Video/scroll studder every 30 seconds Sound is OK

Question

Video/scroll studder every 30 seconds Sound is OK

Jerry Duffy 0

Hello -

I'm experiencing a video and scrolling studder every 30 seconds or so. Only video, sound is not affected. I've installed the latest Intel driver. What I've seen in task manager is the System Process pop to the top of the list immediately after. I've run WPR using Video issues selected so I have a couple of files. But; I I'm lost viewing WPA displays.

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎3/‎5/‎2025

OS build 26200.9168

Serial number [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.344.0

Device name [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Processor 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-13420H (2.10 GHz)

Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.73 GB usable)

Device ID [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Product ID [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

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Answer 1

Clary-N 15,735 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

Hi Jerry Duffy,

Thank you for providing those details. Since the audio remains unaffected and Task Manager shows the System process briefly spiking when the stutter occurs, this may indicate a driver, hardware or power management related issue rather than a problem with the video application itself.

As a first step, I recommend performing a Clean Boot to determine whether a background service or startup application is contributing to the issue:

Press Windows + R, type msconfig and press Enter.
Select the Services tab.
Check "Hide all Microsoft services", then click Disable all.
Open Task Manager > Startup apps and disable all non-essential startup items.
Restart the PC and test video playback and scrolling.

*Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get back on track.

If the stutter does not occur in a Clean Boot environment, re-enable services and startup items in small groups until the issue returns.

To gather more information, monitor Task Manager while reproducing the issue and check whether CPU, Disk, Memory, GPU or Network activity spikes when the System process rises. Also review Event Viewer (Windows Logs > System) for warnings or errors occurring at the same time.

I also recommend checking your PC manufacturer's support site for BIOS, chipset, Intel Management Engine and model-specific graphics driver updates.

It would be helpful to know whether the problem started after a Windows or driver update and whether it occurs across all browsers, video players and scrolling scenarios. Since you already have WPR traces, please also share the PC make and model along with any related Event Viewer entries. This may help identify the source of the periodic System process activity and video stutter.

I hope this information helps narrow down the cause of the issue.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-01T08:30:00.9233333+00:00

Hi Jerry Duffy,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
Jerry Duffy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-02T19:10:49.7066667+00:00

Yes - Thanks so much for the help. I thought I found it but it happened again today. It doesn't occur immediately after a reboot. It does happen after wake or out of hibernate. This is a Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 i5-13420H laptop. I did not see anything in the system logs. When the studder occurs, Task Manager shows the system process jump to the top of the list with little CPU usage. It happens in Edge and Chrome. I'll do the clean boot and follow what you listed.

Thanks
Jerry Duffy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-03T11:07:50.75+00:00

Still does it after clean boot. As before I see the System process jumps to the top with 5% to 8% utilization.
Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-04T08:37:21.5966667+00:00

Hi Jerry Duffy,

Thank you for confirming. You’re running Windows 11 Home 25H2, build 26200.9168. A newer Windows update is available, so please install all pending updates under Settings > Windows Update, restart the laptop, and test again after waking it from sleep or hibernation.

If the stutter continues, install the latest BIOS, chipset, Intel Management Engine, power-managemen, and graphics drivers for your exact Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 model. When the issue occurs, press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B to reset the graphics driver and check whether the stutter stops.

For comparison, temporarily use a full shutdown instead of sleep or hibernation. This will help determine whether the issue is specifically related to the wake process.
Jerry Duffy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T23:57:19.8533333+00:00

I found the problem. I had been trying to resolve it for a couple of months. I had installed a new driver for the NIVIVIA GeForce graphics card from the NIVIDIA site. Today I decided to roll it back. A default MS driver was installed. I then had Lenovo search for updates. It showed an update for the card from 2024.

Apparently Lenovo uses hybrid graphics, meaning it has both an Intel integrated graphics chip built into your i5-13420H processor and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX dedicated graphics card. NVIDIA Advanced Optimus ( a MUX switch supported by your specific Lenovo model) switches between the two automatically.

Not bad for a 77 yr old - Eh. (I did work in IT for 40 yrs and MCSE+++ NT)

Again; Thanks for you support.

Jerry
Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-05T00:11:29.8033333+00:00

Hi Jerry Duffy,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to hear you found the cause and resolved the issue.

It sounds like the NVIDIA driver installed directly from NVIDIA was not working well with the Lenovo hybrid graphics configuration. Rolling back to the Microsoft driver and then installing Lenovo's recommended graphics driver was a great troubleshooting step, and it's helpful to know that resolved the stuttering.

Thank you for sharing the outcome. This information may help others with similar Lenovo systems experiencing the same behavior.

I'm pleased to hear everything is working properly now. If you need any further assistance, feel free to post back.

Best regards.
Jerry Duffy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-07T22:57:01.4866667+00:00

Spoke too soon. It's back -

Lenovo has an App for maintenance it says that the laptop is up to date.

I've timed the studder. It kicks off every 10 seconds. I see in Task Manager that the System task jumps to the top of the CPU list right after it happens. I assume a Syscall or SVC type Kernel request.

Is there a tool I can run to display what code is executing over say 60 seconds ? I've run WPR but I don't know how to read WPA output for that type of thing if that even can do it.

Thanks Again

Jerry
Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-08T08:45:11.22+00:00

Hi Jerry,

Thank you for the detailed update. The regular 10-second stutter and the brief CPU spike from System are useful clues.

WPA can help you examine what is using CPU at that moment. Open the trace, select Trace > Load Symbols, and add Computation > CPU Usage (Sampled) to the analysis view. Select and zoom in on a spike that matches the stutter, then arrange the table by Process > Thread ID > Stack. Expand System and sort by Count to see which stack, driver or module was most active during that interval.

If the same driver or module appears during several spikes, please share its name and I’ll be happy to help interpret it. Avoid posting the complete ETL file publicly, as it may contain system information.
Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-09T08:35:42.07+00:00

Hi Jerry,

Have you had a chance to check my answer yet?

Please do keep me updated.
Jerry Duffy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-11T20:08:48.0233333+00:00

Yes - I'm reading up on WPR and WPA. I'll probably get the trace done in the next couple of days.