Audio / Video skipping ( reward to who ever helps fix )

[GeneralLeoFF]

well it looks like it's time to resort to a backup and then a format. I dont think anyone is going to be able to do anything for you here.

It's a good idea to do that every now and then anyway. You proly have been using that same computer with that same install of 98SE for pobly 3 or 4 years now right? Your regestry is probly huger then all hell and bloted with usless informaion by now. It's probly just time.

[kimomakano]

I dont see a need to upgrade my pc to xp when xp just gives people more trouble

I have gone from 98 to XP and found that XP is actually much more friendly to media. It was designed to be more compatible with media (audio, video) than 98 and has some added features specifically added for that.

Because watching videos requires so much resources I suggest you do what some have suggested. Upgrade to XP and add more RAM.

Once you have XP, you can set up a separate configuration that will shut down items you don't need while watching your video. That will free up memory so that it should run smoother.

[jhakala]

Hey, I have the same prob on a p2.4ghz 512mg ram ati 9700 card...
Had to use a prgram called power dvd to play the videos without skipping..
winamp works fine for regular mpeg files but if they are encoded with m2v or something like that it skips hard..
b.t.w. I have xp installed.
I have another machine that the vids run better on, it's a p2 233 128meg running xp and a cheep 128meg vid card.. weird..
Hope this helps

[DrinkOrDie]

I'll have to mostly agree with the General.

Starting over with fresh software will definately help avoid problems in the future, and your PC will run like a dream compared to how it runs now. Your PC is great! You just don't know it yet.

I'm speaking from experience with Gateway PC's / software and/or Windows ME.

My guess is your 1ghz PC came with windows ME or XP depends on what month of that year it was shipped. Also it could have an AMD or a pentium3 depends again on the month. BAD YEAR for gateway, (due in part to the P3 recall and windows me) Good year for buying a trouble PC from gateway. I mean, they didn't have time to re-write all that software for the AMD processor, let alone compensate for the miserable windows ME woes. To make matters worse, the higher cost of AMD processors means you paid a higher price for your trouble PC.

GET RID OF GOBACK!! Goback is for idi@ts who don't know how to use a PC, and even then it doesn't help. It only causes problems. Hell, I even got windowsXP system restore disabled. Don't need it.

BAD IDEA. Windows ME, I mean. Double bad idea if you're using goback with it.


It's a waste of disk space and system resources, not to mention the fact that if you actually use it, it causes more headache than it solves. (case in point) I certainly hope you aren't using it with windows ME. Heaven forbid. You couldn't be. You'd be crashed by now. If you are, I'd like to say "I'm sorry" for you, and I'm sorry for your PC. Neither of you deserve the punishment. You don't deserve it 'cause you paid too much already. The PC doesn't deserve it, because it's a good PC.


Chances are, the best and surest way to solve this problem, and future problems is to..

First off, back up your personal files and reformat your HD unconditionally. Second, throw those Gateway restoration disks in the trash! They don't even make good coasters!

Get yourself a copy of NT-based windows (win2000, winNT winXP or higher retail). DO NOT update any drivers with gateway provided drivers online. Clean install everything. Again, don't install anything from those gateway disks, or you are asking for trouble. In short, divorce G@teway and if you use their technical support, better re-check and research their answers before applying them.


Think I'm full of it? I had no idea I had such a smooth-running trouble/error free, high performing machine I had 'till I did all that.
Right out of the box, my G@teway select 950 was blue screening me.

Avoid all G@teway software like the plague once you get your PC straightened out. What's more, I'd use a Windows XP beta 1(codename whistler) or Windows 98, OR ANYTHING!! before I used Windows ME final release.


2 years later, No problems, no reinstalling windows, still runs like a dream, etc. since I did all that.

Oh, and G@teway Tech support? forget it. Just a bunch of flunkies who don't know jack anyway and are reading a poorly written troubleshooting program off of a computer screen. Many of them never used a PC, just worked as telemarketers. You're better off learning all you can so you can fix it yourself. Or, you could do what I suggested, and never have to fix it again.

Seriously. Get your own software and avoid any that comes from, or has their name on it.

I'd like to say that things have changed since the 800-1000mhz PC's came out from G@teway. The newer ones (back to using Pentium processors) are fine, software(mostly) and all. Also, in my opinion, the AMD's of that time period are superior to pentium. That's why I went with a Gateway at that time. but I'm not knocking Pentium processors.

Also, there's nothing wrong with a Gateway PC. I'm not knocking gateway. Yours happened to come out at a bad time, that's all.

[DrinkOrDie]

Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. about that DVD studdering. Same goes for me. I started out with no DVD software, or hardware, I had winxp and windows media player 9. 950mhz athlon and 320mb ram. I installed a DVD rom and WinDVD and had nothing but studdering DVD's. Choppy, skippy playback etc..

Uninstalled WinDVD and installed PowerDVD and have no problems since.

In your case, I'd make sure that you only have ONE program (dvd decryptor) or plug-in capable of playing a DVD (or mpeg-2) first.

Then simply try a different DVD player.(decryptor) I'm not naming brand preference, I just know that WinDVD didn't work for me, and PowerDVD did. PowerDVD even made it possible to play my DVD's using windows media player 9. but WinDVD didn't. (I don't use wmp9 for dvd playback anyway, but that's not the point)

Also, I'd have to consider.. IF my PC used "shared" video memory, (no way, man) like some budget PC's (a.k.a. "cheap-ass") that it might be a factor??? I've had some experience with "shared" video memory and seems like it amounts to "stolen" memory in affect.
>Real Memory running along


Even then, if I've been using my PC for a while, burning Cd's etc. I'll get that studdering occasionally upon inserting a DVD. Rebooting seems to fix it.

Also, do you get that annoying messege upon inserting a DVD that asks you to install something? Don't do it. especially if your DVD playback is working ok.

My PC rules: if it aint broke, don't fix it. If it aint perfect, aaawwww fuggit! leave it alone.

[GeneralLeoFF]

my P3 550 is a gateway. It's not bad unless you count the fatc that the slot 1 proc locking system broke and my proc is precently held in with toilt paper wedged inside the slot to prevent the processor from rocking. The video card fan died so I wedged a 3 inch case fan between my video card and my sound card. The sides are all missing, and the majority of the drive bay covers are long gone so you can see my hard drives. This is not gateways fault that it's striped tohugh.

Aside from it looking like it does it runs stable as hell but thats becose it takes me the better part of a full day to set it all up if I do a fresh OS install becose I am very pickey about what spoftware is used on this thing and I do some crazy tweaks to hundreds of settings.

I especialy take care in mantianing DirectShow

[DrinkOrDie]

Dude! have you been drinking or doing the 420 or what? your spelling/typing went to hell on this (toilet paper gateway) post.

No matter, no judgement from me. I'm guilty of all 3. (Drinking, 420, gateway)

Good job there, taking care of directshow. If it wasn't for that watching our backs, we'd sound like idiots and never get anywhere with Digital theatre.

**** the toilet paper. Gateway makes a good, hardy PC, no doubt.

Processor rocking? slot processor with toilet paper? dayam! I'm surprised the paper doesn't burn!

As far as the rest of your modifications, everything else really has no affect on the function of it. Good idea compensating for the lack of a fan, but Video fan? what the hell?

Anyway, goes to show you that gateway makes a hardy PC, but software? soon as you get your gateway, first sign of trouble, ditch the shipped software and start new.

I got a power supply fan, slot processor(very small fan). and a case fan. thats it. video fan? what the?

I've built PC's out of crap people threw away, with everyone saying "you can't do that, your nuts" Just like Noahs ark.

You got my curiosity up.

contact info as an alternative to this forum:

email: budwyzerferret@comcast.net
AIM username: budwyzerferret
Yahoo messenger: budwyzerferret

[siobhanwatson]

I've had all this crap loads of times. Good things to try are:
1 run dxdiag which is in windows or windows/system or windows/system32
This will give you a list of files used by windows to produce mulimedia. Make a list of them all, search for them all and delete the lot of them.
Find a windows cd disk and reboot the machine with it in the drive. Windows should reistall all the files off the cd and not backups of the old ones. Reinstall direct X. Uninstall any old codecs and it should run fine.
Buy a new hard drive asp and store data on a seperate drive. Next time it happens reformat C with data left on D and reinstall software. Do a ghost backup of c drive burn it to a cd and get on with your life.

[GeneralLeoFF]

Gateway used some pretty none standard stuff with there processors (P3 atleast). There the offical intel processor has a i'll say 1/4 inch thick bit of plastic on the sides that slide into the socket left and right of the acctual connector pins. The gateway proc had that removed and it was just some tiny thin alluminum thing.

I changed this motherbord out with one I took from a old slot-1 P2 200 MHz but I used the P3 550 from the gateway mobo.

The socket style is diffrent though so I broke the locking clamp off the lod mobo and wraped the alluminum part of the gateway proc so it wouldent rock in the socket (Nothing stops it from sliding back out other then the tention of the paper though).

Anwya it worked perfictly fine and I dont see any danger of fire from it and i'm not worred about the thing jumping out but I guess I cant realy say I have a gateway anymore as all I have is a gateway case and a gateway P3 proc on an AOpen mobo

As for the video fan. nVIDIA fans always sucked. mine burned out after less then a year so I ripped it off and put the case fan there insted and that is still going strong and it has been for the last 2 years and I never turn this computer off.

Oh and I neglectis to mention that both of my CD drives arnt screwed in (I squezed the metal casing that they slide in a bit so that it gives tention on the sides of the drives to stop em from moving.) and the hard drives are held in by 2 each of the standard 4 screws I paied just $100 for this so I havent realy cared to invest money or time in puting it all together right but I do try and take care of it as good as I can

and yea my speling and typing sucks but I dont think it's any better or worse then yer own

Anyway this thread isnt ment for descusing how well you can make a PC work built with scrap parts so i'll leave this at that and get back on topic.

[siobhanwatson]

GeneralLeoff Your machine may not be state of the art but you care for it and it does the job. If you lived in India or China you'd be thinking it was really great. It's all relative. So love your pc- find those extra screws, fit the sides back on, polish it a bit - it's your window on the world!!
Only kidding

Siobhan

[DrinkOrDie]

Wow, I was reading on, and it sounded like you had the wrong processor for the board, and sure 'nuff, you confirmed it.

General said [Gateway used some pretty none standard stuff with there processors (P3 atleast)]

Non-standard? are you sure that's the term for it? I mean, I'm not going to try to fit a 800mhz P3, SLOT A processor into a P3 SOCKET A board. Yikes! Take a look at the processors and you'll see some are basically the same, but the way it's mounted is different. Nothing NON-STANDARD about that.

I don't like the fact that a AMD ATHLON thunderbird SLOT A (used in my gateway select 800mhz) processor costs more than the SOCKET A version, but I'm not going to go busting stuff up to make it fit, then call it NON-STANDARD, YIKES! That's what you did. There's nothing NON-standard about the processor you crammed on your board, it's just the wrong one, that's all.

As far as "official P3" processors are concerned, WHAT?????
There are retail, then there's OEM, true. Been that way since the beginning of time. There's also the plastic ones, and the same processor without the plastic, with or without heatsink, etc. Nothing unusual about that.

OK, 'nuff of this thread. WAY off topic.
Good luck with the toilet paper.