BleepingComputer.com: Problem With Media.

Ok, I'm not really big on the hardware aspect of computers, so any background knowledge that might be required I'll try to answer, but I can't guarentee anything. Alright, so I'll be trying to play a song or something, and it will play 4 like maybe 45 seconds, and then the sound will just stop. Assuming it's a pretty long audio file, after about 5 minutes or so, the sound will come back, usually for a bit longer than it was working for the original time, but still not permanently. Also when I'm on a streaming video site, such as YouTube, about maybe a minute in to the video, the sound will go, and two seconds later the video will stop completely. The sound problem also happens with videos I have downloaded. Say it's a movie I'm watching, things might be fine for roughly 5 minutes, then you'll see a temporary pause lasting a second and a half in the video, and the sound will come back. It seems to happen with more frequency the longer you play the video. Any help any of you can give with this would be greatly appreciated.

There could be a number of issues. First try to do a memory test here. The likely cause would be a faulty RAM.

If they are ok:
Please follow these steps :

• Defrag your system. Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when a file is opened. Disk Defragmenter consolidates fragmented files and folders on the hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. This speeds up reading and writing to the disk. Read "The Importance of Disk Defragmentation" for instructions.

• Check for disk errors by running CHKDSK. CHKDSK can be run from the Recovery Console, the command prompt or through the Windows GUI.
To run chkdsk from the Win XP GUI see these instructions.
To run chkdsk from the command prompt see these instructions.
To run chkdsk from the Recovery Console see these instructions.
The problem with running CHKDSK from Win XP is that it will not check files that are being used by Windows. Using chkdsk in the Recovery Console with the /r switch is a way to resolve this.

• Check for damaged, altered or missing critical system files by running the System File Checker. If SFC discovers that a protected file has been damaged, altered or missing, it restores the correct version of the file from the cache folder. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run sfc and it may ask you to insert your XP Installation CD so have it available.

• Clean up your hard drive by removing unused programs and transferring old data, pictures, music files to a CD or an external hard drive. When you have moved/saved the files you want to keep, run Disk Cleanup and let it scan your system for files to remove. "Don’t clean out the Prefetch folder" - This is a common myth that will not improve performance.

• Check for any unnecessary running services. If you have a typical installation, many services are configured as "automatic"; that is, they start automatically when the system starts or when the service is called for the first time. Use "Black Viper's Services Configuration" to help fine tune this area.

• Check for any unnecessary applications loading at startup when Windows boots with MSConfig. Some startup programs are necessary so be careful what you disable. If you are unsure what any of the startup entries are or if they are safe to disable, then search one of the following Startup Databases:
Startup Programs Database
StartupList Index

Note: MSConfig.exe is a troubleshooting utility used to diagnose system configuration issues. Although it works as a basic startup manager which allows you to enable/disable auto-start programs, msconfig should not be used routinely to disable startup programs.

A better alternative is to use a startup manager. If you have have Spybot S&D 1.4 installed, launch it, go to Mode and select Advanced. Then go to Tools, select System Startups. You will be provided with a list of programs that load when Windows starts. If you untick an entry it will no longer run at startup. This will allow you to experiment and see how your system performs with any of them disabled. Other startup managers you can download and use for free are Startup Control Panel, Autoruns and Starter by CodeStuff.

• Remove any third party "Memory Manager" or "Optimizer". Windows XP memory management was designed to make the best use of Ram and these memory management utilities defeat that purpose. They push applications out of RAM into the pagefile, creating holes in the RAM and by doing so, slow down your computer.

• Disable some visual effects. While visual embellishments that may be attractive, they don’t do anything else for you. Disabling some of them frees up system resources and makes the operating system perform better. Right click My Computer, choose > Properties > Advanced, click on "Settings" under performance...UNcheck all the visual effects, except for the last three. Click "Apply", then "OK", then "OK" again. Then right click your desktop and choose > Properties > Appearance > "Effects...Uncheck the first two boxes and hit "OK".

If that does not help we have took at other options

Thanks for the quick and very informative response. I know for a fact it's not a startup program or service, because the problem is still occurring while in a clean boot state. I'll try those things you suggested now. By the way, I've already run SFC scannow as well. Thanks again.

Alright, while running the memory check, it gives an error message.

C:\WINNT\system32\cmd.exe
C:\Program Files\Symantec\s32evnt.dll. And installable Virtual Device Driver failed Dll initialization. Chose close to terminate the application. I can press Close or ignore. When I press close the whole program closes, and when I press ignore it gives the same error message, but instead of the symantec file, it's Autoexec.nt in the system32 folder. I did the rest of the steps though, and still same problem.

Did you still have Norton installed?

Yup, got no problems with gettin rid of it though.

This post has been edited by The Kid: 10 February 2007 - 05:40 PM

Just as a little update, not sure if it helps, but I was just sittin on my bed with my monitor turned off and I heard the shutting down type noise, I turned the monitor on and it said the system was shutting down. It has in the past randomly rebooted when left idle for some time. This problem isn't however consistant, as it can go days without being touched and this won't happen.

Try to do this test to rule out any malware issues.Take the long test. If you have no problems in removing Norton please do so by using thistool.

This post has been edited by fozzie: 14 February 2007 - 04:25 AM

It's not a malware issue. I've ran dozens of scans all of which have either come up clean or after removing threats the problem still persists. And in my job, I see people using safety.live (which is what I believe you meant to link to) and for the most part..that tool is pretty ineffective. But thanks for the imput, I'll get rid of Norton and try out some more things. Thanks again guys.