[kmf]

I have been having problems when playing any types of media. The computer will be playing it fine, and then it freezes for a short period of time and then resumes playing. When it resumes playing it has usually skipped forward slightly.

I have tried different Codec packs and have not been able to resolve this issue.

The funny thing is that everything worked fine for the longest time and then all of the sudden I can't play anything. I did not install something and then the problem was there.

I am using a Toshiba Satellite notebook w/ XP Home, P4 2.4. On the Toshiba spec sheet it lists a "Crystal CS4299-A Codec chip" and that is about it. The unit is about a year and a half old.

Is there any way to test the audio device? I have gone into the Device Manager and it says that everything is working fine.

[MadGutts]

What program are you using to playback the audio? and have you tried any others?

Does the CD do the same?
Can you listen to on-line music via real-player?

I had a simular problem with my HP laptop.

All streaming audio, and cd audio will play constantly - no matter what the PC is doing. But an MP3, WAV, Midi file etc, are decoded on the fly. So they will "skip" if the hard drive is doing something else.

Notebook HDDs are not designed for audio/video applications, they only spin at 4500 rpm, if you mainly use your Lappy for audio/video, you would be better off with an external 7200rpm or faster Hard drive.

Hope this helps you.

[kmf]

Originally it did it only with Windows Media Player 9. I have used DivX Player, VLC Player, Zoom Player, and Intervideo. I do not care for Real Player so I do not use it or have it installed.

The other players were fine, then it started doing it on with the different players also.

I haven't tried to watch a DVD in a long time. I will try watching one later to see what happens.

[kmf]

I figured out the problem.

I reloaded Wingdows and loaded everything one at a time. I use Earthlink for my ISP. Earthlink provides a "spyblocker" program with its toolbar. You can enable it to provide spyware alerts. If the alert feature is enabled it causes whatever media you are playing to freeze.

Disable the alert feature and everything plays fine.