Audio stuttering while browsing

[CrEsPo]

1.9 GHz P4 CPU
200 GB HDD 7200 RPM
1.5 GB DDR RAM
Creative Audigy 2 ZS
WinXP Pro
Outpost 2.7 416
WinAmp 5.094

I did a search and found this.

Going through it I can answer these questions:

- My RAM shouldn't be a problem
- Winamp in Trusted Apps does the same thing
- Not streaming
- System RAM usage 362 MB
- System CPU usage 11%
- Outpost CPU usage 0-3%
- Outpost RAM usage 10 MB
- WinAmp CPU usage 0-3%
- WinAmp RAM usage 10 MB
- 57% free on my C drive (Windows) 40 GB
- 10% free on my D drive (Files) 160 GB
- Page file is 1.5x my RAM on D drive
- I have already disabled unneed services
- Both HDD's get defragged weekly on Friday
- Sound card drivers are up to date
- All drivers are up to date
- Unused Outpost plugins are disabled
- Using Active Content, Ads, Attachment Quarentine, Attack Detection, and Blockpost

Additionaly information:
- Windows Media Player 10 (and Classic) and VideoLAN also stutter the audio while browsing
- I was recently using Sygate which does not stutter the audio while browsing
- I do have a 3.2 GHz P4 with HT sitting at my uncles house
- I am waiting for him to find time to install it since I have not installed a CPU before
- I doubt that a 1.9 GHz P4 would not be able to handle this simple task though

Not sure what else I can include, any help would be appreciated.

By the way, I would of posted in the other thread, but seen that the thread was 2 years old so didn't think resurrecting it would be a good idea.

[chrisclu]

Did you try without OP running to rule out OP?
Chris

[CrEsPo]

Did you try without OP running to rule out OP?
Chris

Yes, it works with fine without OP running. Even with another firewall it works fine, it's only OP that this audio stuttering happens.

[Paranoid2000]

CrEsPo,

Does the stuttering only happen with audio streamed from the Internet or is music held locally affected also? If only streamed audio then check your Blocked and Attack Detection logs for any relevant entries (traffic may be being blocked depending on your rules setup).

Are the figures you give for CPU utilisation average or peak? If peak ever reaches 100% (with Outpost accounting for any significant portion) then check the recommendations made in Resolving High CPU Utilisation Issues with Outpost.

[brooklingii]

I have the same problem. It was fixed by turning off the ad blocking plugin; or, and a better solution for me, was to change back to the default ad block list (I had been using tha agnis list). Using the second solution there was still an occasional stutter, but there was a vast improvement.

[CrEsPo]

CrEsPo,

Does the stuttering only happen with audio streamed from the Internet or is music held locally affected also? If only streamed audio then check your Blocked and Attack Detection logs for any relevant entries (traffic may be being blocked depending on your rules setup).

The music is held locally when stuttering, I haven't tried a streaming of audio yet as the only time I stream is when a soccer game is not aired on TV for my team.

Are the figures you give for CPU utilisation average or peak? If peak ever reaches 100% (with Outpost accounting for any significant portion) then check the recommendations made in Resolving High CPU Utilisation Issues with Outpost.

The CPU utilisations I gave were average. Did a quick check for the peak and it's only a little higher every once in a while (more than likely doing something small every so often).

I have the same problem. It was fixed by turning off the ad blocking plugin; or, and a better solution for me, was to change back to the default ad block list (I had been using tha agnis list). Using the second solution there was still an occasional stutter, but there was a vast improvement.

I think you may have stumbled onto something here. I turned off the ad blocking plugin and went through a couple of sites quickly with no stuttering. When I turned it back on it started to stutter again. I was also using the AGNIS list.

I think this is something the plugin creator (this one is maintained by Agnitum is it not?) should look into.

I was also using Firefox and the adblock plugin, so having this plugin isn't a big issue, but the AGNIS list is a good one to have.

Thanks for that information brooklingii, I'm going to leave the ads plugin turned off for now, until someone can fix this issue. Maybe this should be posted somewhere were people can see?

[feenixx]

yep, stuttering happens for me as well if I use Outpost's adblock with AGNIS
blocklist. Problem disappears when adblock plugin is disabled.

[dolce]

Me also. I use AGNIS's ad-block list. The audio stuttering when i play music held locally and so does the mouse.

[fredv]

Hi,

Sorry for bringing this topic alive after so many years
but i experience exactly the same problem with Outpost 7.5 and winamp or any sound producing program.

Whenever i'm listening to music, every load of web page or download makes the audio stutter..
When i disable Outpost Firewall, everything is ok, audio runs great

I have tried different settings and i have found that stopping the Firewall part only is enough -(i can keep the proactive protection)

all my drivers are updates (network drivers, audio drivers (line6 toneport))

i'm on Seven 32bit

any idea ? any people with the same problem ?

[jmjsc]

It is Outpost's long running DPC latency problem. A reboot usually temporarily fixes it for me, but it comes back after hours of uptime.

Just to confirm it really is this problem for you download DPC latency checker http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

[fredv]

Hello,

oh yes i konw this tool and i'm so afraid to see big red graphs when i use Outpost while listening to music
i think it was less annoying before but nowadays it's quite impossible to listen quietly while surfing

no news about fixes ? impossible to fix ? too bad, outpost was my favorite firewall

[jmjsc]

Unfortunately it is caused by an Outpost driver which is crucial for Outpost functionality. I am hoping it will be fixed or at least mitigated by Outpost 7.5.2 which is released in a few weeks.

[Maxis]

It is Outpost's long running DPC latency problem. A reboot usually temporarily fixes it for me, but it comes back after hours of uptime.

What's your videocard? ATI Radeon, I guess?

[jmjsc]

What's your videocard? ATI Radeon, I guess?

No, NV Geforce.

[Maxis]

No, NV Geforce.

Hmm. There is a theory, that there's a conflict between Outpost and ATI drivers (since most of such reports are from users with ATI cards).

http://forum.ru-board.com/topic.cgi?...4&start=560#10 -- NVIDIA card + freshly installed XP SP3 + KMP + OFP => no slowdowns (KMP is mediaplayer, to check the slowdowns during playing the video); replaced the card to ATI HD4650 => no slowdowns; installed 10-9 Catalyst drivers => slowdowns; replaced ATI with NVidia card again and installed 91.47 drivers => no slowdowns.

My card is also ATI and on freshly installed Win7-64 there are slowdowns with any Outpost 7, from betas, to the latest one. The very last Outpost 2009 (with Win7 support) is simply freezing the system after setting up the internet connection.