SKIPPING/POPPING IN WINDOWS 2000

BugattiEB218 · 23rd April 2001, 02:27

I have just upgraded my PC to an Athlon 1GHz with 256M of RAM and a 60gig hard drive. I'm running Windows 2000 with service pack 1, and I have tried every Winamp setting possible to stop the periodic skipping or popping that occurs during playback of MP3s of any bitrate. This happens even if the entire file is decoded and buffered in advance, and even if Winamp is the only program running. My feeling is that this is a Win2K problem, not a hardware screw-up or a Winamp bug. So far, I'm stumped, and disappointed in my new PC setup. If anyone has a fix for this or if you're having the same problem, post here and we'll try to work it out. God save my MP3 collection.
~Bugatti

Dave_999 · 23rd April 2001, 04:23

I have also been having the same problem. I think I just fixed it on my PC. I have a 750MHz Athlon with 192MB of RAM and an SBLIVE soundcard with Win2k.

Right click on the volume control near the clock and pick "adjust audio properties" then choose the "hardware" tab. Choose "audio codecs" and the hit the "properties" tab. Then pick anything that says "MP3" or "MPEG layer-3" and then change the priority to 1 or 2. Mine was at 12 originally.

I hope this works. I haven't had any skips/popping yet.

BugattiEB218 · 23rd April 2001, 20:22

Cool! That seemed to fix the sporadic popping, which was annoying enough, but there's also this weirdness that goes on when I open or close a window or when I switch from window to winow or even when I minimize them. Thanks for that priority adjustment, Dave. My feeling is that this problem is caused by a simmilar, priority-related issue. Right now, my computer is optimized for applications as opposed to background operations, so maybe when it has to switch the MP3 playback from the background to the foreground it screws up...? That doesn't make much sense, but neither does a gigahurtz processor with ample memory resources not being able to handle a few operations. Anyway, let me know if you've figured this one out.
Thanks Again,
Bugatti

Dave_999 · 23rd April 2001, 21:05

My computer is optimized for applications also and it doesn't do anything that seems out of the ordinary when I do the things you mentioned. What is the "weirdness"? I do get a scratching sound when my modem is connecting to the internet for some reason but I am not sure that this is the same thing. Originally I had Win 98 SE and it didn't do the modem thing, after installing win2k it started doing it. My old 233MHz K6 had problems with playing audio when I would scroll in Internet Explorer or My Computer, it would make a scratching sound every single time. I replaced my SB AWE-64 (ISA) with an SBLIVE (PCI) and it didn't fix it. I later found out that it was the video card. I had a Voodoo 1 (PCI). When I built the PC I have now I had to use that card for a couple months. It did the exact same thing. Later I got a Voodoo 5 (AGP) and it didn't do it any more.

Some things to think about...
Dave

BugattiEB218 · 24th April 2001, 00:26

I have a Voodoo3 PCI (16megs) card and an onboard sound card on the MSI K7T Pro 2-A motherboard I have. The weirdness is better described as a slowdown; the music skips, but picks it back up where it left off. The result is sometimes like a sloppy slow-motion shot of the music. My old PC was a Pentium 200 with MMX running Win95, 96 megs of ram. I never had any problems with its decoding or playback.

I have some fears that the problem is with the Windows-Intel marriage, and that there is some preference in the innards of W2K that favors the performance of a Pentium over an Athlon. It's a conspiracy, I tell you!

Thanks so much for your replies; I continue to be impressed with how quick and helpful you've been.
~Bugatti

23rd April 2001, 04:23	#2
Dave_999 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 2	skipping/popping win2k possible fix I have also been having the same problem. I think I just fixed it on my PC. I have a 750MHz Athlon with 192MB of RAM and an SBLIVE soundcard with Win2k. Right click on the volume control near the clock and pick "adjust audio properties" then choose the "hardware" tab. Choose "audio codecs" and the hit the "properties" tab. Then pick anything that says "MP3" or "MPEG layer-3" and then change the priority to 1 or 2. Mine was at 12 originally. I hope this works. I haven't had any skips/popping yet.

23rd April 2001, 21:05	#4
Dave_999 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 2	Not sure... My computer is optimized for applications also and it doesn't do anything that seems out of the ordinary when I do the things you mentioned. What is the "weirdness"? I do get a scratching sound when my modem is connecting to the internet for some reason but I am not sure that this is the same thing. Originally I had Win 98 SE and it didn't do the modem thing, after installing win2k it started doing it. My old 233MHz K6 had problems with playing audio when I would scroll in Internet Explorer or My Computer, it would make a scratching sound every single time. I replaced my SB AWE-64 (ISA) with an SBLIVE (PCI) and it didn't fix it. I later found out that it was the video card. I had a Voodoo 1 (PCI). When I built the PC I have now I had to use that card for a couple months. It did the exact same thing. Later I got a Voodoo 5 (AGP) and it didn't do it any more. Some things to think about... Dave

24th April 2001, 00:26	#5
BugattiEB218 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3	Explanation... I have a Voodoo3 PCI (16megs) card and an onboard sound card on the MSI K7T Pro 2-A motherboard I have. The weirdness is better described as a slowdown; the music skips, but picks it back up where it left off. The result is sometimes like a sloppy slow-motion shot of the music. My old PC was a Pentium 200 with MMX running Win95, 96 megs of ram. I never had any problems with its decoding or playback. I have some fears that the problem is with the Windows-Intel marriage, and that there is some preference in the innards of W2K that favors the performance of a Pentium over an Athlon. It's a conspiracy, I tell you! Thanks so much for your replies; I continue to be impressed with how quick and helpful you've been. ~Bugatti

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

23rd April 2001, 02:27	#1
BugattiEB218 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3	I have just upgraded my PC to an Athlon 1GHz with 256M of RAM and a 60gig hard drive. I'm running Windows 2000 with service pack 1, and I have tried every Winamp setting possible to stop the periodic skipping or popping that occurs during playback of MP3s of any bitrate. This happens even if the entire file is decoded and buffered in advance, and even if Winamp is the only program running. My feeling is that this is a Win2K problem, not a hardware screw-up or a Winamp bug. So far, I'm stumped, and disappointed in my new PC setup. If anyone has a fix for this or if you're having the same problem, post here and we'll try to work it out. God save my MP3 collection. ~Bugatti

23rd April 2001, 20:22	#3
BugattiEB218 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3	Cool! That seemed to fix the sporadic popping, which was annoying enough, but there's also this weirdness that goes on when I open or close a window or when I switch from window to winow or even when I minimize them. Thanks for that priority adjustment, Dave. My feeling is that this problem is caused by a simmilar, priority-related issue. Right now, my computer is optimized for applications as opposed to background operations, so maybe when it has to switch the MP3 playback from the background to the foreground it screws up...? That doesn't make much sense, but neither does a gigahurtz processor with ample memory resources not being able to handle a few operations. Anyway, let me know if you've figured this one out. Thanks Again, Bugatti