Audio / CPU problems

[gaikokujinkyofusho]

I have had trouble playing audio on my computer, specifically mp3.
When i try to play audio (wmplayer, vlc, winamp, so far) the player
ramps up to 50+% of my CPU usage and trying to use any other
applications makes the audio skip (it actually seems to get worse the
longer i run it to the point that it seems to make itself skip). I had
thought at first that it was the player but after trying 3 very
different players i think it is the system itself. I am not quite sure
where to start here so any suggestions would really be appreciated.

Cheers

-Gaiko

 

[John Williamson]

I have had trouble playing audio on my computer, specifically mp3.
When i try to play audio (wmplayer, vlc, winamp, so far) the player
ramps up to 50+% of my CPU usage and trying to use any other
applications makes the audio skip (it actually seems to get worse the
longer i run it to the point that it seems to make itself skip). I had
thought at first that it was the player but after trying 3 very
different players i think it is the system itself. I am not quite sure
where to start here so any suggestions would really be appreciated.

Cheers

-Gaiko

What:-
Processor?
Memory?
Hard drive?
Operating system & version?
Sound card?

Have you got installed?

Have you checked your system for viruses & the like?

Have you run a system diagnostic, especially checking hard drives & memory?

 

[gaikokujinkyofusho]

What:-
Processor?
Memory?
Hard drive?
Operating system & version?
Sound card?

Have you got installed?

Have you checked your system for viruses & the like?

Have you run a system diagnostic, especially checking hard drives & memory?

Doh, fair enough. Specs are as follows:

Mobile P4 2.6Mhz
1gb mem
60gb drive (15gb free)
Win XP Pro SP2
Integrated sound (simtel chipset)

PRograms:
7-Zip 4_57
Adobe Flash Player Plugin
Ant Movie Catalog
Ant Renamer
AppSnap 1_3_2
Ashampoo Uninstaller
Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
BitDefender Free Edition v10
COMODO Firewall Pro
Ditto 3_15_4_0
DupDetector 3_201
Exact Audio Copy 0_99pb3
ffdshow [rev 1821] [2008-01-27]
Flickr Uploadr 3_0_5
Folder Size for Windows
Foxit Reader
GSpot Codec Information Appliance
HP LaserJet 1020
IDimager V4 Professional SQLite Edition
Juice 2_2
KillWinamp 1_61
MediaInfo 0_7_5_7
Microsoft Network Monitor 3_1
Miranda IM 0_7_3
Nero
NetMeter 1_1_3
Opera 9_25
Orbit Downloader
Process Tamer 2_09_01
PTGui Pro 7_2
QLiner Quotes
QT Lite 2_3_0
Real Alternative 1_7_5
Screenshot Captor 2_37_03
Skype 3_6
Spyware Terminator
SUPER c Version 2008_bld_24 (Jan 18, 2008)
Tag&Rename 3_4
TrueCrypt
Tweak UI
Unlocker 1_8_5
Utorrent
VideoLAN VLC media player 0_8_6d
Vim 7_1 (self-installing)
Winamp v5.52
Winamp Enhancer (plugin)
Winamp Pacemaker (plugin)
Winamp Playlist Remover (plugin)
Winamp Playlist Undo (plugin)
Windows Media Format Runtime
WinHTTrack Website Copier 3_42
XnView 1_91_6
MS Office 2003
Photoshop CS2

I've checked my system using comodo & spyware terminator for spyware,
used bitdefender and antivir to check for antiviruses, and have run
chkdsk to check the hard drive but haven't checked the memory (not
sure about how to go about doing that, suggestions are welcome though)

For what it is worth a month ago everything worked fine, I can't think
of anything i have done to the system since then that would make it
change.

 

[John Williamson]

What:-
Processor?
Memory?
Hard drive?
Operating system & version?
Sound card?

Have you got installed?

Have you checked your system for viruses & the like?

Have you run a system diagnostic, especially checking hard drives & memory?

Doh, fair enough. Specs are as follows:

Mobile P4 2.6Mhz
1gb mem
60gb drive (15gb free)
Win XP Pro SP2
Integrated sound (simtel chipset)

PRograms:
7-Zip 4_57
Adobe Flash Player Plugin
Ant Movie Catalog
Ant Renamer
AppSnap 1_3_2
Ashampoo Uninstaller
Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
BitDefender Free Edition v10
COMODO Firewall Pro
Ditto 3_15_4_0
DupDetector 3_201
Exact Audio Copy 0_99pb3
ffdshow [rev 1821] [2008-01-27]
Flickr Uploadr 3_0_5
Folder Size for Windows
Foxit Reader
GSpot Codec Information Appliance
HP LaserJet 1020
IDimager V4 Professional SQLite Edition
Juice 2_2
KillWinamp 1_61
MediaInfo 0_7_5_7
Microsoft Network Monitor 3_1
Miranda IM 0_7_3
Nero
NetMeter 1_1_3
Opera 9_25
Orbit Downloader
Process Tamer 2_09_01
PTGui Pro 7_2
QLiner Quotes
QT Lite 2_3_0
Real Alternative 1_7_5
Screenshot Captor 2_37_03
Skype 3_6
Spyware Terminator
SUPER c Version 2008_bld_24 (Jan 18, 2008)
Tag&Rename 3_4
TrueCrypt
Tweak UI
Unlocker 1_8_5
Utorrent
VideoLAN VLC media player 0_8_6d
Vim 7_1 (self-installing)
Winamp v5.52
Winamp Enhancer (plugin)
Winamp Pacemaker (plugin)
Winamp Playlist Remover (plugin)
Winamp Playlist Undo (plugin)
Windows Media Format Runtime
WinHTTrack Website Copier 3_42
XnView 1_91_6
MS Office 2003
Photoshop CS2

I've checked my system using comodo & spyware terminator for spyware,
used bitdefender and antivir to check for antiviruses, and have run
chkdsk to check the hard drive but haven't checked the memory (not
sure about how to go about doing that, suggestions are welcome though)

For what it is worth a month ago everything worked fine, I can't think
of anything i have done to the system since then that would make it
change.

It's possible your processor or system is overheating due to a failing
fan or heatsink choked with dust. When it gets hot, the system throttles
the CPU back to stop it burning out.

It may also be that Process Tamer is doing something unfriendly to your
system.

Download Sisoft SANDRA lite from here:-

http://www.sisoftware.net/index.html?dir=&location=downandbuy&langx=en&a=

That will check your hardware. If it was working fine a while ago &
stopped, then I'd guess either you have a heat problem as above, your HD
is failing, or you have a memory problem. If you are using a torrent
client to download stuff, be aware of a possibility of rootkit attacks,
which most AV & anti-spyware programs won't pick up.

AVG among others do a rootkit eliminator which is free to try out.

Remove & reseat your memory, & use the diagnostics in SANDRA to check
your HD & memory afterwards.

If you install & run Hijack This, posting a report somewhere accessible,
others wiser than me may well be able to tell you if something odd is
running & using all your processor cycles.

 

[gaikokujinkyofusho]

Doh, fair enough. Specs are as follows:

Mobile P4 2.6Mhz
1gb mem
60gb drive (15gb free)
Win XP Pro SP2
Integrated sound (simtel chipset)

PRograms:
7-Zip 4_57
Adobe Flash Player Plugin
Ant Movie Catalog
Ant Renamer
AppSnap 1_3_2
Ashampoo Uninstaller
Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic
BitDefender Free Edition v10
COMODO Firewall Pro
Ditto 3_15_4_0
DupDetector 3_201
Exact Audio Copy 0_99pb3
ffdshow [rev 1821] [2008-01-27]
Flickr Uploadr 3_0_5
Folder Size for Windows
Foxit Reader
GSpot Codec Information Appliance
HP LaserJet 1020
IDimager V4 Professional SQLite Edition
Juice 2_2
KillWinamp 1_61
MediaInfo 0_7_5_7
Microsoft Network Monitor 3_1
Miranda IM 0_7_3
Nero
NetMeter 1_1_3
Opera 9_25
Orbit Downloader
Process Tamer 2_09_01
PTGui Pro 7_2
QLiner Quotes
QT Lite 2_3_0
Real Alternative 1_7_5
Screenshot Captor 2_37_03
Skype 3_6
Spyware Terminator
SUPER c Version 2008_bld_24 (Jan 18, 2008)
Tag&Rename 3_4
TrueCrypt
Tweak UI
Unlocker 1_8_5
Utorrent
VideoLAN VLC media player 0_8_6d
Vim 7_1 (self-installing)
Winamp v5.52
Winamp Enhancer (plugin)
Winamp Pacemaker (plugin)
Winamp Playlist Remover (plugin)
Winamp Playlist Undo (plugin)
Windows Media Format Runtime
WinHTTrack Website Copier 3_42
XnView 1_91_6
MS Office 2003
Photoshop CS2

I've checked my system using comodo & spyware terminator for spyware,
used bitdefender and antivir to check for antiviruses, and have run
chkdsk to check the hard drive but haven't checked the memory (not
sure about how to go about doing that, suggestions are welcome though)

For what it is worth a month ago everything worked fine, I can't think
of anything i have done to the system since then that would make it
change.

First, thanks for your help!

It's possible your processor or system is overheating due to a failing
fan or heatsink choked with dust. When it gets hot, the system throttles
the CPU back to stop it burning out.

That is possible (my notebook model has a history of overheating but
Dell fixed that awhile ago and since then it hasn't been much of a
problem) however i am able to run other processor intensive tasks
(photoshop, panoramic stitching, vidoe processing) and i don't have
the same problems, yes my system slows down but it isn't brought to
its knees

It may also be that Process Tamer is doing something unfriendly to your
system.

Nope, i downloaded it to try and resolve the problem (and unforuantely
it hasn't helped)

Download Sisoft SANDRA lite from here:-

http://www.sisoftware.net/index.html?dir=&location=downandbuy&langx=e...

That will check your hardware.

Thanks, i will give it a try.

If it was working fine a while ago &
stopped, then I'd guess either you have a heat problem as above, your HD
is failing, or you have a memory problem.

possible, i will try SANDRA and see.

If you are using a torrent
client to download stuff, be aware of a possibility of rootkit attacks,
which most AV & anti-spyware programs won't pick up.

Yeah, the rootkit thing is possible but i only download non-zipped
video no programs or zipped/rar'd stuff.

AVG among others do a rootkit eliminator which is free to try out.

Remove & reseat your memory, & use the diagnostics in SANDRA to check
your HD & memory afterwards.

got it.

If you install & run Hijack This, posting a report somewhere accessible,
others wiser than me may well be able to tell you if something odd is
running & using all your processor cycles.

I can try, i check TaskManager regularly now and what i can't figure
out is that everything seems to run fine until i start up some audio
application (video doesn't seem to be affected). I look at the CPU
usage of separate applications and everything runs (more or less) fine
but then i start up audio (any audio application [though i haven't
tried formats other than MP3, i might give that a try]) and the
application i start up shoots up to 30% CPU usages and keeps climbing
until my computer is more or less frozen; all this time other
applications are acting normally... go figure.

Cheers

-Gaiko

 

[John Williamson]

I can try, i check TaskManager regularly now and what i can't figure
out is that everything seems to run fine until i start up some audio
application (video doesn't seem to be affected). I look at the CPU
usage of separate applications and everything runs (more or less) fine
but then i start up audio (any audio application [though i haven't
tried formats other than MP3, i might give that a try]) and the
application i start up shoots up to 30% CPU usages and keeps climbing
until my computer is more or less frozen; all this time other
applications are acting normally... go figure.

If other sound formats play OK, it's likely the mp3 codec on your
machine is corrupted.

Try playing an audio CD & see what happens, then rip it to wma using
Windows Media Player. Windows Media Audio has about the same processor &
memory usage on replay as mp3. If that works, then I'd be fairly certain
the mp3 codec is faulty in some way. If not, then it's more likely to be
a hardware or OS problem.

Good luck!

 

[Laurence Payne]

If other sound formats play OK, it's likely the mp3 codec on your
machine is corrupted.

Try playing an audio CD & see what happens, then rip it to wma using
Windows Media Player. Windows Media Audio has about the same processor &
memory usage on replay as mp3. If that works, then I'd be fairly certain
the mp3 codec is faulty in some way. If not, then it's more likely to be
a hardware or OS problem.

So you reckon it's some hardware or software problem?

 

[John Williamson]

So you reckon it's some hardware or software problem?

That about sums it up. ;-)