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The curse of using a Windows device to stream

In Win 10 under "Performance Options"

The click is called "Adjust for best performance".

That usually quiets most useless back-round processes. Makes old puters really fly...

Same for me, Special software that only runs on Windows.

Friends company has super expensive CNC machines that still run on Win XP and 7.

The software upgrade is 15,000$.

So here I am stuck fixing a specialized 386 power supply... :(
 
mrehorst said:
The OP's problem is that he's playing music using the same computer that he uses for doing other tasks, and that PC's OS is windows. The "increasing distortion" that is accompanying accumulation of junk files is likely caused by background processes hogging the CPU cycles needed to play the audio. A lot of short dropouts close together will sound like distortion. Yes, someone with sufficient expertise might be able to delve into the intricacies of windows and find and fix whatever is actually causing the problem. How many weeks should a noob devote to this? It seems to me the OP is simply trying to do too much with this computer.
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Agree, on top of that installs crapware due dishonest companies.

mrehorst said:
The OP's problem is that he's playing music using the same computer that he uses for doing other tasks, and that PC's OS is windows. The "increasing distortion" that is accompanying accumulation of junk files is likely caused by background processes hogging the CPU cycles needed to play the audio. A lot of short dropouts close together will sound like distortion. Yes, someone with sufficient expertise might be able to delve into the intricacies of windows and find and fix whatever is actually causing the problem. How many weeks should a noob devote to this? It seems to me the OP is simply trying to do too much with this computer.
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I agree and jellyfin is fantastic, a small proxmox hypervisor with Immich and jellyfin is all that he needs, are you going to install it for him? Or guide him to do it? And I guess you are going to give him the bare metal and to do it too.

A Windows user needs to make his system to perform better; that can be done for sure with 5 minutes of his time reducing 200+ process to around 120, freeing RAM and CPU use, and dealing with that nasty telemetry somehow present everywhere. Minutes not weeks.
mrehorst said:
I would be considered a linux noob, but linux has become easy enough that even I can follow instructions to install software and get it working. It's not hard to do and there's a lot of help available online. The reliability of linux is such that once it is set up it will keep working, in my case for years, with minimal user interaction. It's mostly a matter of becoming fed-up enough with windows to motivate the change. I would dump windows altogether except that I use CAD software with a 3D mouse and there doesn't seem to be a driver for the mouse that works in linux.
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Good, the more the merrier, this year those mouse getting close to full support is what I'm hearing.

We could spend hours chatting about your set up, the good, the bad, the ugly and have a lot of fun... but this thread again is about to improve a Windows PC. So using Linux community users slang, a "noob" coming to a group of ''normies" to tell them that they need to replace their OS, doesn't add much IMO.

Anyway, I already said to the OP what I think he can do to improve his situation. I'm out.
 
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I learned long ago to never play on my work computer and never work on my play computer. I use a mid 2014 MacBook Pro as a Plex server and the only tasks it ever does is play music and occasionally, I use it to record vinyls to digital files. Granted, Mac OS has few background processes that I'm aware of that generate distortion and noise (how's that for virtue signaling?), but if it did, limiting its use would nip that in the bud. Music servers place little processing loads on the machine, so they almost never have to be the latest and greatest and old PCs and Macs are dirt cheap, as are Raspberry Pi, which are popular for use as music servers and streamers. Even the stingiest AKer can afford $100 or less for an old laptop.
 
N2552 said:
Not my in Jan 2017 purchased then just released new Xbox S (version with cd/dvd/blue ray drive in my case). It doesn't go to sleep while streaming........ There is also a setting it never goes to 'sleep' or turn off all by itself! Same with my HP 17inch windows 11 Laptop from 2024. Just leave it plugged in with AC, or even batteries (until they go dead empty). Just settings.
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It's set for no sleep ..
And It can be resolved ..

Just wondered if anyone had noticed and drilled down to figure out which service(s) is the "usual" (windows has many) culprit ..
 
Hipocrates said:
That thing is nasty, remove it, google Chris Titus debloat.

Download Revo unistaller to properly des install MS junk, after those two actions you should a more responsive and lean machine.
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Always up for a suggestion ..
Ccleaner resolves it ..

I'm just checking to see if there's a known application or service culprit that can just be unloaded ..
Maybe .. Microsoft is pretty good at forcing it down your throat and they've only improved over tha past 30 years or so ..
 
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mrehorst said:
"Virtue signaling" is a term that belongs in the dustbin of history alongside "alternative facts"...

The OP's problem is that he's playing music using the same computer that he uses for doing other tasks, and that PC's OS is windows. The "increasing distortion" that is accompanying accumulation of junk files is likely caused by background processes hogging the CPU cycles needed to play the audio. A lot of short dropouts close together will sound like distortion. Yes, someone with sufficient expertise might be able to delve into the intricacies of windows and find and fix whatever is actually causing the problem. How many weeks should a noob devote to this? It seems to me the OP is simply trying to do too much with this computer.

He asked for solution to the problem, and there are many, but in my opinion, the best solution is to either dump windows in favor of linux, or set up a PC specifically to play music, preferably running linux as it won't be loaded with spyware and it will work more reliably than a computer running windows.

I would be considered a linux noob, but linux has become easy enough that even I can follow instructions to install software and get it working. It's not hard to do and there's a lot of help available online. The reliability of linux is such that once it is set up it will keep working, in my case for years, with minimal user interaction. It's mostly a matter of becoming fed-up enough with windows to motivate the change. I would dump windows altogether except that I use CAD software with a 3D mouse and there doesn't seem to be a driver for the mouse that works in linux.
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He asked if anyone else experiences the problem ..
The machine is a dedicated music device ..
"Newb" might not apply ..
 
transmaster said:
RVTIK as always, I used the TurboTax app installed on my iPhone and iPad to do my taxes. I have never used Windows for that. Used just my iPhone for years, and now I use my iPad.

To transfer files, please add a NAC drive to your system. Your Androids, iOS as well can load their files to the NAC drive, and your Windows machine only sees the EXFAT files. EXFAT works with everything, including Apple. NAC's are nice to have, so that all of your computers can load into it and all of them can share the files. In California, fire country people I know maintain not only cloud storage but big NAC drives. If a fire threatens, and there is no time, they just grab the NAS drive and evacuate.
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I appreciate the input!

I'm afraid that I have zero interest in attempting to use a phone in that way. I have a 27" monitor that I use with either my laptop -Win11- or my old desktop PC which is still Win10 and will remain that way. My desktop PC has no access to the internet and can't get updates. My big, grown-ass-man-sized fingers need a real keyboard since even texting often is frustrating for me.

I really don't understand the rest of your advice. Do you mean adding a different hard drive? Truth be told, I'm not really willing to put that much effort into Windows anymore. I'm happy with the way Linux is working for me and I use it over 90% of the time.
 
RVT1K said:
I appreciate the input!

I'm afraid that I have zero interest in attempting to use a phone in that way. I have a 27" monitor that I use with either my laptop -Win11- or my old desktop PC which is still Win10 and will remain that way. My desktop PC has no access to the internet and can't get updates. My big, grown-ass-man-sized fingers need a real keyboard since even texting often is frustrating for me.

I really don't understand the rest of your advice. Do you mean adding a different hard drive? Truth be told, I'm not really willing to put that much effort into Windows anymore. I'm happy with the way Linux is working for me and I use it over 90% of the time.
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Yes, a NAS drive if you are operating multiple platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. A network-attached storage (NAS) device is dead handy. Everything has access to the files on an NAS drive. Load photos from an Android smartphone, and your Linux machine has access. An NAS drive can be wireless and wired, your choice.

I hear you are using the iPhone for my taxes. Did that before I had my Mac Studio and iPad. Did my taxes on the Mac Studio this year using the iPad for reference.
 
As a side note, the computer world has been rocked by ASUS. Dell and HP are dropping Windows and are going Linux; Phoenix. Windows will be available as an extra cost option. There has been a rebellion in the computer world when Windows dropped support for Windows 10, and is allowing updating to Windows 11 only on computers with a certain chipset. I am looking at installing Zorin OS 18.1
 
Was just reading that Seagate is coming out with a 44 TB HD. Set up a NAS with 2 of these drives, one backing up the other. You can brag about your mondo storage capacity.
 
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