I'm dealing with a frustrating memory leak problem on my Windows PC that seems to get worse every couple of weeks. Despite doing clean installs of both Windows 10 and 11 and trying different GPU and NIC drivers, my machine eventually slows down significantly, and I even get the occasional BSOD due to running out of memory.
When I investigate the issue, using tools like PoolMon and WPA, I find that ETW tags (EtwB/EtwP) are dominating the results. With PerfMon, it's clear that '1DSListener' is at the top for Buffer Memory Usage. The only temporary fix I've found is to stop ETW sessions, which halts the leak for a while, but they always turn back on later, even after I've attempted to reduce telemetry and disable DiagTrack. I'm starting to feel like I'm chasing my tail here and could really use some guidance. I've never tackled a memory leak issue before, and it's really getting to me!
2 Answers
It sounds like a tough situation, but have you considered disabling the 1DSListener service? It’s possible it’s creating the leak. You can find it in the services list. If you disable it, see if that makes any difference. Also, be cautious about the ETW sessions—they can often be re-enabled after updates or changes in your system settings, so keeping an eye on it might help as well.
If you're looking for some more proactive solutions, have you tried running built-in diagnostics through your BIOS? Most systems have tools that check for hardware issues. It could be worth investigating if there's something physical going on—memory issues might not always be software-related!
Yeah, I actually did run the onboard diagnostics, and everything came back fine, which was relieving but also frustrating since it doesn’t help much with this leak.

Good idea! I had a similar issue once and stopping that service did help stabilize my memory usage. Just make sure to monitor your system closely afterward.