Hmm, it sounded like there was a small chance it was a problem I had with
audio some time back, I include the text below *just incase*.
But I wonder what is the spec of your machine? If it's really old, maybe it
simply hasn't got the horsepower to play video well, although I certainly
wouldn't expect this problem with just audio.
Maybe it's an interrupt related thing, I doubt it's your problem but here's
what I did to cure my problem a long time ago, which was stuttering when
playing sound files (such as MP3)...
I would draw your attention to the text right down at the bottom, to do with
"Uniprocessor ACPI PC, try changing this to Advanced configuration and Power
Interface (ACPI) PC" (it worked for me):
R.
"
The Sound Blaster Live! card uses two Interrupt requests (IRQ's). One for
the SB 16 emulation and one for the Sound Blaster Live! card itself.
IRQ 5, 7 or even 9 will usually be reserved for the SB 16 Emulation, whereas
the Sound Blaster Live! will normally use IRQ 9, 10 or 11.
Occasionally this allocation may be reversed (for example when runnning
Windows' 98 with motherboards based on the VIA MVP3 Chipset
which may not have the appropriate IRQ Routing Miniport Driver), or both the
Sound Blaster Live! card and its emulation may be allocated the same IRQ.
This can result in stuttering/repeating wave files, or cause the SB 16
Emulation to function incorrectly.
If you are experiencing either of these symptoms, we recommend you do the
following:
Check the IRQ allocation:
1. Click Start and go to Settings. Click Control Panel and go to System.
Click Device Manager
2. Double-click 'Computer' to view the resource allocation for all sytem
devices.
3. If SB 16 Emulation is sharing an IRQ with another device or one which is
higher than that used by the Sound Blaster Live! card, try the following:
4. Install the latest Chipset drivers for your system (specifically the IRQ
Routing Miniport Driver when using older VIA Chipsets)
5. In Device Manager, under Creative Miscellaneous Devices, right-click the
SB 16 Emulation and click Properties.
6. Click Settings tab and tick the option to allow LPT Interrupt Sharing.
This will allow the SB 16 Emulation to use the same interrupt (IRQ) as the
Printer Port (Parallel Port, IRQ 7).
If the symptoms persist, try the Sound Blaster Live! in a different PCI
slot.
Some BIOS's offer the option to change the IRQ priority for specific PCI
slots. Please consult your motherboard manufacturer for details.
Further Suggestions
For diagnostic purposes, try lowering the hardware acceleration of the Sound
Blaster Live! * and your Graphics card **.
In the BIOS, under PNP/PCI Configuration set PNP Aware OS to No
Update the systems BIOS.
Disable IRQ steering in the Device Manager (System Devices - PCI Bus - IRQ
Steering - un-tick Use IRQ Steering).
* Click Start and select Run. Type dxdiag. The DirectX diagnostic tool will
open. Click Sound and select Hardware Sound Acceleration Level. Set down 1
notch, then restart the system. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
** Right-click My Computer and click Properties. Go to Performance and click
Graphics. Set down 1 notch, then restart the system. If necessary, repeat
the procedure.
Win2000/XP
Windows 2000/XP do not support SB 16 Emulation, and as such, most of the
above troubleshooting steps will not be applicable to these operating
systems. However, as this problem is usually caused by resource problems or
conflicts, we recommend you try the following:
Windows2000:
If your PC configuration is Uniprocessor ACPI PC or Advanced Configuration
and Power Interface (ACPI) PC, try changing this to
Standard PC.
Both ACPI configurations can be somewhat problematic, as ACPI Uniprocessor
PC uses so called Virtual IRQ's (IRQ's higher than 15) and
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface PC tends to put all the PCI
devices on the same IRQ (The operating system reshuffles the resource
distribution).
The latter may cause a problem for some Windows 2000 systems but is usually
fine for Windows XP.
The PC configuration may be changed as follows:
1. Click Start and go to Settings. Click Control Panel and go to System. On
the Hardwaretab, click Device Manager
2. Click the "+" sign next to 'Computer'
3. Double-click ACPI Uniprocessor PC/Advanced Configuration and Power
Interface (ACPI) PC
4. On the Driver tab click Update Driver
5. Select the option to display a list of known drivers for the device.
Tick 'Show all hardware for this device class'
From the list, select Standard PC
Relocating the Sound Blaster Live! to a different PCI slot or changing the
IRQ priority of the slot are the only possible ways to enable the card use
another IRQ.
Resources are allocated at BIOS level and cannot be changed within Windows.
Windows XP:
If your PC configuration is Uniprocessor ACPI PC, try changing this to
Advanced configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC.
Both are ACPI configurations, however, ACPI Uniprocessor PC uses so called
Virtual IRQ's (IRQ's higher than 15) which can prove problematic for the
Sound Blaster Live! card.
The PC configuration may be changed as follows:
1. Click Start and go to Settings. Click Control Panel and go to System. On
the Hardwaretab, click Device Manager
2. Click the "+" sign next to 'Computer'
3. Double-click ACPI Uniprocessor PC
4. On the Driver tab click Update Driver
5. Select the option to display a list of known drivers for the device.
6. Tick 'Show all hardware for this device class'
7. From the list, select Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
PC
Relocating the Sound Blaster Live! to a different PCI slot or changing the
IRQ priority of the slot are the only possible ways to enable the card use
another IRQ.
Resources are allocated at BIOS level and cannot be changed within Windows.
"
