DiscoSass

There are file recovery programs out there. I have managed to recover files, photos, movies, etc, etc even after formatting drives, deleting, system resores. I havnt got any program names at hand, but there are plenty out there!

Have you reinstalled windows? I had this problem when installing windows after a format, it was as if windows had not completely installed and it was trying to run from what it knew. I sorted that by another format and a full reinstall, let it take it's time and do everything properly.

I used to have it all wired up through surround sound stereo, great for playing Command and Conquer!! Altho the neighbours didn't think so LoL Just use it for normal stuff nowadays, so just bought some little stand alone speakers from Aldi. They were fab untill this :P

Yep, from past experience, rule out the easy bits first. If that doesnt work, I have a few ideas.

Just a standard set of pnp speakers, bog standard. I thought about the speakers also, but surely all sound playback would be the same. It wouldn't give you different results for different mp3s, ie some giving echo and some badly distored through poor bit rate. Anyway, let me update you with where I'm at right now... I have bought a new motherboard, swapped everything over, formatted C:, disconnected D:\ (incase it was something infecting from there) installed windows, drivers, etc, just to the basic need to play sound and guess what?!?!? Still the same!!! omg!!! Bang, bang, bang (head on the wall btw) So, I dug out some nasty manky old speakers out of my ghosts of PC's past box and guess what??? PERFECT!!! Well go to ffff...... I don't know how, I don't know why, but it's working and that (should) be good enough for me! I'm dumb founded as to how and why, but it's a fact and thats that. I'll just have to accept it. Sorry, babbling a bit now as I'm beyond myself at how unusual the problem was and how simple to fix. LoL

Any other ideas welcome :)

Ok, so... I have removed every instance of any sound device, disabled on board sound in bios, done restarts etc etc. Fitted alternative sound card, installed drivers and still get this infernal problem. This just doesnt make sense. Other than sound playback through the computer, it's perfect. I can transfer files from this PC to others and they are fine, I can burn cd's to play on other devices and they are fine. There has to be something I am missing

RAM made no difference, unfortunately after my Dad came round the other night with soundcard and it didn't work I gave it back to him to take home as I've got enough crap around LoL. I'll nip round to his this aft and get a couple off him to try and then I'll go through Tootech's suggestion and get back to you all later today. Getting ear ache from the missus to go and cut the grass while the sun's out, you know how it is. Public holiday my arse! Thanks again guys! :):confused::)

I'll try changing RAM, will come back when done. Can that really make a difference? cant hurt to check I guess :D

Hi all! I see you managed to fix this problem, however I suffered with the same problem once or twice also. Here's how I overcame it. Please note that I recommend only users with some experience and knowledge of their motherboard use this method. I slowed down my PC by lowering the jumper settings for the FSB on the motherboard. Then installed from Windows cd as normal and no read errors at all. Works everytime!

Yes, the speakers were plugged in to the socked on the card and not my original onboard sound device. Everything else works fine, running smoothly, no unecessary HD chunnering, graphics smooth. All A-ok. Also as mentioned if I burn audio cd's and play them on my lap to or stand alone hi-fi/cd player they are perfect. If I play an original bought cd on the PC then it plays the same as my mp3's from HD. Different files play in different ways, the most common form that it manifests itself in is that, if you picture a recording studio that each part if the song is recorded in different layers (ie lead vocals, drums, guitar, backing vocals, etc) then some of the layers are missing and that lead vocals, if present, have an echo to them. However, some mp3s don't even give me that much and are so badly distorted by sucha crap bitrate you can't even make out what song it is. audio on movie files suffer from either no sound at all or the most common one is it plays at a bad bitrate.

See now this is the bit I'm questioning myself on.... I think I did. I know the PC speakers were definatey plugged in to the other sound card, but I'm not sure if I disabled and uninstalled everything first.

I asked my Dad if he had a spare sound card about (like Aladins cave the amount of bits we horde, LoL) I don't recall what it was. But yes in step 6, I disabled the onboard sound in the bios, uninstalled the sound device in windows and then insterted a soundcard in slot and installed the windows drivers and it still played the same. I am under the thinking I'll need to buy a new mobo, but I thought I should ask about first before possibly throwing a perfectly good mobo away. As I said, everything else works fine, if I burn music cds from this PC they play perfect, just the actually sound coming through it is pants :s

Here's one for the PC Elite Guru's! I've been banging my head against the wall with this one as I'm pretty hot with PC's, have been for some years, but now I have a problem that I cannot fix. Basically all my sound has became messed up, it effects diferent files in different ways. Some MP3 files play the music fine, but missing vocal layers. Some MP3's play at such a terrible bitrate it is completely unrecognisable. Sound on some avi/mpg is missing completely while others play at a bad bit rate. At first I thought something had gotten in and corrupted all my files (I'm a DJ so there loads!) however when I burned an audio disk it plays fine in another machine. So I expanded on this and played an original bought audio cd on my PC (Nickleback - Silverside up, to be precise) and it played with the same issues as mp3's from the hdd, music sounded ok, although missing some layers and vocals had an echo to it (please note only the vocals had echo!) My mobo is ASRock K7VM4 with onboard sound, which I use. So here's what I've tried so far 1. Updated sound drivers 2. Checked and confirmed Bios settings 3. Checked all sound settings in Windows and Sound card manufacturer programs 4. Formatted PC, full new install of Windows, all drivers... still the same 5. As above as wasnt sure if it was ok at basic windows install before adding all other programs (you never know it could have been a burning prog that was causing it)... Still the same 6. Installed a different soundcard, disabled on board sound... no change 7. Full Bios flash and reinstalled latest bios version I have came to the conclusion that it is not a Software problem and that it is not a sound device problem... but what else does that leave? Does the motherboard have a processor on board that distributes sound to a sound device? Like as I started, I have been banging my head against the wall with this one. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance :) Stu