Video files 'skipping' during playback

[White Demon]

I have an 'interesting' problem that has happened recently.

Up until recently I had a P3 800mHz, running both Win98 & XP. I could play video files without any problems in both.

Recently, I have upgraded to a P4-2.8gHz, and while Win98 continues to play all video files fine, I now have a problem with XP.

XP will play DVDs and VCDs without a problem, but when playing any video file, such as .avi (divx, xvid etc) and mpg it will randomly skip forward anywhere up to a second during playback. The video and audio remain in perfect sync even after this 'skipping' occurs. This happens totally at random - for instance, it may not skip during playback of 3-4 files, then it may skip multiple times during another file, but later playback of that same file may play with no skipping.

The media I play the files from make no difference, from DVD-R, CD, HD, it still has this random skipping.

The player I use does not seem to effect it either, I had tried PowerDVD, WMP9/10, Core Player, DivX Player, even WMP6.4 but the same problem still occurs.

Here are some system spec:

WinXP service pack 2
Gigabyte MB GA8S648FX with onboard AC97 sound (disabled), onboard Realtek 8139 ethernet (enabled)
P4-2.8gHz
512MB PC3200 400mHz RAM
GeForce FX5200
Soundblaster PCI128

Please help with any suggestions possible, this problem is driving me mad.

[Floppy]

It seems that you can benefit from updating all your sofware too since XP SP2 can cause more grief than needed.

If I had any sense I would go back to SP1.

[White Demon]

Well not entirely, since while I say 'recently' it's been a few months. I only put in SP2 a few days ago but the problem was happening before then too.

Any, it appears I may have found a solution. It looks like it was as simple goiung into the sound card properties and turning the Hardware Accelaration down to basic.

Sometimes the solutions seem to be the simplest yet least obvious things.

[Floppy]

Hello

With your computer configuration, I didnt expect that to be the problem.

Try putting the sound card back to normal and instead stop any processes that are consuming a lot of the processor time and or not use any other memory hungry apps.

Streamlining what get loaded into memory is a good trick a startup clean up with msconfig and get rid of anything you dont use so much, i.e. office.

Down in Display properties you can also untick things like show contents of windows when dragged, shadows, menu animations, etc... Clean the registry as well, and reboot.

Give it a wirl, I think Pentium is rubbish and slow they get clogged up very quickly. I used them for years until AMD came in to my life, now I want more.

[White Demon]

Well that's just the thing, the skipping was there from the start, I tried it with just all the drivers loaded and nothing else, and even from a fresh XP install with only the video and sound drivers loaded, it still happens.

I haven't even loaded office in yet (although I am about to).

I have scanned some other posts in this forum from people with similar problems to my own, and in most of them the solution seemed to be in altering the sound settings, as I have done above.

Like I said before, it works, so unless someone can come up with something different the the sound acceleration settings will stay at basic.

EDIT: just remembered, this not only happens in XP, I tried 2000 out at one point and the same problem happened then too.

[Floppy]

Did you try to change the quality settings in XP from better quality to better performance instead.

Goto System Properties>>Advanced tab>>Performance (click settings)>>Custom(uncheck everything but the last two optios)>>Click apply>>reboot

Try that instead of the sound card tweak. let me know.

XP is based on the 2000 code that in turn is based on NT technology.

You may wanna try updating the drivers for your sound card too.

If your happy with things as they are now, ignore this reply

[White Demon]

It didn't fix it, still the same, I have to select basic acceleration.

And updating the sound driver is not an option, since the drivers haven't been updated for 2 years.

[Floppy]

Hello

mmmm, ok.

Have you tried on System Properties>>Hardware Tab>>Device Manager>>Sound card>>properties>>Driver tab>>uninstall>>reboot

Let windows Xp install the drivers for the card make sure that windows is allowed to searchb the internet for the driver file.

Under Xp it does this

[Floppy]

Visit here :

http://rogerwilco.gamespy.com/support%5Csoundcards/sc_sbpci128.html

And updated drivers here:

http://drivers.soft32.com/driver/download-Creative_Labs_Audio_PCI_128-22631.html

I suggest setting a restore point B4 any update and a backup.

[White Demon]

*makes X symbol with fingers* no

I don't understand the significance of the first link provided, as far as I can see it's just about getting the sound card to work properly with some game under Win95, I see no relevance here.

The drivers from the second link refused to even install, doubled click the setup file and the hourglass came up for about 1 second and then nothing.

Oh, and if it's supposed to search on the internet for the drivers, why does it ask for the driver CD even when I tell it to only look on the internet and not the CD?

[Floppy]

Hi there

The link was intended only as a general information you might find usefull. (cover every angle, I always think)

About the drivers there is nothing I can do if it doesnt want to install.

If you had Labels on the DVD I would say that was the cause but when your sound card fix resolves the problem I can only deduct it is a configuration problem with your sound card.

On the drivers installation search page you should remove/untick the Look on the locations for CD drive and floppy.