Setting Priority in Windows XP

I'm trying to play MP3's while surfing the web and my computer is having trouble playing them without sounding like ****. I tried setting the priority in task manager to high or real time but that doesn't seem to help. Is there anyway to get it to sound better? If I don't use the computer while it's playing it sounds fine. When I surf the web and scroll thru a web page it makes the sound drag and skip. I'm using a very low resource hungry player and have tried a few different ones but they all do the same thing.

Other than getting a new computer is there anything else I can try?

Thanks Allot
Rockit

 

You have been in "Sounds" in the Control Panel and looked at all the settings there, right? (I really like WinAmp, fwiw, btw.) Do you have the same problem on webpages that play music? Any "buffer underrun" error messages?

Johanna

 

I have 384 mb Ram in this system. I went into control panel and looked at the sound options and the only ones I found were set to full. Hardware excellerate and quality I think. As I type right now, while listening to Joe Walsh, the sound is effected but as soon as I stop typing it sounds great?

Thanks
Rockit

 

It is wrong to have to listen to Joe Walsh with interruptions. Joe Walsh should be listened to at full volume, frequently and at max sound quality. Get more RAM. XP is a memory hog. Max out whatever your mobo supports and your overall computer performance will improve.

Johanna
(shuddering at the thought of broken up ZZ Top!!)

 

Well,
Looks like I'm going to try Tiger Direct. Ordered this the other night and I called first and they promised me it would work or "no out of pocket costs including shipping ".

I have a feeling I should have got that in writing but we'll see what happens.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...No=576569&Tab=5

Looks Like a pretty good deal but they get ya on shipping ($9 standard UPS)

Wish me Luck
Rockit

 

Wow,
While doing some surfin for info on my chipset I found this:

MVP3 PCI latency timer tool.
http://www.technologyvault.co.uk/geforce/faq.php?display=faq&nr=45&catnr=2&prog=gef&lang=en

Installed it and my sound problem is fixed?

Who Knew

Thanks Allot
Rockit

 

Nice find Rockit.

If it were me, I'd also go for the extra memory.

 

Newt,
I agree and am shopping on ebay for a 256mb stick to put in this old clunker to try and buy some time. I am however getting these BLUE screens now once in awhile I'm trying different things but am wondering .. Is there a way to stop the dump action when the blue screen comes up? I just sits there and takes forever. I'm not worried about losing anything so I hit the power button and reboot. Then it needs a chkdsk but seems to be ok till I get it overloaded again.

Thanks
Rockit

 

Yup.

 

Thanks Newt,
Can these dump files be used for troubleshooting purposes? If so how to you view them? I tried a text editor but just got some kinda code?

Thanks
Rockit

 

Well,
The latency tweak works but here's the deal. If I startup my computer and try to listen to any mp3's they are really distorted .. more so when I open and close windows like explorer or any other program. If I then initiate the tweak the sound instantly is corrected and works great. But if I open to many windows or graphic's, my computer just reboots All I get is a click then the startup screen.

Any Idea's?

Thanks Allot
Rockit

 

Another twist to the mystery... The Lcd I bought developed some problems so I sent it back. I now have my 17" CRT hooked up and the sound was still bad so for the heck of it I applied the Latency tweak and the sound is great and No Reboots ?? Anybody have a clue why when I have the lcd hooked up it reboots but the crt doesn't?

Thanks
Rockit