[Sound crackling ] VPN client messed up my sound settings

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  1. Posts : 8
    Windows Seven Ultimate 32bits
       #1

    [Sound crackling ] VPN client messed up my sound settings


    Hi folks,

    Recently I was setting up a VPN client (PacketIX), and the setup wizard suggested some Audio/Video Streaming "Optimization" tweaks. I didn't pay attention and confirmed.

    Since then, I often hear some crackling / popping noises. For instance, this systematically occurs when I Alt/Tab between a running game and my desktop.

    An obvious guess is that the damn VPN client messed up some sound settings, but I can't figure out what to do.

    I've found a good deal of DPC latency workarounds around here which I tried in vain.

    Any ideas ?

    Thanks
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,241
    Windows 7 Profesional x86, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
       #2

    Try a system restore to before you installed the VPN client. (System Restore)

    Then reinstall the VPN client and don't let it fiddle with the audio settings.

    Oli
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 8
    Windows Seven Ultimate 32bits
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Unfortunately System Protection is disabled on my PC (Guess I kinda deserve it).

    I already tried reinstalling the VPN client, but it simply skipped that tweaking step, probably because the changes have already been done.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,241
    Windows 7 Profesional x86, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
       #4

    Try reinstalling your sound drivers from Laptop Driver Downloads:.

    This might reset your audio card and put it back to normal.

    Oli
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 8
    Windows Seven Ultimate 32bits
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thanks for answering,

    But I've already tried this (in vain), with the latest drivers available and even with some older drivers suggested in some other threads.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,241
    Windows 7 Profesional x86, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
       #6

    Bishooni said:
    Thanks for answering,

    But I've already tried this (in vain), with the latest drivers available and even with some older drivers suggested in some other threads.
    You could try trouble shooting your audio driver. (Go to the device in device manager, it is under properties or possibly in the right click menu.)

    The only other thing I could suggest is that you contact PacketIX.net or Toshiba and ask how to fix it (PacketiX.NET - Support / Contact, Contact Toshiba - Toshiba).

    Oli
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
       #7

    omg i registered here just to report a similar problem. Glad someone else has the same problem. Let me explain everything.

    I installed windows 7 2 months ago and everything worked flawless till yesterday i installed packetix vpn and i my audio started distortions. Not knowing packetix was the problem i went thru the whole routine to get my problem fixed including running xperf to check the culprit for the latency problem. However i have come to the conclusion that latency by itself is not the cause of the audio distortions and i'll explain why. First in dpc checker i only get yellow bars every 15 seconds and i found out after a lot of testing, its because of my battery. The ACPI system checks for the battery health every 15 seconds and that causes a spike, so i removed my battery and guess what, the yellow spikes is gone. But wait i still have audio distortions...

    Next in xperf my highest is Unknown ( which later became USBPORT.sys after i uninstalled Deamon Tools and removed SPTD.sys which obviously is not responsible for the stutters because i was using DT for a while without any problems) which is at 20,047 count and dxgkrnl.sys at 4388 count then ataport.sys at 1024 and Wdf01000.sys at 1172 count. Unknown/USBPORT.sys used to be in 40,000 count until i removed DT and SPTD.sys. The reason usb is the highest is because i use alfa wireless card with a usb 2.0 hub which is attached to my usb mouse.

    After spending 24hours testing yesterday i believe the audio glitch is not because of dpc latencies whatsoever. I know this because i have removed all my drivers and resintalled them. Removed all usb devices and checked xperf and the 20k range usbport.sys does not show up but still audio distortions.

    So now we have to move to another direction to find out why this is happening and im glad that someone here has found the culprit and its the audio/video enhancement option of packetix vpn. My problem started right after that.

    Also in my attempt to fix this issue i installed srs audio sandbox and it improved the problem a lot but i still have distortions/cracks/static when im listening to music or watching a 720p movie. During music it happens occasionally when cpu spikes and during 720p movies audio is distorted the whole time and while you can still listen, it just ruins the experience. Normal xvid movies seem to be ok with occasional spikes if cpu boosts.

    Even with the dpc latencies all pc operation is flawless for my system and im an IT professional so i know how to keep my laptop in tip top condition. Also the first thing i did when i started to fix the problem was to uninstall packetix and yet it hasnt fixed the problem. Now that we know packetix is the culprit i hope a solution is found.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1,241
    Windows 7 Profesional x86, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
       #8

    altamash said:
    omg i registered here just to report a similar problem. Glad someone else has the same problem. Let me explain everything.

    I installed windows 7 2 months ago and everything worked flawless till yesterday i installed packetix vpn and i my audio started distortions. Not knowing packetix was the problem i went thru the whole routine to get my problem fixed including running xperf to check the culprit for the latency problem. However i have come to the conclusion that latency by itself is not the cause of the audio distortions and i'll explain why. First in dpc checker i only get yellow bars every 15 seconds and i found out after a lot of testing, its because of my battery. The ACPI system checks for the battery health every 15 seconds and that causes a spike, so i removed my battery and guess what, the yellow spikes is gone. But wait i still have audio distortions...

    Next in xperf my highest is Unknown ( which later became USBPORT.sys after i uninstalled Deamon Tools and removed SPTD.sys which obviously is not responsible for the stutters because i was using DT for a while without any problems) which is at 20,047 count and dxgkrnl.sys at 4388 count then ataport.sys at 1024 and Wdf01000.sys at 1172 count. Unknown/USBPORT.sys used to be in 40,000 count until i removed DT and SPTD.sys. The reason usb is the highest is because i use alfa wireless card with a usb 2.0 hub which is attached to my usb mouse.

    After spending 24hours testing yesterday i believe the audio glitch is not because of dpc latencies whatsoever. I know this because i have removed all my drivers and resintalled them. Removed all usb devices and checked xperf and the 20k range usbport.sys does not show up but still audio distortions.

    So now we have to move to another direction to find out why this is happening and im glad that someone here has found the culprit and its the audio/video enhancement option of packetix vpn. My problem started right after that.

    Also in my attempt to fix this issue i installed srs audio sandbox and it improved the problem a lot but i still have distortions/cracks/static when im listening to music or watching a 720p movie. During music it happens occasionally when cpu spikes and during 720p movies audio is distorted the whole time and while you can still listen, it just ruins the experience. Normal xvid movies seem to be ok with occasional spikes if cpu boosts.

    Even with the dpc latencies all pc operation is flawless for my system and im an IT professional so i know how to keep my laptop in tip top condition. Also the first thing i did when i started to fix the problem was to uninstall packetix and yet it hasnt fixed the problem. Now that we know packetix is the culprit i hope a solution is found.
    Not to state the obvious but have you tried a system restore? It's always worth a try.

    Oli
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
       #9

    osholt said:

    Not to state the obvious but have you tried a system restore? It's always worth a try.

    Oli
    Sorry i forgot to mention, i must have turned it off because i rarely come into a problem that i cannot fix. After checking the status of my system restore it seems that i just have restore points till yesterday AFTER the problem occurred, so unfortunately that wont help.

    Its surprising because whatever the optimization did, its immune to sound drivers. Since i had the windows 7 based high definition audio, i replaced those with the ones provided by realtek, uninstalled realtek and back to stock drivers, still no luck.

    Worse part is that packetix does not automatically undo the damage by uninstalling it. I have already emailed their support so im hoping they have a fix before i find one myself. I also checked and deleted any registry entry by packetix, there was only one and i deleted it. Their website also does not state anything about the audio/video optimization.

    I should also add that 8 months ago was the first time i ran into this problem and after trying everything in the book, i had to ditch windows for linux. Its only this time around that i found out the culprit. At that time i also tried to reinstall windows with no luck so im not going to try that now. If someone can have a look at what the optimization is actually doing maybe we can have a lead till then im just gonna google till i have a fix or some help from packetix themselves.

    Open for any other suggestions that i haven't tried as always
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 4
    Windows 7
       #10

    Finally found a solution. I installed Packetix again and this time it did not ask me about the audio/video optimization. Next i ran packetix and here is what i did:

    Click tools > Optimization for Windows Vista

    It should open a dialog box saying that optimization for windows vista is already done/present and will ask you if you want to remove it. The remove text is misspelled as remote (it will read as 'do you want remote optimization'). I clicked yes and my speaker icon in taskbar changed to 'removed' status and when i put my mouse cursor on it, it said 'sound system not available' or something. It returned back to normal soon followed by a confirmation from packetix client that optimization was removed.

    I ran my 720p mkv movie that i had problems with and now its running fine. I hope this helps those of you facing similar problem. Glad i found an easy fix. I'll proceed with uninstalling packetix again as their speed is slow anyways comparing other free vpns.

    Also i want to thank Bishooni for bringing the attention to the audio/video optimization. Seriously i had almost given up till i found your thread. I hope this fixes the problem for you aswell.
      My Computer


 
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