Windows Media Player Lags When Playing Songs

Question

Hi, I can't seem to figure out what's wrong whenever I want to listen to songs using Windows Media Player 11. Each time I play a song, it takes quite some time (about 10 seconds)before the song plays (my system freezes at the moment), not to mention the time it takes for the window itself to load. Is it normal?

And whenever the song is about to end, I hear occasional pauses (or shall I say lag) just before changing to the next song in the playlist.

I don't recall such things happen a few months back when everything was just normal.Or have I accidentally changed the necessary settings without realizing it?

Please help me.

chaistt · Accepted Answer

I'm glad that your machine is working better now :) Basically your machine will only be as fast as its slowest link. So lets say your have a fast processor but only 1gb of ram which for Vista is bordline (2gb is recommended for smooth performance even for everyday applications), your processor will basically process the requests (lets use that phrasing for simplicity) and data will be loaded into RAM and some will be stored in a whats called a page file or virtual memory windows creates as a file on your hard drive. Windows optimises this file according to the importance of the data, so stuff which is likely to be accessed sooner is stored in physical memory which is a lot faster than the page file stored on the mechanical device, your hard drive. (in most cases your overall PC performance in everyday use is bottle necked by the hard drive as the slowest device). So the more and more applications you open, the more your RAM fills up and the more you PC has to stick onto the hard drive as page file and hence slowing your whole machine down considerably, this might have been a cause for your system's lack of response as well as slowed CPU speed. So if we switch it around and run a slower processor (ok not too slow but say the same processor family, Core 2 duo but at 1.8ghz vs 2.4) but have double the RAM, 2gb whilst instanstaneous response may be just about noticable, overall performance will remain more consistant. To summarise, its not only down to the processor speed or RAM, but a combination of both in order for a machine to run smoothly. Obviously a fast processor combined with lots of ram will make one fast machine but in reasonable terms, if you upgrade your RAM to 2gb then you should experience a signifcant performance gain, more so then if you were to solely upgrade the processor alone (for this example). 4gb of ram, you might not see as much of a performance gain as  opposed to doubling from 1gb to 2gb as increasing RAM has a non linear impact on PC performance which might not be worth the cost. Ok i think I have gotten carried away now... Ahh yes, 8 year old Dell, well it did have its issues during warranty but as for tips, just take care of your machine, treat it with care and it will provide years of trouble free use. Keep it defragmented, virus free, store it in a decent laptop bag and don't let it get too hot :) Take care!

chaistt · Answer

Hi, what machine are you using? Also are you experiencing slow performance when using other applications (i.e general PC slowness?)

anonymous89 · Answer

The user is experiencing lag and freezing when playing songs in Windows Media Player 11. It takes about 10 seconds for a song to start playing, and there are occasional pauses before changing to the next song. The user wonders if they accidentally changed any settings. They also mention experiencing freezing when opening other applications and Control Panel. They provide their system details: Inspiron 1520, Windows Vista Home Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo T7100@1.8Ghz, 2GB RAM.

chaistt · Answer

The user is experiencing lag and freezing when playing songs in Windows Media Player 11. They also hear occasional pauses before the next song in the playlist. They are unsure if they accidentally changed any settings. The suggested solution is to check the CPU load, run antivirus scans, and perform a full reinstallation if necessary.

anonymous89 · Answer

Hi, chaistt, I really wanna thank you for your advice. I did check the power management options only to realize that I actually switched to power saving mode(which reduces performance)few months ago.

Now, I have switched back to high performance and it is a little faster to open any application. And it does not take that long to play a song anymore, though is still lag when the song is about to end(it's not that obvious).

Here, I have a question not related to audio and I hope you can share your knowledge. What is the relationship between your processors and RAM? What happens if you have a powerful processor, say one that runs at 2.4Ghz, but yor RAM is only, say 1GB, or vice versa(Great RAM but lousy processor)? What actually determines the speed at which applications load, programs run,etc? What do you say if I were to upgrade my RAM to 4GB? Will my system be a powerful one??

I really am amazed to learn that yor system is already EIGHT YRS OLD and STILL RUNNING STRONG. Perhaps you have some tips to share.

chaistt · Answer

D'uh natakuc4 you bet me too it :smileyvery-happy: (me and my slow Pentium 3 :) ) But anyways practically the same explainations :)

Philip_Yip · Answer

The user is experiencing lag and freezing when playing songs in Windows Media Player 11. They also hear occasional pauses before the next song. The answer suggests disabling system effects in the Control Panel > Sound > Speakers/Headphones > Properties > Effects. It also recommends optimizing computer performance by disabling unnecessary startup programs and ensuring a balance between CPU and RAM. The maximum usable RAM for a 32-bit system is around 3.2GB. Vista requires a significant amount of RAM.

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Windows Media Player Lags When Playing Songs

Was this post helpful?