GeForce GPU - Local network access freezing mouse cursor

[sk9392]

Hi, I'm running into a really weird issue. My config is: GA-EX58-UD4 motherboard, GeForce 7800 GTX, Realtek RTL8111. I installed the unofficial NVidia driver from retroweb (the issue I'll describe happens no matter what driver I install - one from mdgx, BFG's 7800 GS driver, official NVidia 77.72 driver with 6800 Ultra forced, etc.). My PC is connected via LAN to a local network with an SMB share. When I try to access a heavy/large file - e.g. a disc image mount via SMB, a large .BMP file or a video file on the SMB share, then the mouse cursor freezes on screen and stays frozen for a good minute or so. The folder on Network Neighborhood I'm trying to access also freezes for that duration. It resumes normally after a bit of wait, but as soon as I try more files to access (e.g. just clicking on a different image file on the share), it'll freeze again.

This problem happens only after the GPU driver installation, not before. The issue persists even after I try R Loew's FIXINTR, FIXINTR5 or FIXEOI patches (I use only one of these at a time as instructed in manual). I also tried installing a PCI-e LAN card (it also has Realtek RTL8111), but same issue. The motherboard has Award BIOS and I can see during the PCI listing at boot, that the network controller and display controller share the same IRQ. I tried changing it in Win98 device manager, but the IRQ setting can't be changed.

The interesting thing is, if I go ahead and install/update any driver via device manager, this whole problem just (temporarily) goes away - though at next boot it reappears if there is no driver installation/update. I'm completely lost on how to solve this - could anyone please help me?

The only way that currently comes to mind is somehow forcing driver update (e.g. mouse) at every boot. If anyone knows how to do that or has a more elegant solution, I'd be really grateful for any help!

[SweetLow]

5 hours ago, sk9392 said:

I tried changing it in Win98 device manager, but the IRQ setting can't be changed.

Do you have working PCI IRQ Steering?

5 hours ago, sk9392 said:

Realtek RTL8111

Do you use jumbo frames on this device,?

6 hours ago, sk9392 said:

I'd be really grateful for any help!

And yes, I have to note that you didn't share the results of your previous problem solving...

[sk9392]

40 minutes ago, SweetLow said:

Do you have working PCI IRQ Steering?

Do you use jumbo frames on this device,?

And yes, I have to note that you didn't share the results of your previous problem solving...

Hey SweetLow, regarding IRQ Steering.. I don't think so. I don't see it among enumerated devices, but I have attached the screenshots for various devices for reference.

I'm not sure what jumbo frames mean, but if you can tell me where or how I can find the info (i.e. whether or not I jumbo frames are used on the RTL8111 device), please let me know. I'll attach logs/screenshots as necessary.

By previous problem solving do you mean the one where I was trying to force detection of only up to 2 Gb RAM?

[sk9392]

@SweetLow Hey man, thank you so much for giving me the hint of IRQ Steering. I looked it up online and found that IRQ steering settings can be found in  PCI Bus device settings. So I went to pci bus properties in safe mode, then in settings tab, under Device enumeration, changed from "Use Hardware" option to "Use BIOS" option. Left the "Override Bridges" check box unchecked. Then in the IRQ Steering tab, I just unchecked the "Use IRQ Steering" check box (this also disabled all the sub-options: Get IRQ table using ACPI BIOS, Get IRQ table using MS Specification table and Get IRQ table from Real Mode PCIBIOS 2.1 call). Then after restarting, both the VGA driver and SMB via LAN access works perfectly.

I admit I don't have the least bit of idea what those options meant. Maybe I only had to disable one or two things or suboptions. I'll test with games further and update here if anything got broken after my changes

Edited 3 hours ago by sk9392

[jumper]

18 hours ago, sk9392 said:

the network controller and display controller share the same IRQ.

So this is no longer the case?

 

[sk9392]

Just now, jumper said:

So this is no longer the case?

 

Under the BIOS PCI devices listing, both are shown as having IRQ 5. In Win98 device manager too, both still have the same IRQ 5. And yet now everything works perfectly. Very strange and I don't have the first idea what's going on.

Another interesting thing - before when I played Hitman Contracts with EAX enabled (SB Audigy 2 ZS), after a while the sound would start tearing and repeating (as if some sound buffer underflow or overflow happened). After this IRQ steering related change, even that sound problem went away.

As I said, very weird..

[jumper]

Thanks for the update.

11 minutes ago, sk9392 said:

before when I played Hitman Contracts with EAX enabled

Was this also before the Nvidia driver install, or after? And are any of RLoew's patches still installed?