Problems with new E4310

My E4310, which I bought from the Dell Outlet, has a couple problems. The biggest one is that the CPU is at 25% even when the computer is idle, leading to a sub 3 hour battery life on the 6 cell battery, and a lot of heat. According to the task manager, it seems all of this CPU strain is coming from a process called PNMService.exe. The name of the application is Intel Platform Noise Mitigation Service. Does anyone know what this is and why it might be using so much power? If this isn't the cause, what are the potential causes and what can I do about it? The computer is running Win7 Pro 32 bit with 4gb ram and an ssd.

Thanks,

Daniel

 

I can't find any reference to either a PNMService.exe or an "Intel Platform Noise Mitigation Service?" Does your E4310 have the Intel WiMAX 6250 Card? That's the only thing I can think of?

You might try a clean install or you might return the E4310.

 

See if the security module of Dell ControlPoint is installed. If so, uninstall it. That package is a renowned bit of bloatware.

Also, can you check the properties of PNMService.exe to see what folder it is in. That may be a clue about its source. Also, if PNMService.exe is loaded at startup then you can disable it using MSCONFIG.

John

 

PNMService.exe Googles as the Dell Media Experience Application. I run an E4310 with a 6 cell battery and get 4-7 hours depending on what I am doing with it. I am not running a stock Dell load, but do have all of the Dell drivers and system software installed with the exception of the control point software. I did not install any dvd/media/3rd party software. Running Windows 7 64bit Enterprise with tweaked startup and services, Office 2010, CS5 Web Premium, Lightroom 3, and a few web mgmt apps.

I do not have PNMService.exe in task manager on my machine. My CPU usage in Balanced power mode sits at 0% with blips to 2%. Not sure of whats up. Could be a flaw in the outlet software load?

Make sure you are running in Balanced or Power Saver mode on battery.

Also check your power settings. Make sure the CPU is allowed to go down to the default 5% processing state. Make sure all of the multimedia settings are set correctly. Make sure the Intel video software is set correctly so that it saves power on battery.

I will go ahead and install all of the latest Control Point software this afternoon and see if that process shows up. Let me ghost this machine first

 

Please let us know what you end up with. There have
been many negative comments regarding Control Point
so I didn't install any of it (I don't think I really need it
anyway). Would be nice to see a before and after
comparison.

 

Found it - Intel Adaptive Pixel Clock Utility. I don't have it installed.

Installing now to see if I get the same issues you are seeing.

EDIT - Installed it, no issues like you were seeing. Maybe you just need to update drivers or bios?

EDIT 2 - This doesn't quite make sense. The name of the process that you say is running is "PNMService.exe" which IS the Adaptive Pixel Clock. But then you say the description is "Intel Platform Noise Mitigation Service" which is the services that Intel uses to keep the WiMax and WiFi antennae from interfering with each other. You are talking about two completely different drivers. Can you go back and look again?

 

A question of my own, I have DCP insatlled on My E4300 which has a finger print reader.....

Will uninstalling it remove the drivers or use for it?


cheers
css_jay99

 

With the E4310 you have to install the security driver pack separately, so the driver may be there.

 

Just wanted to follow up on the original question in this thread. "PNMService.exe" is the Intel Adaptive Pixel Clock service. "Intel Platform Noise Mitigation Service" is the description of the WiMax service for the that keeps it from interfering with the built in WiFi antennae. The WiMax/WiFi 6250 card has two sets of drivers on Dell's site and I have both of them installed.

Since the original poster referred to two sets of drivers for two pieces of hardware, I tried to duplicate what they were seeing by changing settings on both the graphics card and the wimax 6250 card.

Installing the Intel HD video card driver, Adaptive Pixel Clock Utility, Intel WiFi Link 6250 drivers, and Intel WiMax 6250 drivers did not produce any persistent cpu load on my machine. I tried to make it happen by changing various settings, but was not able to.

The one unknown is whether this cpu load is caused by actually using the WiMax link to connect over a cellular network. I have never used the cell connection - only the wireless.

I do hope you get it sorted out. Hopefully downloading the drivers listed above will fix the anomaly that you are seeing.

 

I remember having a similar issue some years ago with having Bluetooth enabled causing a noticeable drop in battery life. I had nothing connected but BT was periodically searching for something to connect to and this resulted in bursts of CPU activity.

John