Every so often, my computer completely loses audio at the same time that videos, games, and other graphics begin running in slow motion. This affects streaming sites, browser videos, and games, but Windows itself remains responsive: there is no general stuttering, memory usage looks normal in Task Manager, websites load quickly, and applications open normally. Restarting the computer fixes the problem temporarily, but it has returned roughly 10–12 times over the past three months. What could cause only audio and media playback to slow down like this?
1 Answer
A restart temporarily clearing the issue suggests a driver or system-service glitch rather than a general performance problem. Since both audio and video are affected at once, I’d start by updating or reinstalling the graphics and audio drivers, then check Windows Event Viewer around the time it happens for driver or hardware errors.
Restarting does fix it for a while, but the problem keeps coming back every few weeks. I’ll check the drivers and event logs the next time it happens.