Troubleshooting mp3 Sound Problems

  updated Feb  28, 2001

1.) Sound starts and stops repeatedly:

After the first bit of audio starts you can hit the stop button (the square symbol) on the media player to tell it to shut up until the file is completely downloaded.   When the download is finally completed, you can hit the play button (the triangle symbol) and it should then play the complete file without any hesitations.

This annoyance has been solved with the new Windows Media Player version 7. See section 3 below for more information.

2.) No sound at all:

If you've never heard any sort of sound other than a beep from your computer, perhaps you need a computer service person to take a look and see what you need in order to play sound files.

If you have previously heard music played on your computer, then check the simple things first: Are your speakers plugged in and turned on? Is the speaker volume control turned up?

As another test,  Click here to try a wav file. 

If you don't even hear that wav file being played, then you probably need to consult your computer supplier or a service person. Or perhaps it will all work ok if you download the latest sound player. I recommend WinAmp or the Microsoft Windows Media Player version 7  (version 6.4 for the Mac) as described below in sections 3 and 5.

If you do hear the words "test, hello" from the wav file, that is very encouraging, and perhaps your computer only lacks an up-to-date mp3 player which you can easily update as described in section 3 below.

3.) Microsoft Media Player:

You can get mp3 players for free from many sources. Many of them are fine products, but some may cause problems. If you are having any sort of sound problems, I recommend downloading the latest version of the Microsoft Media Player, directly from Microsoft.

You can get the latest Microsoft Windows Media Player for both PCs and Mac for free from  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/default.asp  

As it initially starts up, The new version 7 Media Player player has a lot of flashy graphics that can be turned off by using the "skin chooser" to select either "Classic" or "Miniplayer".... I like the Miniplayer for everyday use. But there are a lot of features such as adjusting EQ, altering the surround sound or creating playlists that you can only do in the Full Mode.

To turn off the goofy little square box that appears on the screen with the alternate skins, go to the "Options" menu, select the "Player" tab, then under player settings turn off  "when in compact mode, always display anchor window".

The new version 7 Media Player  has fully adjustable surround sound enhancements as well as a graphic equalizer, so you can easily customize the sound to suit you.

4.) Saving the Audio Files:

Microsoft Media Player does not allow you any opportunity to save the mp3 sound file on your computer, but it is possible to save an mp3 file by pointing your mouse at the desired sound file on a web page, right clicking the mouse and selecting  "Save Target As...". In this manner, you can make your own collection of mp3 sound files that are stored on your computer.

5.) WinAmp Audio Player:

If you don't like the Microsoft Windows Media Player, take a look at WinAmp. It loads very quickly and starts playing almost instantly. You can get it for free at http://www.winamp.com/ .

When you are downloading a file via the internet, Windows Media Player tries to start playing before the complete file is downloaded, and sometimes gets into that annoying start/stop herky-jerky audio playing. In contrast, WinAmp downloads the entire audio file before starting to play, and does not have that herky-jerky problem.