Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Help with sound problem on PC

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-21-2007, 02:28 AM:

Windows XP Pro
Asus PC-DL Deluxe motherboard (with onboard audio)

This setup has been working great since the day I built the computer. I installed two programs today. The first was "DVD player 1.5" by www.ulead.com that came with my Pioneer A08 burner. The second was a trial version of DVDFab Platinum. After using DVDFab Platinum to rip a DVD, I played a little bit of it back in Windows Media Player and it sounded godawful. Specifically it sounded like the 80hz was 6-8db louder than the other frequencies. I then ripped another movie and found the same result. So I tried playing an audio cd and some mp3 files that I was familiar with, and again the audio was awful.

I uninstalled the dvd player program AND DVDFab Platinum, rebooted and the problem remained. I then re-installed the audio drivers from my motherboard cd, rebooted and STILL the problem remains!

Any ideas here as to what could be happening??? It looks like I am going to have to format and reinstall my entire computer because of this if I can't figure out what the fix is.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-21-2007, 04:48 AM:

Maybe go into your registry doing the start/run/regedit/ and delete the keys in the software section of each directory for these offensive programs by finding the directories that these programs were stored in.

For sometimes when one does a uninstall, some of the keys remain..and the boot sequence hunts for these keys.

Also, do the START/RUN/MSCONFIG and see if you can shut down any representation of these programs that might still be in the boot startup sequence.

..then, I'd do the simple DVD ripping program of DVDShrink and do your Mp3's with Winamp Pro.

Course, I can see your point in using the ULead's program if you're gonna do a bunch of video editing for DVD production.

Sounds also like Media Player is having huge conflicts with those programs as well, or both programs hated each other....

Big thing is NOT to associate any files through Media Player - being such a proprietary program that Microsoft "thinks" you should use. I've had tons of probs with Media Player that I've completely cleared out any file association to use that program - both video and audio.

For I use "Media Player Classic" which one has to do a Google search for the very unique, free, all-media, player.

Some possible tips to try and good luck to you. Not fun having to completely reinstall Windows and associated drivers ..

-Monte

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 11-21-2007, 08:34 AM:

Before reformatting your machine, try using "SYSTEM RESTORE" (Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - "System Restore").

System Restore periodically saves "restore points" on your computer. Once you start system restore, it will ask if you want to restore your computer to an earlier time, select "Restore to Earlier Time", hit next and a calendar will pop up promting you to select a date when your computer was working properly. By clicking one of the blue highlighted dates on the calendar, it will "restore" all of the system settings and registry strings to their previous configuration on that particular date. It will not however delete any new data files you have created since that date... which is usually a good thing.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-21-2007, 09:12 AM:

I've never been a fan of onboard audio. Usually those components are more or less afterthoughts when the motherboard is made. Sound cards are cheap.

Anyway, you sure you didn't accidentally bump a knob on your Hi-Fi that you shouldn't have? Try connecting the audio output via the TOSlink optical connection. Still sound bad?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-21-2007, 01:15 PM:

Barry got it. I don't know why I always forget about the system restore. Turns out one of those programs jacked with the "wdmaud.drv" file. After restoring all sounds great again. I guess now I'll have to reinstall that DVDFab Platinum application and see if it screws my audio again. I am betting it was that ulead player though.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-23-2007, 08:43 AM:

quote: Barry Floyd
Before reformatting your machine, try using "SYSTEM RESTORE"

HAd to do that with my laptop recently because of a virus. It got rid of the virus 10%. Also does anyopne here use a regestry optimizer. After I had the virus problem I downloaded Advanced Regestry Optimizer from Samm Soft and man... the laptop sure runs alot faster after a clean up. The cleaner/optimizer located over 1000 regestry errors the first time I ran it. Now I run it once a week just to keep things in order and it always finds a few errors.

Mark

Posted by Wayne Keyser (Member # 2420) on 11-23-2007, 08:30 PM:

System Restore has gotten me out of this exact (type of) problem in the past. Best to use it before your subsequent actions cause system restore to undo a bunch of useful stuff you don't remember well enough to redo.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-20-2007, 07:53 PM:

Damn...System Restore to the rescue here. My laptop almost NEVER connects to the internet to keep the bugs out (it is strictly used as a tool to be the display device of the test equipment or to program equipment). However, there is the occasional needed download on-site.

Anyway...when I connected up Microsoft wanted to update XP and IE...like a stupid idiot...I said okay...after all it was Microsoft and my stuff generally doesn't get updated so what the heck....BLAM...it would take several minutes to get from drawing the wallpaper to drawing the icons on the desktop...used to be damn near instant.

The computer worked okay otherwise. I went along for about a month with this and then I remembered this thread...

I went back to the save point prior to the ugliness and all is super fast again.

I've now down loaded an alternative to IE (Opera as I use it on both my Mac and PC) to alieve IE from having to worry about updates (or my need to get zapped by IE brought downloads)...I also have scanned my system for buggies...I'm amazed at how many were found given that this machine has almost never seen the web.

Steve

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 12-20-2007, 08:24 PM:

Speaking of which, I have a strange problem with my PC sometimes: on and off, the left and right channels are reversed when I play audio CDs. It appears to be independent of which of the 2 drives I use and which media player. Most of the time, when I reboot the PC, the channels are in the correct order again. Hmmm...

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-21-2007, 06:40 AM:

I've used DVD Fab Platinum for ages (albeit on a different system: Abit AB9 Pro motherboard, Creative Audigy 2 sound card/breakout box, triple boot Vista Ultimate x86, XP Pro x64 and Ubuntu Linux 7.10 x64), and it works fine under both Vista x86 and XP Pro x64 without any perceived problems to the sound quality. The output from the sound card goes into a 1970s Quad valve amp and Wharfedale Diamond 4 speakers, so I think I'd hear if it was screwing with the HF.