Possible memory leak with dwm.exe in Core Ultra 7 155H and 125H

[mechanic]

Desktop windows manager (dwm.exe) process is taking memory as high as 600MB for no reason. It hovers mostly at ~370MB with touching peaks of 600MB randomly.

This problem is in both core Ultra 7 155H (Dell XPS 14) and core ultra 125H laptop (Lenovo Ideapad Pro). I tried clean install of latest drivers 32.0.101.6559 (WHQL Certified), Driver version 32.0.101.6458 seems little better but dwe.exe ram usage still hovers around ~350 MB, touching 500 - 600 MB in both laptops.

Issue goes away when using driver version 31.0.101.5522, tested this in both laptops and “desktop windows manager (dwm.exe)” RAM usage stays at usual ~120 – 170 MB. 

But this driver version is quite outdated and doesn't have latest fixes/ improvements. 

I've attached two files from SSU tool, one with issue and one with not.

I've also noticed that when using driver version 31.0.101.5522 Adapter RAM shows 128 MB but when using Latest drivers Adapter RAM is shown 2 GB, is this a bug or desired behavior? An explanation would be great.

Windows 11 Build 26100.2894 | 16 GB RAM | Ultra 7 155H

Windows 11 Build 26100.3194 | 16 GB RAM | Ultra 5 125H

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello mechanic,

Thank you for posting in Intel Communities.

I will proceed with checking on this internally and will share an update once available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello mechanic,

We truly appreciate your vigilance. Please be informed that the previous issues with DWM have already been resolved since graphics driver version: 30.0.101.1191.

To further diagnose your observation and know that the issue is really memory leak, I would like to suggest the following:

1. Can you share the exact models of the affected laptops? Intel SSU was not able to pull the model number that can point us to the exact models of the laptops that has the issue.
2. Please help provide the link where we can download the driver you mentioned? Was it from your laptop manufacturer?
3. Based on the SSU logs, your system is currently using 32.0.101.6458. I would suggest installing the latest graphics driver version: 32.0.101.6559 WHQL Certified (Latest). If the issue still persists, do a DDU uninstallation of the graphics driver and reinstall the graphics driver version 6559.
4. Can you also try performing a clean boot of your system and check if your observation is present? Doing a clean boot would eliminate background applications that may cause additional resource to be consumed within the DWM.
5. Can you enumerate the drivers you have tested with the issue?

 I will wait for your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[mechanic]

1. Laptop Models:
   • Dell XPS 14 9440
   • Lenovo Ideapad Slim 5 : Product No: 83DCCTO1WW
2. Yes, Its from manufacturer (Lenovo) and driver Version: 31.0.101.5522.  So far manufacturers have not provided any other drivers. This driver has no issues, dwm.exe ram usages are normal and never exceeds 200 MB max.
3. Dell have provided 32.0.101.6078 which have the issue although I can't cross check since I do not have this laptop right now.
4. I've already tried 32.0.101.6559 WHQL, tried updating as well as clean install using DDU.
5. Fast boot is disabled and after clean boot dwm.exe usage jumps to ~300 MB and after few hours of usage hovers in between ~450-700 MB
6. I've tried 3 drivers, 32.0.101.6559, 32.0.101.6257/ 6256 WHQL.

Only 31.0.101.5522 exhibits normal behavior of dwm.exe i.e., RAM usage always under 150-200MB.

As far as I've seen in changelog one significant difference in between 31.0.101.5522 vs others is "Ultra series 1 and 2 now support increased graphics memory allocations of up to 57% in Windows 10 and Windows* 11 host systems vs 50% before. Thus with latest drivers in both of may laptops Intel Arc GPU can now allot 9GB of RAM."

For now I've reinstalled manufacturer drivers and everything's normal but these drivers are significantly older, less performant and sometimes buggy with some software. All the Intel Laptops I've owned through the years, I've always installed latest Intel WHQL drivers and never faced issues.

NOTE: Not using any external display or docks. 

One similar post on Intel-Arc-140v-Ultra-7-258v dwm.exe usage 

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello mechanic,

Good day!

Thank you for your diligence in sharing the details I requested. I'll proceed with further checking on this issue and will post an update once available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello mechanic,

Good day!

After deliberate checking on this issue you've raised, I can suggest the following troubleshooting steps.

Common actions for this topic (please disregard those that has been performed):

- Apply latest BIOS.

- Possible uninstallation of Windows update which might have been installed during time when you noticed this issue, this will help [less probable scenario, but in some cases, it works]

- All possible Windows updates provided by Windows Update

- Latest graphics drivers 32.0.101.6632 (Latest)

- Roll back to older version - OEM or Intel, good idea to test 1-3 versions. Start with oldest one and go up. *I understand you already did this but only about 1-2 drivers down. Also, I cannot see any older drivers for both Dell and Lenovo systems. *You might need checking these with your OEMs support team.

- Clean temporary and not needed files using Windows disk tool

- command line tools:

• dism /online /cleanup-image /CheckHealth
• dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
• sfc /scannow

- Switch power plan Balanced/Performance and check DWM in task manager

- Last option is OS refresh (Windows has this "reset/refresh" option) or full clean re-install - it might be also some OS issue.

I hope to know how it goes.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello mechanic,

I hope this message finds you well. I'm reaching out to see if you've had the opportunity to review our previous communication. If you have, could you please confirm receipt? Additionally, let me know if you require more time to provide the details I requested. Understanding this will help us determine the next steps necessary to address the issue at hand.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[mechanic]

Looks like fixed or somewhat fixed in Driver version 32.0.101.6647 WHQL.

Now  “desktop windows manager (dwm.exe)" ram usage stays in between 200-300 MB, rarely touching 400 MB and if it does it goes back down to in between ~200-300MB. I tested with current and fresh install of Windows 11 Pro 24H2 Build 26100.3476 and no changes, memory usages are exactly the same. 

Maybe next driver updates will bring more optimization for now I'll mark this as solved.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello mechanic,

Thank you for providing this update. The latest graphics driver version 32.0.101.6647 WHQL has indeed resolved many issues. However, since the previous problem persists, I recommend contacting Microsoft Support for further assistance with the

dwm.exe issue.

I will now close this thread. If you require further assistance in the future, please submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Sincerely,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician