posted
I got a fairly new computer. It came out like last year and it is pretty sweet. There is only one problem I can find with the computer, however, it is really annoying, like annoying. I like to listen to music when I frequent the computer. A lot of music. But whenever I try to type something the sound cuts up. If I hold down a button everything stops, even the clock. If I hold down a button and move the mouse pointer the sound cuts up really slowly and the whole computer lags up. The music I listen to gets cut up when I type and it's really hard to explain but the best possible way to put it is that each split second that I press a button the whole computer's sound stops so that it splits the sounds that would normally flow together when I type. If I type really fast then I can barely hear anything from the computer and it is really annoying. It is doing it now as I speak. I do not have stickykeys on, or any of that other stuff. Any ideas on what the problem is and how to fix it?
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't think that is the problem because my dad's job is setup firewalls and detect viruses and stuff for the company that he works for. He knows all this stuff about viruses and spyware because that is what his job is. Normally I would think that spyware could be the problem, but since he knows so much about the subject, I doubt someone could get him on his own computer.
I don't think he put the spyware on the computer either because he is really the only one that uses it.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
When you say "if I hold down a button, everything stops, even the clock," do you mean that your system clock stops updating if you press and hold a key?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
When you say you "listen to music", are you listening to mp3's, a CD or streaming music over the internet?
What media player are you using? (Windows media player, Real Player, Winamp, etc.)
What other programs are you running at the same time?
I bet you have a software conflict or incompatibility. Start by updating your media player to the latest version. If you see that this happens while running certain other programs at the same time, update them also. Close all unnecessary programs to limit potential conflicts. Try a different media player and see if you have the same problem.
And check AGAIN for spyware and viruses. Try a different scanner.
I've found that "obscure" software (either program or vendor) tends to be less compatible than "name brand" software. (for years my wife kept installing these educational games on the computer for our kids and then would get angry when the computer threw up on her. I'd check the instructions and point out to her that the program was designed to run under Windows 3.1, then I'd asker her to please stop bringing these programs home. She's finally seen the light, and our computer runs much better now!)
Sometimes, you have to do things backwards. I use Winamp but found I get better compatibility using an older version (v2.9; v5.x is a resource hog on my system, and since it doesn't offer anything I can't live without, I use the older version. Problem solved.)
Good luck, I hope you figure it out in spite of my suggestions! Posts: 692 | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
This is probably the fault of the media player you're using, the audio driver, or the audio device itself. I'd say that the most likely culprit is the audio driver; certainly, it's an easy enough place to start, and updating to the latest version is generally a good idea, anyway.
I get the same thing happening on my own machine from time to time, most notably when I have music playing and a second sound starts. I'm running Vista RC2 (64-bit) with a Sound Blaster Audigy, and Creative's drivers just aren't very good yet. In XP, where the drivers are more mature, it doesn't happen at all.
-- TECH SPEAK ZONE START --
First, a disclaimer: Some of what is described below regarding low-level system processes is conjecture on my part, but I like to think of it as informed conjecture. I justify that assertion by the facts that I write software for a living and have a B.S. in computer science, and most importantly, I'm just really geeky about this stuff.
What's happening on a lower level is that the sound card is being starved for audio data.
Possible causes:
1) The audio buffer that your media player maintains is emptied faster than it can be filled (for instance, if some other process is hogging CPU cycles), in which case the problem can be solved by increasing the size of the buffer. In Winamp, you'll find this setting in the options for whatever output plugin you're using.
2) The media player is unable to feed audio data to the audio device fast enough. This, again, can be caused if some other process is eating CPU cycles, but is more likely caused by a buggy or inefficient driver. This seems the most likely cause to me.
Drivers run as part of the system thread, so if a driver gets bogged down, it prevents the system from attending to other system-level tasks. In your case, it shows up when you use the keyboard because keyboard input is handled as an interrupt: you press a key, the processor drops everything, handles the key press, and then goes back to what it was doing. The driver, being already inefficient, just can't complete its operations in time, and the rest of the system gets held up as a result.
-- TECH SPEAK ZONE END --
Posts: 293 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
1) What are your exact system specs? Too often I hear of "a new computer" that has been hamstrung in either the audio or video portion of the hardware in order to keep the price down.
posted
I still want an answer to the clock question. Because if his display isn't updating when a key is held down, he's got other problems.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
annoying. I like to listen to music when I frequent the computer. A lot of music. But whenever I try to type something the sound cuts up. If I hold down a button everything stops, even the clock. If I hold down a button and move the mouse pointer the sound cuts up really slowly and the whole computer lags up. The music I listen to gets cut up when I type and it's really hard to explain but the best possible way to put it is that each split second that I press a button the whole computer's sound stops so that it splits the sounds that would normally flow together when I type. If I type really fast then I can barely hear anything from the computer and it is really annoying. It is doing it now as I speak. I do not have stickykeys on, or any of that other stuff. Any ideas on what the problem is and how to fix it?
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
