Machine locking up when trying to play videos

[Silver Surfer]

Trying to play videos from the Internet using Windows Media Player 10. WMP
skin shows up on the monitor but within one or two seconds the computer
locks up solid. Have to hit the reset button to bring it back to life.
Tried WMP 11 with the exact same results.
Back to WMP 10. Still no good. Uninstalled WMP and reinstalled both
versions several times.
Same results every time. Dumped WMP and tried WinAmp. No difference.
System restored to a much
earlier system check point. Still no good. Any ideas what I need to do?

 

[Elmo]

Trying to play videos from the Internet using Windows Media Player 10. WMP
skin shows up on the monitor but within one or two seconds the computer
locks up solid. Have to hit the reset button to bring it back to life.
Tried WMP 11 with the exact same results.
Back to WMP 10. Still no good. Uninstalled WMP and reinstalled both
versions several times.
Same results every time. Dumped WMP and tried WinAmp. No difference.
System restored to a much
earlier system check point. Still no good. Any ideas what I need to do?

Click Start, Run, type SFC /SCANNOW, click OK. If any files are damaged
or missing, they'll be replaced. You may need to reboot afterwards so
damaged files will be replaced.

Run DXDiag and see if it complains of uncertified drivers; try lowering
graphics hardware acceleration, etc.. Also look at the computer
manufacturer site and the graphics card manufacturer site for different
drivers. Try upgrades, reference drivers, and drivers for other model
cards till you find one that works. Do a search at
http://groups.google.com entering the pertinent information including
graphics card model for more self help.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Dear Elmo,

I did the sfc thing, but that did not seem to bear any fruit.

Ran the dxdiag and had a result that may help you narrow my problem a little
more.

Under the "Display" tab in dxdiag I ran the draw test. The first part of
the test, white and black alternating rectangles, did just fine. But, when
I clicked on the box to start the "white bouncing box" test the computer
froze instantly, just like it does when trying to play videos.

What does that behavior suggest to you?

Also my S3 Virge DX/GX(375, 385) adapter is running the latest driver per
Device Manager. Uninstalled the driver and let Windows put it back, but
there was no difference afterward.

 

[Elmo]

Dear Elmo,

I did the sfc thing, but that did not seem to bear any fruit.

Ran the dxdiag and had a result that may help you narrow my problem a little
more.

Under the "Display" tab in dxdiag I ran the draw test. The first part of
the test, white and black alternating rectangles, did just fine. But, when
I clicked on the box to start the "white bouncing box" test the computer
froze instantly, just like it does when trying to play videos.

What does that behavior suggest to you?

Also my S3 Virge DX/GX(375, 385) adapter is running the latest driver per
Device Manager. Uninstalled the driver and let Windows put it back, but
there was no difference afterward.

A few thoughts: The drivers may not be right for that card, or maybe the
card is damaged.. As soon as directx is involved, it freezes. You can
lower graphics hardware acceleration in Display Properties, Settings
tab, Advanced button, Troubleshooting tab. If this helps, you probably
need a different card or drivers.

One other thought though, DirectX could have corrupted files. Try the
DirectX troubleshooting suggestions listed here:

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_d.htm#9c

 

[Silver Surfer]

I downloaded the latest Direct X from Microsoft's site. No help.

Reduced graphic acceleration by half. My machine then passed the Direct X
draw test without problem. It also did not freeze upon playing a video in
WMP; however, without acceleration the video quality is horrendous. Tried
raising acceleration a notch at a time, but anything above 50% puts me back
where I started.

What puzzles me is that up until about a week ago I was having no problems.

 

[Elmo]

I downloaded the latest Direct X from Microsoft's site. No help.

Reduced graphic acceleration by half. My machine then passed the Direct X
draw test without problem. It also did not freeze upon playing a video in
WMP; however, without acceleration the video quality is horrendous. Tried
raising acceleration a notch at a time, but anything above 50% puts me back
where I started.

What puzzles me is that up until about a week ago I was having no problems.

Could be a hardware problem, I suppose.. maybe the power supply rather
than the graphics card.

One other thing to try: With the computer off, remove, then replace the
graphics card. Make sure you touch the case before doing this so
there's no static discharge. Either turn the power strip off, or unplug
the cord to the back of the tower. That's because there can be voltages
to the mb even though the system is off. I suggest this because dust or
oxidation could cause problems. (I know, gold doesn't oxidize.)