Solved Sound/Vid problems - static, buzzing, lagging - I've tried everything.

[ArlisT]

I've been using Windows PCs since 1998, and this is the first time I've encountered this problem, although in searching how to fix it, I've found forum posts about it and proposed 'solutions' going back as far as Vista, and there are even Windows 10 users suffering the same issue.

My computer suddenly developed a BSOD problem a few weeks back. Very weird 2, 3, even 4 times a day - and every time a different error, if any was identified at all. I was in fairly constant contact with the manufacturer's tech support for a month trying to resolve it, to no avail. Finally I found Tweaking.com Windows Repair, downloaded and ran it, and it did solve the BSOD problem. That program is seriously like magic. But then the computer started having problems when I play video, whether watching YouTube or a video file on my computer itself, though streaming is worse. It starts out sort of snapping and popping intermittently, gradually getting worse, then buzzing and lagging, and this screeching kind of static. First I thought it could be a problem with the speakers or the jack they're plugged into, so I unplugged them, but the sound coming from the speakers on the 50" flatscreen TV I use as a monitor (via HDMI) is the same. I figure the Windows Repair software made some minor change that could be easily adjusted, so I set out to track it down. First stop, DuckDuckGo.

There are a ton of proposed solutions for this issue online, and I've tried many. Update Realtek driver, Uninstall Realtek driver and reinstall latest version, but only from the Realtek site itself, not any of the free software download sites; Uninstall Realtek and go with the generic Windows sound driver, etc, etc. Problem is, all these solutions seem to work, but then within a couple hours or a day at the most, the problem is back. Reloading the YouTube video sometimes works for a while, or just rebooting the computer. But no matter what, the problem always returns.

That also is a common complaint among people looking for a solution to this problem. Every solution they've found and tried seems to work, but then problem always comes back. Since the Tweaking.com BSOD fix, I've run chkdsk, memory test, S.M.A.R.T., startup repair - no problems found.

No one I have found seems to have a permanent solution to this problem. I am on the verge of clean install and starting over with this computer, but in an effort to avoid that enormous hassle I thought I'd check in here to see if anyone knows what the problem is.

This is a Rebuilt Dell Optiplex 7010, Intel i5 3470, Win 7 Pro 64 I bought less than a year ago to replace my old Inspiron w/dual core i3, and also double the RAM and storage. It has brand new 16 GB RAM and 2 TB hard drive, and a 1 year warranty. I've still got about 6 weeks warranty left and I have been offered a replacement, but I don't want to return the machine for a replacement if I can avoid it for the same reason I'm hoping to avoid a clean install.

 

[wither 2]

I don't know the solution but, if you disconnect the TV and just play through the attached speakers, do you get this problem? Is your system grounded? Is there anything electrical nearby which could affect it?

 

[ArlisT]

Windows installed a couple updates day before yesterday and for now, at least, the sound issue is gone. It has gone and returned several times after I applied various recommended fixes, but always with a couple hours. It's been a couple days now, so maybe the update process fixed the issue and it will hold. Not ready to call the issue resolved yet, but, fingers crossed.


Nothing in my setup has changed. The computer and speaker system are gounded and always have been, and as far as placement of my modem/router, printer, or phone, those are the only electronic devices in proximity to my computer and they've always been just where they are. I have always had this computer plugged into this TV, and the TV is new, and I've had no sound issues before. The TV is my computer monitor though, and it's connected via HDMI. If I disconnect it, I have no monitor, so I have not completely disconnected the TV and just plugged in the speakers. I have my Logitech speakers set as my sound source, though. The sound doesn't come through the TV unless I set it to do so. When I unplugged the speakers - at first I thought it was a speaker issue - and set the TV speakers as my sound device, the sound problem persisted through the TV. This, plus the fact that every suggested fix has involve tweaking the computer in some way, make me think the problem has to do with the computer.

 

[wither 2]

I'm surprised that updates were installed since there hasn't been any for at least a year (my memory is terrible) and there won't be any more unless you're using MSE.

I understood that if you disconnected the TV, you wouldn't have a monitor. I would have expected that you would start a video and then disconnect the TV. Just wanted to eliminate the TV as the source of the problem.

Hopefully, the problem won't come back.

 

[ArlisT]

Yeah, on updates, I have had them cause me so many problems over the years, that when MS announced they weren't going to be issuing updates for Win 7 anymore, I was delighted, and just turned off updates entirely. But in trying to fix the cluster-f of problems I've had lately, (starting with 2 - 4 BSODs every day for weeks, with varying error messages!) I had to turn automatic updates back on to be able to implement some of the suggested fixes. I installed them, and forgot to turn Updates off again, so the other morning when I booted up, Windows downloaded some new updates I got the 'please wait while windows installs your updates' screen, Then it started up, and on a hunch I fired up YouTube, and at least for the moment it seems the problem has fixed itself. I've been playing a lot of YouTube over the past couple days just to test it, and so far, so good. I'm going to give it a few days before I mark it solved though.

 

[file3456]

Your issue seems indicative of either hardware, a driver, a DLL or a service that calls a DLL. These are what I would focus on to root out the little pest. Specifically when this problem occurred and noting any new hardware additions, software updates (including anti-virus updates) or newly added software. The reason why I say this is because a BSOD is typically related to either a driver or hardware. What I would do now is run Whocrashed and hopefully that can help clue you into what ever it is causing the BSOD. Googling may be in order. Resplendence Software - WhoCrashed, automatic crash dump analyzer Another software is called BlueScreenView. Blue screen of death (STOP error) information in dump files.

To really climb up inside the rear end of your system and figure this out, I'd use Executed Programs List ExecutedProgramsList - Shows programs previously executed on your system and Autoruns. Autoruns for Windows - Windows Sysinternals | Microsoft Docs Autoruns can show you if a DLL, service, etc has a publisher or not and its timestamp to trace back when the event happened and cross check that time frame to a DLL or service. But do note that you don't want to willy nilly disable or delete things you have now idea about or based on an uneducated guess. If it's marked as not in use, that may not be the case at all do to Autoruns' ability to properly indicate that because of the bit version of the DLL or service and other things. Something else I'd do is run Sanity Check. Not only does this accompany your anti-virus solution (mine is unorthodox), but it'll list things with no publishers and what have you that could help clue you into a possible EXE and its DLLs that are causing the BSODs. And to help figure out some unknown entity showing up in Sanity Check, just run Autoruns and in the Everything tab enter its name in the search box. I had this happen to me on my laptop only to find out the weird entity found with Sanity Check was related to my laptop's SD card reader. Go here to find and download Sanity Check. Resplendence Software - Free Downloads While you're there you may want to try LatencyMon if you haven't already. This also could help you clue you into the issue.

The other thing I would do is go to the start orb and in the search box enter dxdiag. Now click each tab and make sure dxdiag doesn't report any problems. Then chose the 64 bit version in dxdiag and click each tab again looking for any problem devices.


About the whole update crap, which it is, and I'm not going to write yet another chapter on it all. The majority of any updates coming down the pipe now for Windows 7 will most likely be for telemetry purposes or other useless fluffy crap. I'd shut down the service now and don't use it. Also, updates ("updates") can and will muck things up and that's due to low QC (Quality Control) by Microsoft. And sometimes updates need updates. If you can just install the critical updates then I'd just do that, the others are needless fluff that'll fist the system to put it bluntly. So your nice PC (Personal Computer) I/O REALLY has I/O. For some fifteen years, I've read time and time again from tech forums I've been a member of all across the Internet, users create topics that an update messed their computer up and I just shake my head. I don't even use updates myself. I have but four or five due to hardware, software and driver needs and that's it. That's been my policy since Windows 98se. Have I been hacked by some puff the magic dragon hacker wearing a black hoodie and a Time Warner owned Guy Fawkes mask? Or acquired a virus even though everyone and their great uncle on the Internet insists with absolute certainly that I will if I don't pay homage to the patch Tuesday God? NOPE! And I do run a DAMN tight ship let me tell you. My computer's are like my life so I know what they do from the inside out and like to keep it that way. Emphasis on PC (Personal Computer).

Having said all that, you may want to have a read over on this Github page: Remove telemetry updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 . GitHub

That is a simple batch file. You click "raw" and copy/paste the commands into a simple text document and save as something.bat. Name it what you will, just make sure it has the .bat extension. Then double click the batch file and a command prompt will fire away and should uninstall all the utter crap that helped fulfill the Microsoft bottom line. LOL Now I never ran this and don't have to, but others have so your mileage may vary. If I were you, before you run this just do a full hard drive clone to another drive in case of unexpected results. Preferably an external hard drive of equal or greater size. (Make sure you use the USB safe remove option when done.) If you don't have a cloning solution and you're willing to read and learn, give the free Clonezilla a shot. I use this because it'll clone encrypted drives. For simplicity, AOMEI Backupper will do. It is a Chinese made software, but I have and do use it just for my parent's computer and I went up it's a$$ looking for shenanigans before and after installation and so far nothing I can find. If the code was actually open source and I can compile back to source, that would further help me trust it. But so far so good. At least with the version I ran.

The other thought here is the motherboard, but on its face it sounds indicative of the aforementioned DLL, service or drivers, etc due to the BSODs coinciding with the sound issues. I'm pretty sure if I were sitting in front of your computer I could iron this out.

It's interesting because I know Creative sound cards or at least certain versions of Creative sound cards have popping issues. Such was the case with my Sound Blaster Z. I honestly forgot what I did to fix it, but the problem is now gone. It could have been the driver. I don't remember anymore since it's been at least three years. It was extraordinary annoying to have a nice sound card (by my standards) only to have music come out of my 5.1 sound system sound like crap with an occasional pop.

PS: If you go Windows 10 one day, check out Windows 10 AME. It's not for everyone and you'll need to read EVERYTHING about it. Or strip the Windows 10 crap out of the install ISO with NTlite and turn off the update service and through group policy. I bet, just bet that after you strip the crap out of 10 with NTlite, an update will just reinstall it all again. So much for the whole idea of a PC.

 

[ArlisT]

Wow! That's pretty exhaustive, and I appreciate it.



To clarify, the sound problem only emerged immediately upon the resolution of my BSOD problem. After weeks of trying to chase down the cause of those repeated crashes, always with a different error reported on the BSOD, I ran across a utility called Tweaking.com Windows Repair. Further research turned up tons of reviews highly praising this program, many from well-known computing magazines and online publishers, and a lot of praise on various forums I trust, so I downloaded and ran it. After it did its thing, my computer rebooted directly into a 'DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL' BSOD, (that was a new one) then restarted again right into Startup Repair. So I ran that, and since then no more BSODs.



Unfortunately, I now had a new problem, which is this sound issue I described, and which also defeated all efforts to solve.There are tons of reports in various forums of this exact problem across all versions of windows going back to XP, and lots of suggested fixes, and lots of comments from people saying they've tried many of these fixes, and they almost all seem to work at first, but then the popping, crackling, screeching static returned within a short time. I was on the verge of just starting over with a clean reinstall, and got up the other morning ready to face the ordeal, but when I booted the computer I got the 'Please wait while Windows installs your updates' screen.



I do not know which update corrected it or how, all I know is, the sound issue righted itself and is apparently resolved.


I'm glad I didn't have to go through the suggested fixes you've listed here; that would be a long process, and I was already about to tear out my hair. But both problems seem to be resolved at this point. I am going to save this in case they return, though. It seems a lot more useful than any of the advice I was chasing down.



I've been on Windows PCs since 1998, and in all that time I have never come across a problem I was not able to resolve, but I have never been through anything like this past couple months, and I still don't really know what caused the issues or exactly what was changed to fix them.


BTW, thanks for the github link. I heard awhile back how MS was sneaking Win10 style telemetry into previous versions via "security updates", but haven't found an exhaustive list of which updates to remove. The telemetry is a big reason I have not upgraded to 10 in the first place.