Sound stutters

[maxcrook]

Strange title but didnt know how to describe the problem.

I have a problem with my pc at the moment in that when music is playing in the background, the sound stutters when I open any application.
e.g When I open Internet explorer ill scroll down the page or when another page is loading the sound will have 1 second gaps in it like a stutter.

Sorry this isn't a very good explanation just cant really describe it well but does anyone know the cause ?

 

[Trevatwork]

probably resources issue, you can test is by using msconfig to remove startup items, or closing icons by your clock in bottom right corner. or add more ram.

I am assuming you are running windows based pc.

Trevor

 

[maxcrook]

Sorry yes Windows XP.

What would I have to do from msconfig - anything that is massively memory intensive you know off hand that shouldn't be running?
I'm thinking he's got a virus on his machine that is running a background process.

 

[Trevatwork]

i would take everything out of startup see if that fixes problem, if it does then start adding startup items until you find the one that is killing your resources, Also a program called "hijack this" is quite good if you think it is malware causing your problem.


Trevor

 

[BadBigBen]

The HiJackThis program can be very useful, if you KNOW what you are doing... other than that, it can be more problematic...

suggestion would be to use HiJackThis and do a LOG, paste it here for our eyes to see what is running in the background, so that we could tell you what to fix!!! (Do not fix on your own unless you know what you are doing!)...

also letting us know what system (CPU, RAM size, etc.) you have, the more info the better the fix, will get you to enjoy the music like you want...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[paoconnell]

I have had a similar problem with stuttering video and audio on my Windows XP Home PC. It turned out to be a service installed by iTunes called "Apple Mobile Device." Disabling this service (which is needed only if you have an iPhone) made the stuttering go away. Note that my PC has a basic Pentium 4, single processor, and computers with Core Duo processors might not have this problem.

Pat O'Connell

 

[firewolfrl]

There was an issue with the Nvidia 2 chipset.
what motherboard are you using?
I had this issue a couple of years back with a geforce Motherboard using the Nvidia chipset
I ultimately had to reformat the drive and load the most current Nvidia drivers and not the drivers that came with the board
This is a known issue with Nvidia with some of the chipsets though the Nvidia 2 chipset is the worst offender

 

[wahnula]

I assume this is an onboard audio device. PC audio is a nightmare due to crosstalk and the proximity of components. Line-level components like PC sound are especially prone to interference from adjacent EMI components and electrical traces. It's also why soundcards are usually in the LAST PCI slot, or sometimes in separate breakout boxes. I have onboard AC97 audio and there's a constant hiss, whenever I do just about anything I hear stuttering and static.

If it REALLY bothers you, get a good soundcard (Creative, M-Audio) and it will improve. Heck, I even get crackling on my VoIP line when I'm surfing the web. Too much stuff in too small of a place.

Tony

 

[paoconnell]

My PC is a 4 year old Toshiba laptop, with a Pentium 4 and a built in sound chip set. The chip set is soldered to the motherboard, and is not replaceable. The stuttering only started about three months ago, probably around the time iTunes was updated to support the iPhone. I assume the "Apple Mobile Device" service was somehow interfering with the sound chip drivers, hence the stuttering. I tried disabling the service because someone else had the same problem with another PC, and got relief by disabling that service. Incidentally, the PC has been notably faster since I disabled that service. Steve Jobs, take note.

Pat O'Connell

 

[wahnula]

I tried disabling the service because someone else had the same problem with another PC, and got relief by disabling that service

Thanks for taking the time to report the solution, Pat. Many folks don't bother.