945GM W7 Drivers - Unusually high CPU in igfxext.exe

[idata]

Hi All,

I have a Fujitsu Stylistic 5112 tablet with the Intel 945GM graphics chip and I just loaded up Windows 7 Ultimate which installed a Microsoft version of the driver (8.15.10.1749) without any Intel graphics control panel. Just a basic driver though the display functions properly and works well with DirectX. Aero works nice too.

If I use Windows Update it lists a new driver available (8.15.10.1825, I believe) and I can go to Intel directly and get the latest 8.15.10.1930) driver which not only installs the latest driver but also the Intel Graphics control panel. So far so good.

However, when I restart the tablet, there is a process called igfxext.exe which runs between 30-50% CONSTANTLY without end. This would eventually kill my computer and annoy me as the fan runs at high speed to keep the CPU cool. What is going on here? Why is this process taking up so much CPU and why won't it throttle back? If I end this process in Task Manager, the CPU throttles down and the display appears to still function. Rebooting brings the process and high CPU usage back.

I have reverted to a previous restore point and installed both the driver available from Windows Update and from Intel and both exhibit the same high CPU utilization of igfext.exe and it's just unacceptable. The only positive is that the new drivers apparently enable the OpenGL settings in the Intel Graphics Control Panel which are not there with the W7 as-installed driver.

Can someone help out here and let me know what's going on and if there is a driver I can use that will not kill my CPU yet still enable OpenGL and the full power of the Intel Graphics Control Panel rather than just a generic Microsoft resolution/color control set?

Thanks,

Robert

[idata]

I guess this is too tough a question to answer! So I went off the board and tried the latest Vista drivers and downgraded to those. Apparently that worked because not only do I get the Intel Graphics Control Panel to appear with all the OpenGL settings selectable but there is no high CPU utilization in igfxext.exe.

So there is a problem with the W7 drivers on an installation of W7 whereas the Vista drivers work fine on W7? What's up with that?

Seems to me that Intel needs to recheck their W7 drivers for this particular chipset/graphics adapter.

Not a real solution in my opinion.

Robert