INFO: Game Crashes - Superfetch

[Lodakai]

TLDR:  Try stopping superfetch service.

--------------------------------------------

 

If you are crashing frequently, you have a decent but not super powerful system, and you are not using a solid state drive... this may apply to you.

 

I was crashing frequently.. I'd experience framerate drops suddenly, massive stuttering sporadically, and objects loading so slowly that I had to keep waiting in certain areas for them to magically appear... especially the sanctuary bridge.  I was pulling my hair out trying to figure it out.   Reducing texture load... mixing up mods... changing load orders.   Finally fed up I turned on all my system monitors and just watched them... 

 

Memory was good.. didn't even approach half capacity, system was cool, cpu was running about midrange, gpu hovering at 70-85 percent.

My HARD DRIVE was screaming bloody murder.   Now... I don't have an SSD... but I do run a triple HD striped raid system and it should be good enough to cover at least a basic FO4 playthrough.

I checked my processes..   IT WAS F'ING SUPERFETCH cranking it to high gear trying to do what it does.

 

I  stopped the superfetch service for now, and now I am having NO PROBLEMS.  Ok, I lie.. I've got some problems.. but I'd say it is running significantly better.

Superfetch will kick back on after you restart or if windows decides it wants to do it unless you mess with it in the registry... but there is really no need for that.. you can just stop the service while you play.

 

You may wonder what superfetch does.   Basically, as i understand it, it monitors what programs and files you use most frequently so that it can PRE LOAD it for when you next reboot... thus making your boot time faster.   F you windows...  I'd rather you not interfere with my gameplay without my consent.  jfc.

 

Google searching this information will yield more detailed descriptions if you wish.  It should be safe to disable superfetch temporarily (or permanently for that matter) on your system.  But do not take my word for it... you should understand what you are doing when you mess with your services, and there are plenty of documents and tutorials from professionals out there to inform you on this practice.  Please do your due diligence and research before you take my advice.  

 

Anyway, I thought I would share this information in case it concerns anyone else.