Windows 10 - 'Cannot start service PowerBiosServer' - 100% cpu (?) - Clevo s/w

Hi,
I've had this happen several times within the last month or so, on startup. When it occurs, the system is unresponsive presumably due to 100% cpu usage, but I can't tell because the Task Manager can't start in time. Eventually, the system becomes usable again, but it takes some time and is frustrating.

This is on a Cosmos VII laptop (dual boot with Linux).

As it's an intermittent error, it may be because of a race condition on startup, and it may have been introduced by a Windows update, but not necessarily.

The error I see is:
View attachment 12539

sometimes I see HotKey mentioned.

The associated detailed error information text is given at the end, the summary of which is:

System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot start service PowerBiosServer on
computer '.'. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: An instance of the
service is already running
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start(String[] args)
at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start()
at HkeyTray.MainForm.Arg0Timer_Tick(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.OnTick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.TimerNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr
wparam, IntPtr lparam)

It seems that PowerBiosServer.exe and its associated Hotkey .exe are Clevo software (https://www.file.net/process/powerbiosserver.exe.html).

Are there any updates to resolve this available?
Can they be removed from the system without impacting functionality?
Any ideas?

All help gratefully received!




Detailed error text:
________________
See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot start service PowerBiosServer on
computer '.'. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: An instance of the
service is already running
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start(String[] args)
at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start()
at HkeyTray.MainForm.Arg0Timer_Tick(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.OnTick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.TimerNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr
wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3260.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v4.0.30319/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
HkeyTray
Assembly Version: 5.1.1.58
Win32 Version: 5.1.1.58
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/Hotkey/Hkeytray.exe
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3221.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/v4.0
_4.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3314.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_B
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/v4.0_4.0.0.0__b77a
5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/v4.0_4.0.0
.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Configuration
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Configuration/v4.0
_4.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Configuration.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Core
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3221.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Core/v4.0_4.0.0.0_
_b77a5c561934e089/System.Core.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/v4.0_4.0.0.0__
b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Management
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Management/v4.0_4.
0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Management.dll
----------------------------------------
WindowsFormsIntegration
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/WindowsFormsIntegration/v
4.0_4.0.0.0__31bf3856ad364e35/WindowsFormsIntegration.dll
----------------------------------------
PresentationCore
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3221.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_32/PresentationCore/v4.0_4.0.0
.0__31bf3856ad364e35/PresentationCore.dll
----------------------------------------
WindowsBase
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3221.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/WindowsBase/v4.0_4.0.0.0_
_31bf3856ad364e35/WindowsBase.dll
----------------------------------------
PresentationFramework
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3221.0
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/PresentationFramework/v4.
0_4.0.0.0__31bf3856ad364e35/PresentationFramework.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xaml
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3221.0 built by: NET472REL1LAST_C
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xaml/v4.0_4.0.0.0_
_b77a5c561934e089/System.Xaml.dll
----------------------------------------
System.ServiceProcess
Assembly Version: 4.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 4.7.3056.0 built by: NET472REL1
CodeBase:
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.Net/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.ServiceProcess/v4.
0_4.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.ServiceProcess.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.
________________________________________________________________

You may need to update Hotkey also known as control center nowadays.

All driver updates can be found at www.clevo.com.tw, your laptop model number is on a label on the underside.

As above, but I would download that latest hotkey/control center driver for your laptop from the Clevo site and then uninstall the existing hotkey/control center, reboot and then install the latest version.

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

I don't see PowerBiosServer or HotKey listed in the control panel uninstall app, can you suggest methods for uninstalling?

johno11 said:

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

I don't see PowerBiosServer or HotKey listed in the control panel uninstall app, can you suggest methods for uninstalling?

Click to expand...

Powerbiosserver is a service that's part of it. There won't be an uninstall for this.

It may be named control center.

SpyderTracks said:

Powerbiosserver is a service that's part of it. There won't be an uninstall for this.

It may be named control center.

Click to expand...

And the manufacturer will be Clevo.

My W10 system was immensely improved by disabling Windows Defender (and using a free anti-virus s/w instead).

I have not seen that problem since. I think it was a race condition caused by Defender maxing out various resources at startup. It had got to the state where the system was unusable for around 5 mins or more after startup. Now it is usable immediately startup is complete.

I also disabled superfetch, and compattelrunner*.

* Compattelrunner.exe
- changed the task schedule to only run it once (in the past)
- but just in case, deleted the exe and replaced it by copying timeout.exe and renaming it to Compattelrunner, and giving it the following parameters in the task schedule : -t 0 > nul:
- MS updates have been overwriting this though!

johno11 said:

My W10 system was immensely improved by disabling Windows Defender (and using a free anti-virus s/w instead).

I have not seen that problem since. I think it was a race condition caused by Defender maxing out various resources at startup. It had got to the state where the system was unusable for around 5 mins or more after startup. Now it is usable immediately startup is complete.

I also disabled superfetch, and compattelrunner*.

* Compattelrunner.exe
- changed the task schedule to only run it once (in the past)
- but just in case, deleted the exe and replaced it by copying timeout.exe and renaming it to Compattelrunner, and giving it the following parameters in the task schedule : -t 0 > nul:
- MS updates have been overwriting this though!

Click to expand...

Just for anyone else reading this, this is a workaround rather than a fix.
Windows defender doesn't cause any system slow down on a correctly configured system.

You could have tried to add an exception in defender for the service executable

Sounds like you could identify what's slowing the startup by examining event viewer logs, diagnostics performance. It'd tell you what services or programs are contributing to the problem. Then you start disabling those services, do a few restarts and that should get you to the source of the problem

Disabling services without knowing what they do isn't the best advice.

Before stopping and disabling any service, you need to look up what it does otherwise you risk breaking something that was otherwise working.