If you have your system installed from m.2, try to install it on a normal drive. for me, that was the problem.
System Freeze and Audio Problem
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Anonymous
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
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
102 answers
Sort by: Oldest
-
Anonymous
2020-09-22T16:47:34+00:00 -
Anonymous
2020-10-10T22:35:06+00:00 As I am still stable without all these extra things people are doing and or claiming, I repeat I did a fresh install of windows 10 and was very careful of installing all the windows updates before I used the Intel driver update tool and also then the manufactures motherboards drivers. It has been a while now that I have been stable without any problems. I do not believe this problem has anything to do with what system you built! I think it is a windows driver conflict with an Intel driver. As this is not widespread they may just fix it in an update and never admit to this problem. I really think its all how you install your drivers. If anyone can talk to this please do so.
-
Anonymous
2020-10-21T11:12:52+00:00 I looked for a long time trying to find a solution to this, and one thing seems to have done the trick. Haven't had a freeze or sound issue for weeks now.
I set my windows power plan to High Performance mode, and inside the advanced power settings, set hard drives to never turn off. I also set PCI Express - Link State Power Management to off as well.
I have Win10 installed on an M.2 drive attached directly to my motherboard (Asus Z370-E). I also have a larger SSD connected in SATA. Somehow during my last system install I ended up with a "System Reserved" partition on my SSD, even though I installed on my M.2. Not sure if that's part of the issue. Perhaps that SSD going to sleep due to power saving was causing the intability...
FYI like a lot of people here, the exact issues I was having were system freezes lasting a few seconds, followed by my Sonic Studio audio driver telling my I've just plugged an audio cable in. The sound of anything playing during the freeze would get very distorted, and depending on the app that was playing audio, it would either stop producing sound at all until a restart, or continue but stay constantly garbled.
-
Anonymous
2020-10-22T05:32:45+00:00 Capt Crunch11's solution has been working for me so far. I'll update in a few days.
-
Anonymous
2020-10-23T18:28:42+00:00 I am having the exact same issue, Ive done a clean install of windows, updated all drivers, disabled other audio devices, ran sfc etc, mostly everything I could find online with no luck.
Latest fix Ive applied is increasing the virtual memory, i will reply here if anything works, and please do so as well, this is so frustrating and I dont want to start replacing hardware until I know for sure what the issue is.
Im pretty sure its not a hardware issue tho seeing as we all have this issue but no common use cases, I mostly game on my system and watch video.