Fixing Crashes and High Thread Counts in Slack, Chrome, and More

Just when you thought updating to Windows 24H2 should be a seamless experience, your trusty applications like Slack and Chrome decide to throw a massive tantrum. Let’s delve into this delightful ordeal of system chaos and outdated software components.

After the latest Windows update, my applications began behaving in the most unexpected and exasperating ways. Slack, for instance, started consuming over 200,000 threads. Yes, you read that correctly—200,000 threads. Because clearly, that’s the kind of performance we should aspire to. Meanwhile, Chrome wasn’t much better; it crashed randomly and made the entire system sluggish every time I attempted to run GPU-intensive tasks. Cool.

Initially I assumed that either Slack or Chrome had botched their latest updates, but the issue was a little more complicated. It was time to embark on the tedious journey of troubleshooting to uncover the root cause of this fiasco.

Investigative Steps and Technical Analysis

The first clue of this mess surfaced when I reluctantly opened Task Manager to monitor thread counts. Slack was off the charts, and Chrome, along with a few other applications, showed their own insignificant spikes. Clearly, something was catastrophically wrong with how these apps were managing system resources.

Determined to make sense of this chaos, I used Process Explorer to capture a full memory dump of Slack during one of its performance meltdowns. Because who doesn’t love sifting through memory dumps to find answers? Enter WinDbg, the indispensable yet infuriating tool that promises insights if you’re willing to wrestle with its complexity.

Loading the dump into WinDbg and executing the !analyze -v command, the tool promptly pointed me to the antagonist of the story: MessageBus.dll. Yes, because nothing says compatibility like a DLL from 2019 wreaking havoc in 2024.

The Culprit: An Outdated NVIDIA Broadcast Component

Upon further examination, it became obvious that the NVIDIA Broadcast version installed on my system was outdated. This antiquated software was utterly incompatible with modern GPU drivers and the latest updates of essential applications like Slack and Chrome. According to the changelog for NVIDIA Broadcast version 1.4.0.39, this release was meant to fix "virtual camera issues encountered by some users after updating to Windows 11 version 24H2".

This obsolete MessageBus.dll led to gross mismanagement of system resources, resulting in astronomical thread counts and incessant application crashes. To add insult to injury, NVIDIA Broadcast lacks any form of an automatic update checker, meaning users remain blissfully unaware of necessary updates. This silent background operation ensures that outdated components only surface to wreak havoc when you least expect it, forcing you into a tedious and infuriating troubleshooting marathon.

Implementing the Solution

With the root cause identified—outdated NVIDIA Broadcast—the solution was, ironically, quite straightforward:

1. Updating NVIDIA Broadcast: I begrudgingly navigated to the NVIDIA Broadcast website and downloaded the latest version (1.4.0.39). Installing this update replaced the archaic MessageBus.dll with a compatible version. One could also just uninstall this garbage softwater.
2. Restarting Affected Applications: After the update, I reopened Slack and Chrome. Miraculously, the thread counts stabilized, crashes ceased, and my system's performance returned to a semblance of normalcy. A simple update solved what felt like a monumental problem caused by neglected software maintenance.

This entire ordeal was a stark reminder of how outdated software components, especially those operating silently in the background, can completely derail system performance and application stability. Bravo, NVIDIA, for providing such a robust test of user patience and troubleshooting skills.

Proactive Troubleshooting for Similar Issues

If you, like me, are dealing with inexplicable app crashes or unnervingly high resource usage, here’s how you can navigate this process:

1. Identify Symptoms:
   • Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and head to the Details tab.
   • Add the Threads column to identify which apps are irresponsibly hogging threads.
2. Deep Dive with Process Explorer:
3. Use Process Explorer to create a full memory dump of the problematic application:
   • Right-click the application.
   • Select Create Dump > Full Dump.
   • Save the dump for your next thrilling analysis session.
4. Analyze the Memory Dump:
   • Load the dump into WinDbg.
   • Run the command !analyze -v for a verbose analysis.
   • Look for faulting modules that might indicate the source of your misery.
5. Investigate GPU-Related Components:
   • If the analysis points to GPU-related files (e.g., MessageBus.dll, nvwgf2umx.dll), brace yourself for another round of driver or software compatibility issues, possibly involving NVIDIA Broadcast.
6. Update Drivers and Software:
   • Ensure your GPU drivers are up-to-date by downloading the latest versions from NVIDIA’s official site.
   • Update any related software, like NVIDIA Broadcast, to avoid living in the past.
7. Disable Hardware Acceleration (If Necessary):
   • As a last resort, disable hardware acceleration in the affected applications:
     • Slack: Go to Settings > Advanced > Disable Hardware Acceleration.
     • Chrome: Navigate to Settings > Advanced > System and toggle off Use hardware acceleration when available.

Conclusion

And there you have it. Another delightful journey through the labyrinth of outdated software and system resource mismanagement. Thanks for enduring this troubleshooting tale with me. Until next time, may your systems remain annoyingly stable and your software components frustratingly up-to-date.