3.5.10 Win7/64 "Check for updates" - runaway memory grab

[mikewoodhouse]

Since upgrading to Win7/64 & installing PdN 3.5.10 (3.510.4297.28964) I'm seeing occasional runaway memory-grabbing, seemingly associated with checking for updates. Working set runs up to a little short of 4GB (which is the physical RAM installed) and the machine slows to a moderately entertaining crawl.

Just ran it again: manually checked for updates. Nothing much happened for 30 seconds or so, then working set started doubling about once per second, reaching 2.5GB before I managed to hit "Cancel". Working set dropped back and then (while I was typing that last sentence) ran back up to 3.1GB. ProcExp reported "Private Bytes" at 4.9GB (that'll be the 64 bits working then?)

Just thought someone might be interested - there's an easy workaround: disable auto-checking (although it seemed to have switched itself back on again this morning) and don't use the manual one.

[Rick Brewster]

Well, the updater hasn't changed at all in awhile. I haven't had any other reports like this.

Do you happen to have any network-related software installed? Similar to how some people have problems with the File->Open dialog crashing due to things like misbehaving DivX thumbnail handlers, there are some other types of programs that inject into other programs for various reasons. For instance, the Microsoft ISA (Internet Security and Acceleration) Client lets you sit behind a firewall and use the Internet normally without having to configure any of your programs for the firewall. It does that by injecting a thread into other programs which intercepts network traffic in some way (I know it injects threads, but I must admit I don't know how it marshals the network activity ). Long story short, my hunch is that something like this is happening in your case.

One way to figure this out is to see what DLLs are loaded into Paint.NET's process. Something like Process Explorer can show you that list while it's running.

[mikewoodhouse]

I figured it had be something related to the local environment or more folk would have said something. It's not a big deal in any case and I bet there are all kinds of weird things occurring in our corporate build with its wacky infrastructure. (You should see what happens with any TortoiseSVN version released in the last year, for example. Actually, you shouldn't - it's ugly.)

I dug around in ProcExp a little - a bunch of stuff loads when I check for updates. I'll go deeper next time I'm feeling brave enough...