things on my desk until I'm done using the computer because of possibly adding even more problems. If you knew me and the kind of luck I have, then you'd understand completely, I'm sure. 

But, I'm betting that it's the same as the original, and that it's something else that's causing my problem.

The "waiting on cache" notice is in the bottom stripe of my CHROME page, and it usually doesn't show up until I have several tabs open, so I believe that it is CHROME causing the problem. However, I never had that show up BEFORE the motherboard exchange was done. And while that message is being displayed, everything locks up, but it does come back to life after awhile, but is a lot slower. 

I used to be quite impressed with the speed of this box, bnut definitely noit now. That's why I removed the bloatware and other things I have downloaded both deliberately and  not deliberately with the "Fix Me Stick". Viruses and worms do slow computers down, and that was what I was afraid I had at the time, but  after removing all the "crap" the speed didn't return! So that's why I'm here!  I'm still thinking that it is CHROME causing all this, but at my age, I am really concerned that I'll not be able to master yet another  mail program and a new Internet surfing program. I hate to tell you that my learning curve has flattened dramatically, and as you might have noticed, I cannot remember a lot of the names of programs ... I have had to look back for the name "Chrome" every time I wanted to enter the name! So, IOW, I used to was smart"  and maybe I should just leave the computers to much younger folks. I have been into this stuff since the Timex-Sinclair and I was doing the BBS's long before there even WAS an Internet using Winmdows 3.0! I am really not stupid, just OLD!

So thanks for humoring me and helping get me through this. 

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

> The "waiting on cache" notice is in the bottom stripe of my CHROME page,

D'oh!   That's quite different from having "cache" RAM on the motherboard that is malfunctioning.

So, I retract my claim that you have a hardware-related problem with your motherboard.

Mea culpa, for not asking at what point (power-on, booting Windows, running Chrome) you see the message.  Sigh.

> and it usually doesn't show up until I have several tabs open, so I believe that it is CHROME causing the problem.

No, it is CHROME that is "exposing" the problem, which seems to be either a very-busy disk-drive that is "slow" in retrieving files from your disk-drive, and loading them into the "cache" ("Temporary Internet Files") that CHROME is using.

The neighbourhood liquor-store has a "cache" of bottles of beer.

You buy a six-pack, and then "cache" them in your own refrigerator,

rationalizing that it's faster to take a beer from the refrigerator, than taking one beer from the liquor-store.

Then, you buy a dog, name it "Cash", and train Cash to open the refrigerator door, take one beer, close the door, and bring the beer to you, as you watch TV in your man-cave.

If the dog is slow, or its a long way between your man-cave and your refrigerator, then you are "waiting on Cash".

> However, I never had that show up BEFORE the motherboard exchange was done.

> And while that message is being displayed, everything locks up, but it does come back to life after awhile, but is a lot slower. 

After 10 years of having Cash fetch your beer, the dog is getting old & slow, and Cash does not want to fetch more than one beer per hour.

It's time to let Cash "retire", buy another dog, naming it "Kerry", and train Kerry to do what Cash has been doing.

Then, your dogs (Cash & Kerry) both will be happy.

For your computer, my guess is that your disk-drive is getting older, and is having Input/Output problems, causing disk-accesses to be slow-enough that your computer seems to "lock-up", while waiting for the files in the cache to be delivered to Chrome.

Buy another disk-drive, use "disk-cloning" software to copy everything from "source" to "target", and then retire the "source" -- just like you trained Kerry to replace Cash's duties. 

[omahamike74]

I never gave it a thought that the problem might be with the hard drive, but I'm sure that the UEFI Bios checked that out and gave it a passing grade.  I actually hate this UEFI bios because it tries and often times succeeds in stopping any/all upgrades to your system. I'm sure that the makers of the computers love it though for that very reason. I will never forget the very first time I wanted to add a video card and a large hard drive. My head was bloody from banging it on my desk trrying to figure out what I was doing wrong!

I already have a clone of my hard drive.....I made it BEFORE I took it in for the motherboard exchange. I also make a cloce of the hard drive of every new computer I buy  ... no better insurance in my mind. I have done this for years. I also have never trusted the backups  that never seem to work when you try to install it. And, I have noticed that this particular computer has never been able to make a complete backup since the day I got it.  Hard drives are very cheap now, so making a clone makes more sense to me that a backup! Plus iut only takes seconds to plug the clone in and boot from it, rather than waiting forever for all your data to be re-written over!

So, I'll plug in the clone and I'll let you know if that solves my problem. Hopefully the clone drive will be better thasn the original. I should have known about the cache on the hard drive, but this is the very first time I have encountered this problem in all the years that I have been doing this! They list the cache in the hard drive specs...some have more than others!!  

I will be back to finish this discussion so that others might benefit from it. I am just sure that there are others who are having this very same problem but are just afraid of looking dumb bu asking!  I'm not afraid OR dumb!! I'll ask every time! I have had several college profs and even high school teachers thank me after class for poking my hand in the air and asking them to explain further. Hey, no one can know everything, so ask if you don't understand!

[mdklassen]

> Hopefully the clone drive will be better thasn the original.

Disconnect from the Internet, before booting from the "clone" -- you don't want Windows Update to "corrupt" anything.

> I should have known about the cache on the hard drive, but this is the very first time I have encountered this problem in all the years that I have been doing this! They list the cache in the hard drive specs...some have more than others!!  

There are several "caches" in a modern computer:

1. inside the processor, to speed-up reading from RAM,

2. inside the disk-drive, so that when the disk-drive is "busy", it can optimize which "cached" block of data can be written first, and which can wait until the disk-drive spins up to 7/8 of a full revolution,

3. on the motherboard, invisible to the operating system,

4. on the motherboard, visible to the operating system,

5. inside Google Chrome (as in all web-browsers) as "temporary internet files", to speed-up web-browsing, when you access several similar pages from one web-site, e.g., eBay.

Note that web-browsers "manage" their cache -- limiting it to a maximum size, so that the number of files in the cache does not grow uncontrolled.  So, Chrome may be purging some files from the cache, to make room for new files.