The Cursor Behaves Erratically, the Computer Stops Responding, and Performance Is Noticeably Slow (309055)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

This article was previously published under Q309055

SYMPTOMS

On a computer that runs Windows 2000, the cursor may become erratic and behave abnormally. The computer may stop responding (hang) and may need to be restarted. Computer performance may be noticeably slower.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the basic input/output system (BIOS) processor cache setting is set to write-through instead of write-back.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, change the BIOS processor cache setting to write-back, and then restart your computer. For information about modifying BIOS settings, consult the technical documentation for your computer.

MORE INFORMATION

Write-back is a cache architecture in which data is written to main memory only when the data is forced out of the cache. Write-through is a cache architecture in which data is written to main memory at the same time that the data is cached. Write-back caching yields somewhat better performance than write-through caching because write-back caching reduces the number of write operations to main memory.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/21/2003
Keywords:kbenv kbprb KB309055