How To Resolve High CPU Usage with Dell.Genoa.Agent.exe and Dell.Genoa.UserProcess.exe When Dell SupportAssist for Business is Installed

Summary: When Dell SupportAssist for Business is Installed with Dell.Genoa.Agent.exe and Dell.Genoa.UserProcess.exe, the computer may experience High CPU Usage.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Symptoms

Affected Products:

  • Dell Insights
  • Dell SupportAssist for Business

Affected Versions:

  • v2.1.4 and Earlier

Affected Platforms:

  • Windows 10

Dell SupportAssist for Business contains a component that is called Dell Insights, which pull various telemetry information from the endpoint for use by administrators within the Dell TechDirect console. This telemetry data is pulled using various Windows Performance Counters, and in rare situations those performance counters may become corrupted. This article discusses the methods to reset those counters to resolve issues that may come from corrupted or damaged Windows Performance Counters.

Cause

In rare situations, the Windows Performance Counters may become corrupted or damaged, resulting in the Dell.Genoa.Agent.exe or the Dell.Genoa.UserProcess.exe consuming heavy resources. Affected computers show high CPU usage with the Dell.Genoa.Agent.exe or the Dell.Genoa.UserProcess.exe processes. High memory usage (more than 500 MBs) is also a cause.

Resolution

The Windows Performance Counters can be flushed, to resolve. The following steps should be performed in order, to ensure that data is properly flushed. There is an example script that can be used in a .bat file at the bottom. For any questions or concerns with running this manually, contact to Dell ProSupport.

  1. Stop the Dell Insights Agent service.
    • Example Syntax: net stop DellInsightsAgent
  2. Flush the Windows Performance Counters.
    • Example Syntax (32-bit Operating System): C:\Windows\system32\lodctr.exe /R
    • Example Syntax (64-bit Operating System): C:\Windows\syswow64\lodctr.exe /R
Note: lodctr should be run twice, depending on the state of the device. Dell Recommends running lodctr, flushing the WMI performance counters, and then running lodctr again. For more information about the Windows Performance Counters, reference https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/300956/how-to-manually-rebuild-performance-counter-library-values This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies. and https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/lodctr This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies..
  1. Flush the WMI Performance Counters.
    • Example Syntax: winmgmt.exe /resyncperf
  2. Restart the WMI Service.
    • Example Syntax: net stop Winmgmt /y
Note: Multiple other services may also be stopped when WMI is stopped, including (though not limited to) the Virtual Machine Management Service, SCCM, and the IP Helper service. These must be restarted manually. For more information about the Windows Performance Counters, reference https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/300956/how-to-manually-rebuild-performance-counter-library-values This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies..
  1. Remove all existing logs for Dell Insights.
    • Example Syntax: RMDIR /s /q "C:\ProgramData\Dell\Dell Insights\"
  2. Re-Start the Dell Insights Agent service.
    • Example Syntax: net start DellInsightsAgent

Example Script

::creating logging directory
mkdir C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\

::starting logging
ECHO "" >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
ECHO Flushing Performance Counters >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
ECHO %DATE%%TIME% >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

:stopping Insights service
net stop DellInsightsAgent >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::killing process in case the service fails to stop (can happen when in a loop)
taskkill /im Dell.Genoa.Agent.exe /f >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::flushing performance counters
C:\Windows\system32\lodctr.exe /R >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
C:\Windows\syswow64\lodctr.exe /R >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
winmgmt.exe /resyncperf >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::stopping services
net stop Winmgmt /y >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::re-flushing to validate caches are truly flushed
C:\Windows\system32\lodctr.exe /R >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
C:\Windows\syswow64\lodctr.exe /R >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
winmgmt.exe /resyncperf >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::re-starting services
net start Winmgmt >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
net start vmms >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
net start CcmExec >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
net start iphlpsvc >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::purging logs
RMDIR /s /q "C:\ProgramData\Dell\Dell Insights\" >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log

::re-starting insights agent
net start DellInsightsAgent >> C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\FlushLogging.log
Note: This script creates a logging directory at C:\ProgramData\Dell\InsightsLogging\ and outputs a log file that is named FlushLogging.log.
  • Must be run as an administrator.
  • Outputs the status of each line item during the process 
  • Resets all Windows Performance Counters
  • Flushes the existing logs for the Dell Insights Agent, which is a part of Dell SupportAssist for Business

To contact support, reference Dell Data Security International Support Phone Numbers.
Go to TechDirect to generate a technical support request online.
For additional insights and resources, join the Dell Security Community Forum.

Affected Products

Dell Encryption
Article Properties
Article Number: 000129424
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 02 May 2023
Version:  9
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