Unusual Sound Problems -- Ideas?

[Jonathan Atkinson]

Hi everybody,

I'm having sound problems with Windows XP and I'm completely stumped.
After a certain amount of time using the computer (actual amount of
time varies... could be 5 minutes, could be 12 hours), the sound stops
working. All sounds stop playing system-wide, no matter what program is
attempting to play sound. The only way to get sound to start playing
again is to restart... although curiously enough, the Windows shut down
sound plays immediately prior to restart.

Once the computer is in its "no sound" mode, different programs react
differently. Most media players (Windows Media, Quicktime, iTunes, etc)
simply won't play audio or video at all -- the cursor just hangs. In
worst case scenarios, a program might crash.

I haven't been able to pin down any sort of triggering event, as it
seems to be pretty random. The best I can come up with is that a large
percentage of the time (maybe 80%?), I'm using Internet Explorer when
it starts happening.

Does this sound familiar to anybody? If so, what can be done about it
(short of a complete Windows reinstall or buying a new sound card)?

Thanks in advance for your time.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson

 

[Pennywise]

Hi everybody,

I'm having sound problems with Windows XP and I'm completely stumped.
After a certain amount of time using the computer (actual amount of
time varies... could be 5 minutes, could be 12 hours), the sound stops
working. All sounds stop playing system-wide, no matter what program is
attempting to play sound. The only way to get sound to start playing
again is to restart... although curiously enough, the Windows shut down
sound plays immediately prior to restart.

Once the computer is in its "no sound" mode, different programs react
differently. Most media players (Windows Media, Quicktime, iTunes, etc)
simply won't play audio or video at all -- the cursor just hangs. In
worst case scenarios, a program might crash.

I haven't been able to pin down any sort of triggering event, as it
seems to be pretty random. The best I can come up with is that a large
percentage of the time (maybe 80%?), I'm using Internet Explorer when
it starts happening.

Does this sound familiar to anybody? If so, what can be done about it
(short of a complete Windows reinstall or buying a new sound card)?

Start | Run <type in>
DXDIAG
<enter>

Goto sounds and run the test, decreasing the acceleration rate fixes
some problems.

 

[Jonathan Atkinson]

Ran the DirectX diagnostic tool. Tested the sound at each level of
acceleration, with no results. After moving it to the lowest setting
(no acceleration), then trying to move it back up again, the program
hung.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Jonathan

 

[Malke]

Ran the DirectX diagnostic tool. Tested the sound at each level of
acceleration, with no results. After moving it to the lowest setting
(no acceleration), then trying to move it back up again, the program
hung.

Although you said you wanted any solution "short of a new sound card",
troubleshoot this by uninstalling the current sound card (and disabling
it in the BIOS if it is onboard) and swap it out for a known-working
sound card. If all is well with the test card, replace the original
one. You can buy a basic sound card for less than $20USD. Testing this
way will definitively determine if the problem is caused by hardware or
software (Windows). Trying a software solution (reinstalling/repairing
Windows) to cure a hardware problem will fail.

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke