CPU-Bound Applications and Windows NT (103048)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.1
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
This article was previously published under Q103048 SUMMARY
Because the Windows NT screen savers run at a lower priority than
applications with Windows NT, it is possible for a CPU-bound
application to make the system inoperable.
A CPU-bound application is an application that constantly interrupts
the processor in case there is data to be processed. An example of a
CPU-bound application is the Slide Show in Microsoft PowerPoint.
If the Windows NT screen saver activates while the CPU-bound
application is in the foreground, the screen saver thread will
essentially become starved for CPU cycles because other applications
run at a higher priority. Depending on how the CPU-bound application
is written, keystrokes and/or mouse movements may not be passed on to
the functioning Windows NT screen saver application. If they are not,
the computer is essentially locked up.
By default, the screen saver runs at a base priority of 4 and
applications run at a base priority of 7.
The only current workaround for this is to disable the screen saver.
Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 10/29/2003 |
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Keywords: | kbui KB103048 |
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