XP Freezing when audio stops working

[JC Home]

Can somebody please help with a problem. I have an e machines T1100 with a
1GHz Celeron running XP Home, and it is freezing quite often, and it seems
to be a problem with the audio. I've noticed that when the sound stops that
IE will freeze as will other programs that have sound. I also see the MCI
window unresponsive when I try to shut down after these incidents.

In the device mgr, I see:
Audio Codecs
Intel(r) 82801AA AC'97 Audio Controller
Legacy Audio Drivers
Legacy Video Capture
Media Control Devices
MPU-401 Compatible MIDI Device
Std Game Port
Video Codecs

I just uninstalled the Audio Controller and will let Windows find it on
reboot, but have not done anything else.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[R. McCarty]

First thing, check the System Event log and look for any Red icons
(Errors). Double-Click each error to examine the details. While it
could be driver related it may be Services that are hung up.
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer - System Category.

Also, you should run Dxdiag to see which version of DirectX your
system is running. I would recommend you resolve any errors. Then
download and install the following in order.
- Latest DirectX runtime Version 9.0b
- Latest Video driver set from the manufacturer
- Latest Audio driver (But run Add/Remove from Control Panel &
uninstall any pre-existing audio driver/tools package.
Multimedia is very interactive between the DirectX layer and the
drivers. Using the latest for all three should help
It might also help to run SigVerif to see what unsigned drivers are
running on your machine.

Post back with results and if more steps are necessary we can try
other options.

 

[JC Home]

I was running ver. 8.1 and ran the diag, but no problems were found. I
installed 9.0b. There are several errors in both the sys and apps logs.
Would you like me to copy those? The information is meaningless to me.

I installed the latest video driver, but I see so many things under audio
I'm not sure which one to upgrade.

Thanks!

Jeff Ciaccio

First thing, check the System Event log and look for any Red icons
(Errors). Double-Click each error to examine the details. While it
could be driver related it may be Services that are hung up.
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer - System Category.

Also, you should run Dxdiag to see which version of DirectX your
system is running. I would recommend you resolve any errors. Then
download and install the following in order.
- Latest DirectX runtime Version 9.0b
- Latest Video driver set from the manufacturer
- Latest Audio driver (But run Add/Remove from Control Panel &
uninstall any pre-existing audio driver/tools package.
Multimedia is very interactive between the DirectX layer and the
drivers. Using the latest for all three should help
It might also help to run SigVerif to see what unsigned drivers are
running on your machine.

Post back with results and if more steps are necessary we can try
other options.

 

[JC Home]

I see several files for the Intel 82801AA AC'97 Audio Controller, but cannot
find a setup file for this controller that contains the needed files. Can
anybody help me with the latest for this onboard controller?

Thanks

Jeff Ciaccio

First thing, check the System Event log and look for any Red icons
(Errors). Double-Click each error to examine the details. While it
could be driver related it may be Services that are hung up.
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer - System Category.

Also, you should run Dxdiag to see which version of DirectX your
system is running. I would recommend you resolve any errors. Then
download and install the following in order.
- Latest DirectX runtime Version 9.0b
- Latest Video driver set from the manufacturer
- Latest Audio driver (But run Add/Remove from Control Panel &
uninstall any pre-existing audio driver/tools package.
Multimedia is very interactive between the DirectX layer and the
drivers. Using the latest for all three should help
It might also help to run SigVerif to see what unsigned drivers are
running on your machine.

Post back with results and if more steps are necessary we can try
other options.

 

[JC Home]

I have found a download for the Intel Chipset at:
http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/Detail_Desc.asp?agr=N&ProductID=816&DwnldID=7484

I am concerned about this since it could possibly be harmful since it is for
the whole chipset. Does anybody know if there is just a stand alone .inf
(or .exe) for the 82801AA AC'97 Audio Controller?

Thanks!

Jeff Ciaccio

First thing, check the System Event log and look for any Red icons
(Errors). Double-Click each error to examine the details. While it
could be driver related it may be Services that are hung up.
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer - System Category.

Also, you should run Dxdiag to see which version of DirectX your
system is running. I would recommend you resolve any errors. Then
download and install the following in order.
- Latest DirectX runtime Version 9.0b
- Latest Video driver set from the manufacturer
- Latest Audio driver (But run Add/Remove from Control Panel &
uninstall any pre-existing audio driver/tools package.
Multimedia is very interactive between the DirectX layer and the
drivers. Using the latest for all three should help
It might also help to run SigVerif to see what unsigned drivers are
running on your machine.

Post back with results and if more steps are necessary we can try
other options.