Vista - Sound is choopy every 30 seconds while watching video

My Vista Ultimate x64 version had been running great for about a month an half. Then one day the audio began to get choppy. The audio works fine for about 30 seconds and then it seems like it get distroted like people are talking slower. Im thinking this might not just be an audio problem with the driver but maybe a video problem.

So I installed the newest WHQL supported video drivers. Still didn't fix the problem.

Then I installed the newest realtek AC 97' audio drivers. Still didn't work.

I even formated Windows Vista Ultimate x64 and did a clean install and I still have the problem. Anybody have any ideas?

Could this be a codec problem?

If it occurs after a fresh install of windows, it is either one of two things.

1) Failed hardware
2) Faulty drivers and/or driver conflicts

When it occured, did you check to see if Microsoft had updated the hardware drivers via windows update?

Anyway, I would try using different driver version, possibly the second most recent ones. Also make sure you have the latest (or 2nd latest) codec for the type of video/audio you are watching. If you are watching any of the types with built in support it is probably drivers.

One more thing to check, when the sound slows down... have task manager open to see if something is spiking the cpu usage. If so, that is your cause.

I dont know if this will help but i had a similar problem with sound playback and this solved it.

Goto Control Panel --> Hardware and Sound --> Sound --> Select The Speakers you're using and click Properties --> Click Enhancements Tab --> Check the box "Disable All enhancements"

That might work if not sorry couldnt help and gl

I took your advice and did a clean install of Windows Vista x64 Ultimate. I seem to have the same problem as before. So I booted to my other OS windows XP and it seems to have the same problem as well. So Im pretty sure that its either the speakers which I don't think because they are fairly new or its the onboard sound that I am using...which I suspect is the case. Thank you for the advice.

I tried your advice and it didn't seem to work. Im pretty sure that is the onboard sound that has gone defualty. Could it possibly be the speaker? I mean the sound works for 30 sounds and then it sounds like a CD is skipping.

Well here is an update...

I went out a bought a PCI sound card. Put the card in...seemed to work fine for a bit then the problem still continues.

I even went ahead and disabled the onboard sound in the BIOS thinking that might be causing the problem but it wasn't that.

I am really stuck on what might be the problem? My next step to try and use different speakers, but I don't really see how that might be causing the problem.

try headphones.
open the task manager and check how the CPU usage behaves when the problem happens.
run a checkdisk to test the hard drive.

Good advice...

I did try the headphones so I nuetralized the problem that it wasn't the speakers.

After doing some investigating...I checked the task manager and nothing really was hogging the system resources.

I started to think what had I recently installed. I recently installed a USB Wireless Network adapter. A Linksys WUSB300N. I disabled that and as soon as I did the problem went away. I took back the adapter and retrieved the 96 dollars I paid for it.

Thank you to everybody for the advice. I had no idea that a wireless network adapter could cause such a problem with my whole system.