Realtek, Windows 7 64RTM Crackle/static/popping

[bonedriven]

hey guys, I have only utorrent,but no antivirus installed at the moment. And the problem doesn't only happen when utorrent is running. It's there all the time as long as cpu is busy.

 

[Aphelion]

hey guys, I have only utorrent,but no antivirus installed at the moment. And the problem doesn't only happen when utorrent is running. It's there all the time as long as cpu is busy.

What are your computer specs?

Desktop, Laptop,

It really helps if you fill out the site questionnaire.

Ap

 

[bonedriven]

What are your computer specs?

Desktop, Laptop,

It really helps if you fill out the site questionnaire.

Ap

Hi Aphelion,thanks for reply.

It's HP dv4 laptop. Windows 7 32bit though. I guess not all people in this thread are using 64bit os,right?
Things I've tried:
1.disabling network card drivers
2.uninstalling security program(actually online armor only)
3.updating bios
4.reinstalling sound drivers
5.restoring power options settings
6.updating Nvidia video driver
What I'm gonna try is disabling PCI express card. I haven't got the time to figure out where is it at the moment.

Everything runs smooth on my laptop except this small but annoying issue recently appeared.

 

[Roberden]

Up until a month ago I did not have a problem. Some driver or M$ update must be misbehaving. I do weekly ghosts of the system, so on the weekend I am going to start regressing in time to get back to a backup that does not have a problem. I will then compare the current and backup to identify the differences. It will take time, but so does this hit and miss method I have been using.

I agree! But my last backup was 2 months ago.

Hope you can find out which update causes the problem and tell us...

I GIVE UP. . . .well, sort of.

I re-imaged my system with the oldest ghost I had - 12/30/09 - and the crackle is there. I do not recall hearing it until about a month ago but then again, I detected the crackles using headphones which I had not started using until recently,

I also took my current image and removed all M$ updates and all programs installed or updated since the beginning of the year. No dice, same crackle.

What I have noticed is that the same image when re-booted will have different levels of the noise. Sometimes very subtle, other times constant and louder. Sometimes you believe you fixed the problem until the next boot.

An observation is also that when there are background processess causing drive activity the crackles are more evident.

This is clearly a Windows 7 issue. I previously had Vista Ultimate running in this box with no issues. When I installed W7 I just did an Update and everything migrated over perfectly. I have also now done a fresh install, same issues so I have gone back to my current image.

Ok, we will keep looking, but I believe one of these days M$ will wake up and put out an update patch and it will be all gone.

 

[bonedriven]

This is clearly a Windows 7 issue. I previously had Vista Ultimate running in this box with no issues. When I installed W7 I just did an Update and everything migrated over perfectly. I have also now done a fresh install, same issues so I have gone back to my current image.

Ok, we will keep looking, but I believe one of these days M$ will wake up and put out an update patch and it will be all gone.

Hi Roberden, what we have in common is that my windows 7 was also upgraded from vista. But you'd better not wait for M$ on this issue. We are not even sure if it's the update causing the problem. I'm considering a clean install. This is too annoying and I can't take it...

 

[Roberden]

@bonedriven,

Don't bother with the clean install, I did it and got the same results. Like I said, it is erratic. I have done a couple 'fixes' (see prior posts) that I thought were working, only for the problem to resurface on the next boot.

I am begining to think that since the sound crackle problem exhibits different characteristics on different boots of the same image that the order in which the modules (services and drivers) load into memory may have something to do with the severity of the problem. But just a hypothesis for now.

 

[bonedriven]

@bonedriven,

Don't bother with the clean install, I did it and got the same results. Like I said, it is erratic. I have done a couple 'fixes' (see prior posts) that I thought were working, only for the problem to resurface on the next boot.

I am begining to think that since the sound crackle problem exhibits different characteristics on different boots of the same image that the order in which the modules (services and drivers) load into memory may have something to do with the severity of the problem. But just a hypothesis for now.

A clean install can't beat it? I think you know what I meant,clean install,not image restore. This is gonna be the strangest problem ever happened on my computer then. Or maybe it's hardware problem,those happen by season. Do you live in north planet too..?

 

[Roberden]

A clean install can't beat it? I think you know what I meant,clean install,not image restore. This is gonna be the strangest problem ever happened on my computer then. Or maybe it's hardware problem,those happen by season. Do you live in north planet too..?

I did a clean install. I also did an image re-install, same result. I have two HP boxes, different model workstations. Both have the same problem. Both have different chipsets, Networks and IDE/AHCI drive contollers. SO I know it is not my hardware.

But if you do a clean install and it works (consistently after loading in your apps) I would like to know. LOL

 

[bonedriven]

A clean install can't beat it? I think you know what I meant,clean install,not image restore. This is gonna be the strangest problem ever happened on my computer then. Or maybe it's hardware problem,those happen by season. Do you live in north planet too..?

I did a clean install. I also did an image re-install, same result. I have two HP boxes, different model workstations. Both have the same problem. Both have different chipsets, Networks and IDE/AHCI drive contollers. SO I know it is not my hardware.

But if you do a clean install and it works (consistently after loading in your apps) I would like to know. LOL

I'm not sure now,but I'll think about fresh install.

 

[bonedriven]

But if you do a clean install and it works (consistently after loading in your apps) I would like to know. LOL

Hi Roberden,I've just done a fresh install and the sound issue is gone. Especially,I've installed all the drivers and windows updates.

 

[Roberden]

But if you do a clean install and it works (consistently after loading in your apps) I would like to know. LOL

Hi Roberden,I've just done a fresh install and the sound issue is gone. Especially,I've installed all the drivers and windows updates.

Then I am going to try again, but with over 100 apps installed, it will take me a week. Stay tuned.

 

[Roberden]

But if you do a clean install and it works (consistently after loading in your apps) I would like to know. LOL

Hi Roberden,I've just done a fresh install and the sound issue is gone. Especially,I've installed all the drivers and windows updates.

@All Posters - there may be some suspicion, after Bonedriven's last post, that the problem may be associated with Windows 7 installations that were done via an "upgrade" from Vista/XP rather than through a "clean install".

Those of you having problems with the crackling audio, could you post if the Windows 7 installation giving you audio problems was the result of a "CLEAN INSTALL" or an "UPGRADE".

LEt's just see if there is a pattern (a/k/a - a smoking gun). Thanks

 

[Optical]

Mine was a completely clean install (on a new hard drive as it happens).

 

[Mozenrath]

But if you do a clean install and it works (consistently after loading in your apps) I would like to know. LOL

Hi Roberden,I've just done a fresh install and the sound issue is gone. Especially,I've installed all the drivers and windows updates.

@All Posters - there may be some suspicion, after Bonedriven's last post, that the problem may be associated with Windows 7 installations that were done via an "upgrade" from Vista/XP rather than through a "clean install".

Those of you having problems with the crackling audio, could you post if the Windows 7 installation giving you audio problems was the result of a "CLEAN INSTALL" or an "UPGRADE".

LEt's just see if there is a pattern (a/k/a - a smoking gun). Thanks

I don't think it makes a difference if you do a clean install or an upgrade.

The problem occurred when I had Vista, then I "upgraded" to 7. The problem still occurred. At one point I decided to do a clean reinstall(I formatted the drive and everything). My sound still snaps, crackles, pops, and the like.

Maybe a clean install might help for some people, but it hasn't made a lick of difference in my experience. I wouldn't waste my time reinstalling.

EDIT: Has anyone had the same issue with a non-realtek card? Because I'm getting seriously tired of the sound distortion and I might just get a new sound card all together.

 

[Barthelemy]

EDIT: Has anyone had the same issue with a non-realtek card? Because I'm getting seriously tired of the sound distortion and I might just get a new sound card all together.

Buying PCI card most probably won't help you out, I have plugged Sound Blaster Audigy 2 from another computer and the issue still remained.

In the last 3 days I have reinstalled Windows 7 four times and the issue appears just after installation is completed (without software drivers and apps installed).

So it means that either W7 is really badly messed up or it's a hardware issue.

Another thing is that for some reason I can't get other OS'es to work. I have Ubuntu live cd's and system hangs when I try to enter to GUI mode. Same with Windows XP, I tried to install it, I formatted partition where system was about to be installed, started copying files and then reboot, after reboot system hangs at 'Veryfing DMI Pool Data' so I'm unable to install it. This is really bad and disturbing.

PS. I also installed leaked SP1, so the PC is as much up-to-date as it could be.

 

[Markforu99]

I did a clean install with my system Windows 7 64 bit. My problem was my wireless Linksys card. Since removing the card I have no more issues.

 

[Aphelion]

I did a clean install with my system Windows 7 64 bit. My problem was my wireless Linksys card. Since removing the card I have no more issues.

Yep, it's often wireless or the network adapter (ethernet).

Hopefully drivers will come up to speed and a Win service pack released that helps alleviate the somewhat "fragile" audio system.

Ap

 

[Barthelemy]

I am currently testing my sound on the newest Ubuntu booted from USB flashdrive, I hope I will finally resolve wheter it's software issue or hardware one.

So far so good, I will post updates here. I am new to Linux distributions so I will take my time to learn new OS .

 

[Optical]

Have tried two other non-Realtek sound devices and crackle still remained.

I do wonder if putting in a different LAN card would sort this out? On my system when there's no network traffic there's no crackle.

 

[Optical]

Just looking at people's system specs, lot of us with Gigabyte and Asus motherboards. Is there a particular hardware component that these manufacturers use on their boards (Realtek LAN!) that doesn't get used on boards from other manufacturers such as Dell?

Is this a Realtek problem?

Who's having the problem but doesn't have a Realtek network chip?