System Freeze and Audio Problem

Anonymous
2020-02-11T18:37:30+00:00

I have just purchased a new computer but as i installed programs, a problem was introduced. I think I had seen the same problem on my previous computer, but that is a long story!

The effect is that the computer freezes for about 5 seconds and then continues. Associated with that is a message from the Realtek Audio informing me I have just plugged a device into the audio input. It does not require there to be any audio playing at the time this happens, though if there is audio, then that either goes silent or issues what can best be described as a buzz until the system resumes. The audio can also go into a state which i can only describe as like a stutter, where maybe it freezes for a few milliseconds at a time over a period of about 5 seconds. Sometimes this produces the Realtek message, though not always.

It seems that sometimes this can be triggered by activity, e.g calling a new web page in the browser. Often on returning to the machine after a period away, where the screen has blanked, waking the system up causes the Realtek message, but no obvious freezing of operation.

But the problem can also occur when the machine is not being used. I can be in the next room eating lunch and hear the audio freeze for the period associated with the problem.

With the new system, I started by sequentially installing the programs I required. This was a processed performed over several days as I was also working on the machine as well. Among the programs I had always installed was OpenOffice, I had been using this since it was first available, though I think generally LibreOffice now does better. But as I installed OpenOffice after several days without a problem, I heard the quality of the sound change and the problem started. On average, the problem manifests itself about once an hour, so i think the initial trouble free period up to the installation of OpenOffice identifies the culprit, but uninstalling it did not help. Windows repair tool claims to identify a problem and to have repaired it, requiring a reboot, but the problem still returns, so something somewhere is damaged. Google does nothing but confuse attempts to find the Realtek drivers which could be reinstalled.

I don't know where to go. I can't believe I am the only person suffering from this problem, yet I cannot find reference to such a problem on Google. So this is my last ditch effort to solve the problem before resorting to a clean install.

Regards, Paul Dixon

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-05-16T13:33:35+00:00

    Please keep all of us informed of how you are progressing. I also have this problem. So for it has cost me a couple thousand dollars to completely rebuild a new computer which unfortunately also has caught whatever is causing this issue. It slowly gets worse. It has to be some kind of interaction between updates as it works flawlessly and degrades over time. It is obviously a software issue as changing all hardware does not solve the issue. The only reason there is not a ton more reporting this issue is because they don't know how to get here! I suspect it is much more common. I fear the only way it will be resolved is to gt a complete list of installed programs and updates from all with the issues and find commonalities. I use YouTube as lot and it is now almost unwatchable. Sound quickly begins to lag followed by the freeze and buzz which become more frequent. Stopping the video and restarting it seems to reset the issue but it quickly returns.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-05-04T21:49:39+00:00

    I've learned quite a bit in this last couple of weeks. Unfortunately more about what it is not than what it is!

    I no longer believe it is associated directly with the audio driver or any other installed program. I am not currently getting the report of new device connected. So I think such reports are a consequence of the disturbance and not in any way a cause.

    I have started looking at performance monitors and what is clear is that there are sudden peaks in CPU activity.

    Sometimes I can see an elongated peak very close to 100% during a period where the audio stutters, but no complete freeze.

    One would expect to see a much longer, and possibly higher, peak when the system freezes. However, following such a freeze, I only see a very narrow spike right up to 100%. It would appear that during those episodes, even the monitor is stopped, seeing only the rise and fall, but nothing during the period of freeze.

    On one stutter event, I did see a flurry of Ethernet activity, which does tally with the fact that stutter is more likely to occur if I select a new page from the browser. But I can also get the effect when I am away from the keyboard, so the activity that causes the problem is not necessarily caused by a user action.

    So that is where I am at the moment. Still puzzled that it doesn't affect many people!

    Regards, Paul

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-05-02T14:03:02+00:00

    Hi Paul

    I am having the same issues as you, since I set up my new machine in early 2019.

    It happens like this: the screen freezes, and often the sound too (this is particularly frustrating during home office meetings). Seconds later, the message pops up: "new connected sound device" (or something like that, my windows is not set in English) . If I'm using my main speakers,plugged on the back of my PC, they mutate, requiring me to unplug and replug the jack output. If i am using headphone, plugged in the front panel of PC,  it returns to normal without further problems.

    At the beginning I formatted several times, reinstalled all mother board drivers, updated BOIS, but I was never able to associate with any specific software. In my case, I never installed OpenOffice, and I have already done tests to install the OS on different HDs / SSDs.

    Regards, Eduardo

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