Solved "Sound" window (from taskbar) very slow to open

[meatdraw]

This is a pretty minor problem, but also very annoying.

When I right click on the volume icon in the task bar and select playback devices, recording devices, or sounds nothing will happen for a couple minutes, then eventually the window will open. It usually takes almost a minute for the window to come up. However, when I select "Open Volume mixer" or "Volume Control Options" both windows open up quickly.

Worth noting:
I recently got a new ssd and this is a fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate. Before this install I never had this problem, but the problem did not start immediately after the fresh install.
I recently got new sound hardware for music production which required firmware and driver updates
I switch between using a usb pnp device (headset) and speakers on a daily basis

I have checked the drivers for my Motherboard and headset, and my audio gear drivers are up to date.
I have also unplugged all other usb and firewire audio devices to see if that helps.

specs:
CPU: Phenom ii X4 965 BE edition OC'd to 3.6GHz
Motherboard: Asus M4a89gtd pro USB
RAM: 12GB Kingston hyperX DDR3
Storage: 250 GB Samsung Evo SSD
2 650GB WD HDD Black
GPU: Asus AMD R9 280x

 

[fireberd]

I have had that problem when opening the Sound panel. My video card (a Radeon HD7770) displays multiple HDMI audio ports on the sound panel, Playback section and that was causing the delay. As I don't use HDMI, I disabled the HDMI audio, in the Device Manager and it fixed my problem.

 

[meatdraw]

Good call.
My GPU also has this feature which I do not currently use.
I disabled the AMD sound device and it opens right up.
I wonder if this would still be a problem if I were to use this feature.

anyway, thanks a lot for the helpful reply!