# Windows Media Player 11 stuttering on MP3s



## epiconnor (Jun 16, 2007)

Hi there,

I have a new Dell Dimension C521 with Windows Vista and Windows Media Player 11. Twenty seconds before the end of every MP3, the media player stalls, skips and stutters for a few seconds before continuing. Does anyone know how I can fix this?

Many thanks,

Ethan


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## RollerFrog (Jun 16, 2007)

Can you check to see if your CPU usage is going through the roof when this happens, it might be Vista and not WMP 11 itself.... Also, do only mp3s do this? Or other file types such as AVIs, Audio CDs, ect.... This may give me a little more to work with...


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## nbruland (Jun 24, 2007)

I've got Vista and Windows Media 11, on a Core 2 Duo processor with 2gb RAM. I'm also getting the stutter. Here are my observations:

For any sequence of songs in a list, played from the hard drive, whether MP3 high or low, or WMA, the first song takes a few seconds to queue up. If only one song is selected, the song plays through fine.

If the list of songs played from the hard drive is more than one, whether MP3 or WMA, then toward the end of any song where another song will follow, the system starts to buffer the next song to avoid several seconds of dead air at the conclusion of the current song. This spikes the CPU to 70% or more [both processors on my duo system]. The song that is playing will begin to stutter, sometimes it will stutter for several seconds where sounds play without dropping notes, but with gaps in the time when they should be played. When you know how the song goes, it's really annoying.

When playing a CD from the CD-ROM or DVD drive, there is no stutter since the system is just reading the full CD bitstream. There is no interpretation involved and so different buffering off the external disc.

As a reference point, on my work laptop, circa 2003, Windows 2000, with Media 10, it played fine until an upgrade to the security software was issued. After that, I would get constant stuttering because the security software was operating in the background and drawing more processing power. It made Windows Media unusable. Earlier this year I got a new laptop, with XP and a core duo processor and still Media 10, same security software, and the system now plays music from the hard drive, no problem.

My suspicion is Vista faces a combination of trying to buffer the songs, and dealing with it's own overhead is what contributes or causes the issue. That doesn't excuse the stuttering, *because if Vista is advertised to be a media marvel*, *it just ain't so*.


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## tnt_kalesh (Jul 4, 2007)

Control Panel
Click Sound
Select Playback tab
Select Speakers/Headphones entry
Click Properties
Select Enhancements Tab
Disable all enhancements

Watch Media player perform 100 times faster with no stutter


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## theskywasgreen (Jul 3, 2007)

Hi,
Mine is doing the same thing. It's also doing it with any videos I try and watch in Media Player. I don't have an enhancements tab in the sound thing. Any more ideas? Thanks


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## tnt_kalesh (Jul 4, 2007)

As far as I know, all versions of Vista have sound "Enhancements".
Are you sure you followed my instructions accurately?

If you don't see a "Speakers/Headphones" entry under the "Playback" tab, then right click in the box and select "Show Disabled Devices".

If you do have the "Speakers/Headphones" entry under the "Playback" tab, then you can just double click it to go into its properties. 

Sorry but I have no other suggestions.


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## nbruland (Jun 24, 2007)

Clicked through Control Panel to the Sound options, as noted below, clicked the box for a positive statement to "yes disable all enhancements".

Media Player now starts the song instantly, like under XP. Plus 1
Media Player now doesn't choke on trying to finish the song, which was extremely annoying.  

Vista is legitimate! This was such a big issue, it had me grinding my teeth.

As with most computer issues, it's that one check box that you have to find to solve the problem.

THANKS!


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## theskywasgreen (Jul 3, 2007)

Yeah, I followed your instructions correctly. I'll put a printscreen in to show you that it isn't there.


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## Byrone4807 (Apr 1, 2007)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK TOU
tnt_ you the bomb ive been fighting with this prob since putting vista on my comp. in jan now i have a bigger problem..no time to enjoy it..lol


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## fmgee (Jul 27, 2007)

Has anyone else had a problem of stuttering with avis? It is not just windows media player as I have tried other players and the sound is fine but the image stutters every now and then. It does not start happening until 20 minutes after start up and then it happens every15-30 seconds which makes it hard to watch anything.

Any ideas?


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## Pablito_11 (Jul 28, 2007)

I don't have the same problem as mentioned in this thread, however, very similar. Whenever i play an mp3 in Windows Media Player 11 or even watch a movie on YouTube i get a stuttering in the sound at 1 minute intervals exactly. I've tried to "turn off all enhancements" but i dont have that box, only a "sound effects" box which does not affect the problem. I've also tried installing new drivers which has also had no effect. Does anyone know what else i could try, has anyone heard of this problem?? any help would be great, thanks


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## R11ysf (Jul 29, 2007)

I have this same stuttering problem. I also have the enhancements tab and have disabled all enhancements, but to no avail. It still stutters and is really beginning to annoy me now. Is this a vista problem? Do Windows know? Any ideas on how to fix it?
PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!


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## Pablito_11 (Jul 28, 2007)

OK...i've looked around in some other forums and test what seems to be a makeshift solution to the problem, at least for me. It seems that disabling my wireless network adapter allows for clean playback of sound. This of course leaves me without a wireless connection to the internet. Maybe there is a new network adapter driver that is needed but i have yet to find it. Anyways if u really want to hear clean sounds this seems to be the only solution to my problem so far....


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## Egmac5 (Aug 4, 2007)

Have an XP with WMP 11 studdering. WMP Classic works fine as does CD playback.
My fix was:
Control Panel-Sounds, Speech & Audio
Sounds, Speech & Audio--Volume Tab
Speaker Settings---Advanced
Performance, Hardware move to Full and Sample Rate to Good.


Hope this helps

Ethan


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## eyeswater (Aug 19, 2007)

tnt_kalesh's answer worked great for me. Vista on Dell 1505 laptop. 

THanks:up:


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## MysticEyes (Mar 30, 2002)

nbruland said:


> Clicked through Control Panel to the Sound options, as noted below, clicked the box for a positive statement to "yes disable all enhancements".
> 
> Media Player now starts the song instantly, like under XP. Plus 1
> Media Player now doesn't choke on trying to finish the song, which was extremely annoying.
> ...


That's funny. And isn't the reason to go with Vista is to get all those fancy enhancements?


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## darkhalls (Aug 21, 2007)

Use Winamp, its free and works an utter dream. I got sick of using WMP11 and switched to Songbird, but that had a different problem, so I finally decided to use Winamp (after a long period of not using it) and I've now reminded myself why I always liked it


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## extent (Apr 7, 2008)

Doesnt work for me! My own solution was to simply switch off SRS WOW effects in windows media player and nothing else. After that wmp 11 in vista worked with low bitrate files for me no problem. Start media player, go to view>enhancements>SRS WOW, and switch off from there.


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## Shauny_B (Jun 8, 2008)

Egmac5
Thanks dude, worked fine for me


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## maddestdawg1 (May 6, 2008)

dell dimension on vista premium.

goin' through the control panel and sound works. thanks! was starting to annoy me alot

cheers!!!!


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## courseiam (Feb 12, 2005)

or go here and get the updated drivers for the SIGMATEL sound card: http://www.support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R147075&SystemID=DIM_PNT_9200C_XPS_210&os=WLH&osl=en&deviceid=8907&devlib=0&typecnt=1&vercnt=1&formatcnt=1&libid=3&fileid=195629


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## Harmonixer (Jul 18, 2008)

Ahhh!  Thank you so much. I thought my Media Player was corrupted or something, and considering it is pretty much impossible to re-install it, I thought that I'd have to live with the sluggish start and stuttering.

(I _just_ registered on this site to thank you Egmac5)

Again, thanks!


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## misscolumboo (Aug 28, 2008)

Disable all enhancements worked for me, Im so happy! Thankyouthankyouthankyou, the stuttering was driving me crazy!


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