I am getting random volume fluctuations from any file i play-be it MP3 from hard drive or from internet radio. I changed to new winamp player and it still occurs, also happens with real player. Is this a dying soundcard or is there a virus that targets Mp3's? thank you for any help.
You say "random volume fluctuations". I assume this means if you play back a file twice the fluctuation is different. If this is the case it's probably something hardware-related. To get more security about this you could - try if it still occurs on a clean fresh Windows installation (up to date sound drivers etc.) - back up your boot/system partition before. or use another HDD for testing - try foobar2000: http://foobar2000.hydrogenaudio.org You can choose different output modes (DirectSound, WaveOut, Kernel Streaming) and find out if the problem lies there. - try other audio formats than mp3 (Ogg Vorbis, Musepack ...) - open Windows Volume Control (doubleclick on speaker symbol) and watch if some sliders move while playback (-> virus ?)
I have done some experimenting with different file types and even played some video. I had wondered about a virus because i had downloaded some music, but when i played a cd I had bought it did the same thing. I have found a volume fluctuation with all types, so I am convinced this is a hardware problem. Te machine has onboard sound and i think the sound 'card' is at the end of it's life. Thanks for your help you helped me narrow it down and more properly trouble shoot.
