[renditions`]

Is it just that your audio is choppy -or- is the entire system running VERY SLOW?

this isn't a constant issue it more of a spike that lasts 5-10secs during that spike my comp is hella choppy as well as my audio. My Windows Loading screen take about 10mins to finish loading.

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renditions,

If the choppy audio is something that only happens while Windows XP is initially loaded - but doesn't happen after XP is up and running - it may be something worth living with. If the Choppy Audio happens well after Windows XP has loaded - i.e. while you're running programs or browsing the web - then there clearly is a conflict with the sound hardware's hardware interrupt channels and some other device in your PC. IRQ and/or DMA sharing is what generally causes the choppy audio you're experencing. Let me know and I can determine what to look at next.

- John

PS: Did you check out my previous post about the hard drive using PIO instead of DMA mode. This cause choppy audio on my niece's Gateway laptop - as well as EXTREMEMLY slow performance - Especially when Windows is loading.

[John Hook]

renditions,

If the choppy audio is something that only happens while Windows XP is initially loaded - but doesn't happen after XP is up and running - it may be something worth living with. If the Choppy Audio happens well after Windows XP has loaded - i.e. while you're running programs or browsing the web - then there clearly is a conflict with the sound hardware's hardware interrupt channels and some other device in your PC. IRQ and/or DMA sharing is what generally causes the choppy audio you're experencing. Let me know and I can determine what to look at next.

- John

PS: Did you check out my previous post about the hard drive using PIO instead of DMA mode. This cause choppy audio on my niece's Gateway laptop - as well as EXTREMEMLY slow performance - Especially when Windows is loading.

[renditions`]

It happens when Windows XP is initially loaded and it goes off and on while it's up and running.

how do i switch it from DMA to PIO?

Edited by renditions`, 31 March 2008 - 12:41 AM.

[renditions`]

the following also occurs occasionally. when the lag hits while im playing games my sound shuts off and in order to get it back i need to restart the computer

[John Hook]

renditions,

To switch from PIO to DMA mode, follow the steps on this MS Knowledgebase entry:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817472

- John

[renditions`]

sorry but can you help me with this I'm looking at the link u gave and I'm lost pardon me for my newbness =x

[renditions`]

Thanks for your help john. I think it might be fixed I don't know if this was suppose to be done but I uninstalled my Secondary IDE Channel and restarted my computer and it reinstalled it with DMA after the reboot. everything seems fine now ill check back here in 2 days and give you and update on what going on. thanks again for your help!

[renditions`]

everything is good now thanks.

[John Hook]

renditions,

I hope that your DMA problem "stays fixed". I originally discovered this DMA reverting to PIO problem on my Niece's AMD-Based laptop PC. The problems she was having were almost IDENTICAL to the problems you've described. It seems that there is an issue where Windows XP drops IDE access from DMA to the slower PIO mode because her CD/DVD drive was getting too many CRC (Cyclical Redundancy Check) errors when attempting to read CDs / DVDs. This caused Windows to assume that the problem was with here IDE controller - dropping it's driver's access from the fast DMA mode to the slow PIO mode. My clumsy workaround for her was to export the offending Windows Registry keys with fixes implemented to a .REG file - place that file on her desktop and have her launch that file when the problem cropped up. Admittedly, this is a "bubble-gum" patch.

If the changes you made which fixed this problem "stick" - then GREAT! If not, please don't hesitate to message me and hopefully we can come up with a more permanent solution.

- John Hook

[renditions`]

well, i had a power outage earlier today while i was on and it switched it back to PIO again so u just repeated what i did and it fixed. whats this permanent solution u speak of? =P

[John Hook]

renditions,

The mode that Windows is using to access your hard drive and other IDE devices (CD/DVD Drives) is configured in the Windows XP Registry. My experience is that when XP detects too many errors on one of the drives (Hard Drive or CD/DVD Drive) while in DMA (fast) mode, Windows lowers it's access setting to the slower, more reliable PIO mode.

If you want to FORCE Windows to switch back to DMA mode, you can save the Registry Keys/Hives in their "DMA Mode" state to a .REG file using REGEDIT. Save this file to your Desktop (or wherever you'd like), then when you PC reverts back to PIO mode, simply LAUNCH that .REG file that contains the correct entries for DMA mode. You'll need to reboot after you import those keys - then XP should be running in DMA mode.

It's kind of a "duct-tape" fix - as the REAL fix would be to resolve the problem that's causing XP's hard drive access to keep reverting back to PIO mode in the first place.

I found very helpful, detailed documentation of this issue at the following address:

http://winhlp.com/node/10

This site has much more involved and helpful information about solving this issue than the previous MS Knowledgebase post
that I referred you to in an early post. It gives specific instructions for "desensitizing" the registry settings such that XP will not be so quick to switch from DMA to PIO in the case of errors.

Hope all of this helps.

- John Hook

[renditions`]

k i just ran into another problem. after leaving my computer idle for a couple of hours last night last thing i did was talk on vent with some of my friends and i couldn't click on anything not even the START button on the bottom left of the screen. soon after i got a blue screen error saying something KERNEL_ dont know the rest. after that i couldn't get back on i was getting "A Disk Read Error has Occurred PRESS CTRL+ALT+DELETE to restart." So i was like What the... is going on, after a couple of restarts I got fed up so i just tried to reformat and now my formatting gets stuck at 0% after about an hour still at 0%. so i tried to do the quick format and i see it jump to 20% almost instantly then for 20% going to 100% in just a few seconds and another error pops saying my Hard Drive might be corrupted. So pretty much I'm Guessing i need a new HD?

[John Hook]

renditions`

Sounds like you have bad sectors on your hard drive. This may not necessarily mean that your hard drive is "bad". Do you have the Windows "Resume" mode or "Hibernation" enabled? To check this, go into "Control Panel", "Power" and look through the Power tabs. I would disable "Resume" or "Hibernation" mode. I've seen hard drives become corrupted as a result of hardware that can't properly support these Power Saving features.

The other thing you'll want to do is to run a thourough scan of your hard drive. You can do this one of two ways. If you've got Windows running, open up "My Computer", right-click on your Hard drive "usually C:" and go to "Properties". Within the Properties tab, bring up "Tools", Click on the "Check Now" button under "Error Checking" - check BOTH check-boxes, the Click "Start". It will tell you that it can't check your drive now and ask you if you want to schedule a scan on the next BOOT - Answer "Yes", now Restart your PC. When the PC starts up - it will run a CHKDSK BEFORE it boots into Windows. This WILL take a LONG time - depending on the size of your hard drive.

The other way to run CHKDSK is to boot from the Windows XP install CD, and get to the "Recovery Console". From the Recovery console, type

CHKDSK C: /r

Another question - do you have the Intel Application Accelerator software installed? You can check this by looking on "Control Panel", "Add/Remove" programs. Do you have Nero's InCD or any other packet writing software installed?

I know this is a lot to digest - but I believe that if we selectively eliminate the possibilities - we can lick this problem you're having.

- John

[renditions`]

i cant even get to windows pretty much need to format ill try the chkdsk

[renditions`]

it says "The Volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable problems"