Member Avatar for stan316i

running windows media player 11 on xp service pack 2 but the sound is really badly distorted (even at EQ and SRS WOW effects turned off)..trying to update it from microsoft didnt solve any problem..it says its totally upotodate and i have the latest codecs as well >

i was trying to find out on options where the sound card setting is but cannot find it ...

in any case how to solve this problem and have a good sound quality?

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Quick summary and context: the thread shows the distortion was corrected after the playback device was pointed at the proper sound hardware (). That matches a common pattern on XP-era systems: bad sound often comes from the wrong output device, generic drivers, or sample-rate/resampling conflicts rather than the player itself. A short checklist below helps prevent the problem from returning and covers the other questions raised in the replies.

Common troubleshooting checklist (ordered by usefulness):

  • Confirm the problem reproduces in another player (isolates WMP vs system).
  • Use the sound-card vendor driver (not the generic Windows driver) and reinstall it if necessary.
  • Disable any driver/codec “enhancements” or DSP features in the card’s control panel; some cause audible distortion.
  • Try lowering the DirectSound hardware-acceleration or sample‑rate conversion (SRC) slider if present — that setting can affect playback timing and resampling quality on XP. (learn.microsoft.com)

Notes about the taskbar and library background:

  • The taskbar “mini/toolbar” controls are a built-in shell integration feature in WMP, which gives quick play/pause and track buttons when minimized. ’s pointer is the same behavior WMP exposes. (en.wikipedia.org)
  • WMP skins (.wmz) or a skin-mode player (small always-on-top skins) are the safest way to get a compact Winamp‑like interface; several community skins exist (example: Schneider’s Eleven). (jonschneider.com)
  • Changing the white library background isn’t exposed in the WMP UI. Later WMP versions have hidden library images that enthusiasts edit inside wmploc.dll or via registry tweaks; that approach works only with caution (backup, admin rights, system restore) and isn’t officially supported. (askvg.com)

Cautions: back up system files and create a restore point before editing drivers or Resource DLLs; avoid untrusted codec packs. If the issue persists after the checklist, a short hardware test (different speakers/cable or USB headset) quickly rules out physical faults.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for jbennet

Are your speakers broken?

Member Avatar for The Dude

Sounds like a good place to start...

Does audio sound bad in other players also bud?

Member Avatar for jbennet

Check if your speaker, cable or sound ports are broken

Member Avatar for stan316i

no the speakers are new...turns out i found a way to fix the problem...on options >speakers i found the device controller was set on default card and not my card so i changed it to my sound card and now the sound is proper...
anyhow i was wondering if there is a plug in or add on for media player that places the player on the windows bar on the bottom but yet not as a button but in a way that u can can control it without having to mximize it again (in a way like winamp does) ..that would be cool ...also is ther anyway to customise the white background behind the media library screen ( to put something like a picture -background) ?
thanx

Member Avatar for jbennet

Yes, it exists - its built in

Make sure you have a fairly recent media player version (11 is current)

then minimize it and right click on the bar at the bottom of the screen (where start etc is) and choose Toolbars and put a tick next to windows media player. Then when you minimize it it will look like in the pic below.

Member Avatar for stan316i

wow thats so cool and easy ...thanx mate!

Member Avatar for jbennet

Yes. I like windows media player.

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