Music skipping or stopping for a few seconds and then carrying on...

[TheMadDutchDude]

Hey,

I'm seeing this happen a bit more regularly than I'd like to happen. I'd like if it didn't happen at all! It never used to happen but at the moment the music either stops completely or it just skips a little bit of a song.

I am using Windows Media Player on Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.

The CPU usage is minimal (below 10% in total) and the RAM is well below max (1.6GB out of 4GB used) so I can't see any reason why it would do this.

Could it be down to audio drivers? I'm lost to be honest. It's just annoying me now!

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

TMDD

[thehitmen]

I would stop using WMP for one :)

Try WinAMP or itunes... (Both Free)


I believe this problem is to do with the coding WMP uses...

[TheMadDutchDude]

What I should have mentioned though; it was fine previously, it has only started recently.

I was thinking of using a different program to play music. I don't really like iTunes but I'll give it a go anyway...

Thanks.

[cje]

Maybe some other program is using the hdd quite heavily? Maybe the hdd needs a defrag?

[TheMadDutchDude]

There's nothing using the HDD. All I am running is the basic programs like Windows Live Messenger, FireFox etc.

The system is on a weekly defrag although I'll set it off to do one now. Thanks CJE.

[mrgoose]

@ TheMadDutchDood...

It's been a few years since I used Windows to play media files - or used Windows for anything much come think of it. But your woes stir up a few memories, that might be of assistance to you...

When Windows boxes c/w decent hardware used to present, displaying symptoms such as these, first thing I'd look at is the running processes. I'd be looking for virus/spyware checkers than might be more hungry than they should be. Also I'd be looking for malware and any processes I don't understand - and Googling them. It is also possible that Windows Task Manager may be under-reporting. It even could be that something nasty is running that has hidden itself from the Task Manger completely.

Also, is the virus checker trying to check the media files as you play them? Can you disable it temporarily to find out? FWIW, I often found real-time virus checkers to be almost as big a pain as the malware they are supposed to protect us from! I'm rather glad I seldom have to bother with them anymore.

WRT WMP, whilst it is not particularly highly regarded, it's not that bad either. Besides, it should have improved since I last used it. Still, other folks have made some good suggestions regarding alternative players. I'd like to add another if I may. VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html). It is a very competent, cross-platform media player that is a must-have app, regardless of what OS you are running. Moreover, it will play many formats that WMP would spit out - or throw a "codec cannot be found" error to be more precise. It also uninstalls cleanly if you decide you don't like it. It's open source, DRM-free and free of charge. In a nutshell, it's my kind of app! :D

WRT Defragging, I remember doing that too. But Windows 7 has only just come out. How fragmented can a disk become in three weeks? Granted, I can't talk with much authority on this because its been nearly three years since I last had to defragment a hard disk. So it wouldn't hurt to try it, I suppose.

I'd also try some of the affected files on another machine just to make sure they are not broken. OK that really is clutching at straws. But I have seen it happen before.

Trouble is at this stage, we are not really sure whether we are looking at a hardware or a software problem are we? I think I'd want to eliminate the hardware. Before we do, I assume it is a reasonably new hard disk and it's not making any nasty noises, right?

OK, you seem a technically savvy sort of chap. Have you considered replacing the boot disk, pro tempore, and installing something like 64 bit Ubuntu 9.10 (http://www.ubuntu.com/download) c/w the Medibuntu (http://www.garfnet.org.uk/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=58) extensions, on another disk, as test? It's free, it wouldn't take long to install and you wouldn 't be risking messing up your Windows installation. And who knows, you might even like it! ;)

Best wishes, G.

[cje]

There's nothing using the HDD. All I am running is the basic programs like Windows Live Messenger, FireFox etc.

The system is on a weekly defrag although I'll set it off to do one now. Thanks CJE.

I was just thinking that as I am now demoted to my old p4 system which is limping along. And I was listening to iTunes, with the music on an external hdd when I started copiyng files from it and the music started stuttering horribly.

What program are you using to defrag? Some are better than others. I don't think smartdefrag did anything. The windows one is pretty good, although slow. To make sure I do a good job I boot into safemode once a month and run defrag.

Do the stutters coincide with anyhing you do on the pc?

And have you tried using another program to listen to the files, just incase it is a software prob?

[TheMadDutchDude]

I was just thinking that as I am now demoted to my old p4 system which is limping along. And I was listening to iTunes, with the music on an external hdd when I started copiyng files from it and the music started stuttering horribly.

What program are you using to defrag? Some are better than others. I don't think smartdefrag did anything. The windows one is pretty good, although slow. To make sure I do a good job I boot into safemode once a month and run defrag.

Do the stutters coincide with anyhing you do on the pc?

And have you tried using another program to listen to the files, just incase it is a software prob?

I haven't started to use another program. However, when I was streaming the files to my Xbox through wireless earlier on I didn't experience any stuttering on there, it's pointing towards software I reckon!

I use the Windows default defragmenter. I let it run, haven't played music since then. Unfortunately I shut the lid on the laptop and put the laptop to sleep during defragmentation. I'll let it run again tonight whilst I'm sleeping (yeah, you might have guessed it is on a lot :p)

I also notice when I turn the volume up or down, it seems to drop out for some strange reason.

It's really strange, I've never seen this before other than when a CPU was being loaded at 90%+ on other apps other than WMP.

Mr G, that is a very informative post. Thank you kindly. I'd rather not mess with other OS's due to the fact that I don't have an install disk for this laptop. It's only an upgrade disk which means I will have to have another OS on here incase it goes wrong. I know there is a recovery drive but I'd rather not mess with it if I can avoid it.

[cje]

What files you listening to? Tried other playback programs? I don't like WMP I use iTunes. Thoug many hate iTunes. But it's worth a try iTunes will play mp3 no probs.

That's what I'd try first before going into OS settings and hardware.

[TheMadDutchDude]

I'll give it a go when I got the desire to do it. I'm feeling very lazy at the moment and music isn't to important for now.

Thanks for the info :)

[cje]

Np mate. Hope you get it sorted. I also had sound issue on my q6600 rig when sli was enabled and the fsb was overclocked. So I know how annoying it is. And me being a bit of an audiophile I was going mad.