Was there ever a time when you did not have the glitches? If so then the fix would have been to restore to the original factory configuration and then turn off automatic updates. I know you said you "reset" the laptop, but from your description it seems that you performed a clean install rather than a restoration.

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I wasn't clear. I had these issues ever since I got the laptop. I did not perfrom a clean install but restored the original settings.

I thought you did a clean install because you used the term "in the order recommended by Dell". There is a driver installation order after an OS re-installation but not for a restoration, because the restoration image already contains the drivers. I have never seen a recommended order for updating the drivers after a restoration.

Performing a restoration using the restoration partition will fix all problems with the computer except

> hardware problems and

> problems caused by bad software pre-installed by Dell.

If you had the problem right out of the box before you performed any updates (from Microsoft) then the best bet would have been to return it during the 21 day return period because Dell does not have a good track record for fixing audio problems that they pre-installed. However when they pre-install the problem then we usually get a lot of posts about it for that particular model.

If you immediately performed updates after getting it out of the box then that might have been the cause of the problem and it would seem as though the computer arrived with the problem, and then later if you restored to the original factory configuration and then again immediately updated, then again that could be the cause.

The reason I am harping about the updates is that so far I have not heard of the audio  glitching being a model series problem with the Inspiron N series like it was on the Studio series and seems to be now on the XPS series.  However we have seen a bunch of reports of other models' audio being affected  by Microsoft updates and one of those was an N7110.

If you can rule out updates as a cause, I can give you links to many of the other threads that discuss audio glitching on other models and you can see what steps people have been trying.

I just looked through all of the posts with N5110 or 15R in the subject line or text, to refresh my memory.

The one thing that seems to affect most people with the model is not glitches but rather distortion in the right speaker or the case that seems to be due to poor design or mounting of the speakers.

One person reporting glitching like you have and stopped the glitching by turning off the wireless but you have already tried that.

One person reported glitching that began 48 hours after he got the laptop, so that was probably a case of a configuration change, most likely caused by an update.

One person reported glitching like yours but did not give details about when it started. There were some replies to him about re-installing the audio driver and the usual things like that. The owner never replied back so don't know if the issue was resolved.

One person reported that he gets random distortion and the audio will slow down or drag while the cpu usage maxes out.

That seems to be about it as far as distortion and glitching.

Another N5110 post

en.community.dell.com/.../20005076.aspx

I am just stumbling across this thread now, but I will throw in my two cents in hopes someone can save some time by it.

PROBLEM:  DPC latency spikes over 2000us at 15s intervals causing audio dropout .  Dropout occurred whether using internal sound card or external USB audio interface.  Video streaming was affected also. 

SOULUTION: After perusing hundreds of discussion forums about latency, I did almost everything suggested on these threads using DPC Latency Checker and Latency Monitor to search for offending device drivers, updating BIOS and chipset drivers, etc.-basically any driver updates I could get my hands on through the Intel and Dell websites (I am running a Dell Inspiron 1750, Win 7).  The closest thing I came to a solution was a thread that resembled my issue with the 15s latency spike, and their apparent solution (also echoed on other threads) was to simply disable the "Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery" driver, as this device's constant monitoring of the battery was determined to cause these interruptions. 

However, unfortunately for me, disabling this device had no affect on the recurring latency spikes, at best possibly reducing overall average latency length but not in the least solving the core issue.  

I still felt however, that due to the identical latency interval times I and others were experiencing, that I had to continue to look at the battery as the primary cause. 

So, I physically removed the battery and guess what?  Problem Solved.  Latencies consistent ~250 and under, NO SPIKING. 

OK, so I don't know if this due to a bad battery or is this problem inherent in Dell laptop batteries?  It could possibly be related to the physical connection between the battery and the computer as I've had to, on occasion, remove the battery and re-install it because it was reporting lower storage capabilities or not being recognized at all.  However, lately it was working fine and at 100%, according to Dells battery monitoring utility. 

So, about a day and a half wasted on this stuff.  I see the same thing with other people going through the same routine, so I hope someone can benefit from my time and effort.  Good Luck to all!  What was the point of all of this?   Oh Yeah!

Let's make some MUSIC! (that's all we ever really wanted to do...)

PS: Also, don't forget to disable your wireless card driver in Device Manager when handling audio.  This is a primary source for latency issues and will inevitably cause some type of spiking if you don't cut it off before playing or recording music.  

Hello,

I have the similar problem with my new Dell N5040, Win7 x64 and external USB sound card.

My notebook is absolutely useless for audio production - music was the main reason I bought this brand new notebook. It is risky to play music or record even a stereo track on it - audio crackles and pops often even playing mp3 with Winamp.

Dear DELL, even a single unexpected crack/pop/pause in professional audio may be VERY AUDIBLE and lead the show to catastrohpe.

I have connected Roland Quadcapture external USB 2.0  sound card to my new Dell notebook. This is professional level sound card. I had no issues with it on Win XP. But now, one Dell N5040 even playing simple tracks sometimes crackling sounds and audio drop-outs occur. I have tried turning off Wireless LAN, switch video to VGA. I had read lots of articles regarding DPC. Of course, I had to measure DPC latency peaks - they occur every 15 seconds.

Internal soundcard works perfectly.

I can't trust this computer in live performances as there is always a risk that audio signal drop-outs may occur during audio playback and it would not be very nice reaction from public if this would happen on  a large dance music club :(

I bought this Dell notebook for audio production. I am in music business for 20 years and had lots of experience with audio software and hardware on PC platform.  

Now I am thinking about returning the notebook to reseller. I am very unsatisfied.

My conclusion is that Dell computers cannot be used for DJs, musicians and audio producers.  DPC issues must be solved asap.

Please help. (Sorry for my English - it is not my native language, but I did the best to describe my problem, and I hope to your reaction)

My conclusion is that Dell computers cannot be used for DJs, musicians and audio producers.

I agree. I would not advise anyone to buy a Dell with Vista or 7  if they need a laptop for audio production. There are way too many reports of the kinds of glitching that you are experiencing. If you can get one with XP you will probably be okay. A knowledgeable Dell person suggested getting a Precision with XP for audio. Vista and 7 are both audio unfriendly operating systems. I have an old Inspiron with XP and use Sonar and other audio production software without any glitching.

I have a two year old Inspiron 1545. it also has developed a tick. symptoms are same as yours, however, mine glitches exactly every 30 seconds.  Do you know if yours doing the same?

I get peaks exactly every 15 sec. I believe that the symptoms are similar to those described in Microsoft knowledge base KB981214. Unfortunately my notebook has Windows 7 with SP1 and I can't install this hotfix (I get error message "The update is not applicable to your computer").

support.microsoft.com/.../981214

Any suggestions?

Guys, please check out my response from Feb. 27th.  1)pull the battery; this is causing your 15s interval spikes 2) disable your wifi driver when recording to avoid random ping spiking.  Good luck.  

Started the computer with removed battery - the same 15s spikes. Disabling WiFi does not help. When I stop the media player spikes dissapear :/

Man, my heart goes out to you bro!  I don't know what else to tell you because I wasn't able to correlate spikes to various media players, either.  (Window Media Player vs. VLC player, etc.) But it sounds like you have a problem with your player (software issue)?   I assume you have already disabled the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery driver in Device Manager along with the physical battery being removed?  If this doesn't work for you, I am at a loss, then, because these are the current settings I am running and everything seems to be OK so far.  I mean, I couldn't even play an mp3 on my onboard sound card without terrible dropouts happening at 15s.  However, it's hard for me to imagine identical spike intervals for two very different issues.  Of course I updated all the drivers I could, but in hindsight I don't think this was the silver bullet.  Flashing my BIOS helped reducing overall spike values, but other than that, I know that for me it was the battery and battery monitoring device that were causing the 15s problems.  

Anyway, keep at it, you will figure it out.  Or, you can always throw it off the roof or smash it with a baseball bat (and then go buy an Apple).  Seriously though, good luck, friend. Namaste...

Neil

Chicago, IL