Problem with Windows Media Player

Question

Hi, I have an XPS 410, 2.13 GHz, 2 GB RAM, running Windows Vista Ultimate.  Everything seems fine for the most part, except that Windows Media Player 11 kind of skips when playing music.  Maybe skips isn't the right way to describe it.  The sound just kind of cuts out for a second or two while the song is playing, which is very annoying.  It has gotten so annoying that I ended up downloading Real Player, which seems to play music just fine.  This leads me to believe that the problem is probably with WMP 11 and not with the speakers, sound card, etc.   Has anyone else experienced this problem with WMP and, if so, were you able to resolve it?  Thanks in advance for any information.

PPChang · Answer

i have the 410, 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, and a vista home premium. i have the same problem as well. my windows media play 11 will skip sometimes. i also tried it on the i-tune it does the same thing! i haven't try the real player yet. i called dell customer service, but we spend 2 hours over the phone and that guy even remote my computer, and they still can't fix it. is any of you guys knows a way to get through this? thanks

LCRush · Answer

I have DIM E520, Intel Pentium 4 with 1GB SDRAM and using Readyboost. When I use WMP for any music files, from my computer files, from a CD, etc., just toward the end of every song, it skips. When I use iTunes or Quicktime, it does not. I am using WMP v. 11. I have searched all over the net for an answer. There are new drivers on the Dell website for my sound card, but it is for E521 and non are listed for the signatel driver update for my model. My OS is Windows Vista Home Premium. Anyone have the answer to this problem?

IHATEVISTA · Answer

This is exactly what I am getting. Just before the end of the tracks it skips. Flamin' annoying!!

PPChang · Answer

hey, guys .... finally, i spend 6.5 hours calling terrible dell customer service they were so terrible, they kept sayng it's because my MP3 file or it's because my speaker. god, i just got the brand new speaker for my computer and it will so will while i just plug in my i-pod, i think the reason why i-pod sells so much is becasue people don't trust microsoft that much. they always give consumers terrible product with many problems alright, enough for the complain here is the way to do it it's real simple backup whatever you have in computer to a external hard drive. restart your computer, while restarting press F8 you will get in a doc based window, which created by dell and chouse fix my computer and just follow the directions, which will recover the whole system back to factory setting play music without install any of drivers to your add ones ... i finally get it fixed at 3am last night don't have time to try all things yet, but it won't skip after i recover the whole system they said maybe it's becasue some driver doesn't work well with vista if you guys can't find it, try to call tech support and ask them about recover your computer to factory setting after that everything worked good luck guys ! i will keep posting if i found out something

Z1066 · Answer

Hi, everyone. Someone over on the Microsoft newsgroups has posted a solution this problem. Go to: "Control Panel", "Sound", select the sound device, click "Properties" and then on the "Enhancements" tab check "Disable all enhancements". I tried it and it seems to work.

Here's a link if you want to check it out the entire thread:

http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?&query=windows+media+player&lang=en&cr=US&guid=&sloc=en-us&dg=microsoft.public.windows.vista.performance_maintenance&p=1&tid=5fc8770b-4de8-4b2b-a21a-730a5c56af3f

Message Edited by Z1066 on 04-20-2007 06:26 PM

Message Edited by Z1066 on 04-20-2007 06:27 PM

LCRush · Answer

I cannot tell you why my solution worked and why the ones suggested did not work. I turned off all
the enhancements in WMP. I closed the player and rebooted the computer. I, once again, listened to a mp3 file
and it still skipped. I returned to the former setting for enhancement, all turned on, and closed WMP. I planned
to make iTunes my default player, but before I did, I tried a music file, one more time in WMP. It worked
perfectly without any skipping at the end. I do not have the slightest reason why it now works perfectly.

Regarding the bashing of Dell, I have to defend them. They have been good to me, replacing a printer that was
just out of warranty, without giving me a problem. While not all of their techs are a good as others, they have all
politely tried to help me, with other problems with my PC, sometime spending hours on the phone, etc. Maybe, Microsoft needs
to be blamed why WMP does not
work well in Vista. Again, I am not sure who is to blame, but I do think Microsoft should have something on the web stating
that some have problems with WMP. I Googled and searched for a fix and only Dell had anything listed about it. As I explained
in my previous email (above) there was no fix for the Dell model that I had.

LCRush · Answer

Update to what I stated. I did not change anything after telling about the 'solution' to the skipping problem. I said that whatever I had done worked. Well, it no longer is working and I am back with music files of any kind skipping for 3 or so seconds toward the end of the music file. If anyone has a reason for this, let me know. It would seem some really smart computer geek would know what is going on, even if they don't know how to fix it. I am disgusted and I am now using media player classic (freeware) which works just fine, but does not have all the bells and whistles. Again, I don't think this is a Dell problem, I think it is a Microsoft problem. I cannot understand why they don't have a fix for it. I did read about some other things to try and will keep everyone informed if it works.

Mblne · Answer

Same problem here, music is skipping exactly 20 sec before the end.I tried mp3 and WMA files with different bitrate and it doesn't change anything.Still searching a solution, no luck so far! For now i'm using the Creative player that came bundled with the software for my mp3 player; works just fine.

LCRush · Answer

@Mblne wrote:
Same problem here, music is skipping exactly 20 sec before the end.I tried mp3 and WMA files with different bitrate and it doesn't change anything.Still searching a solution, no luck so far! For now i'm using the Creative player that came bundled with the software for my mp3 player; works just fine.

I used a simple solution, also. I now use iTunes as my default player and I have no problems. I think, because many others are having similar or the same problem, it is a Microsoft Vista problem. Maybe, MS will get around to a patch to fix it. I do not believe it is a Dell problem.

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Problem with Windows Media Player

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