Skipping during videogames

[Scooter90]

I have no good way of explaining the problem, but I will do my best.
It happens with any game, flash or CD-Rom or DVD-rom, whatever it may be, online mostly. For example when playing Halo, the game will eventually slow down as if it were lagging, then stop entirely, and continue forward bit by bit. All the while the sound cuts in and out, not repeating the same thing, but as if the song playing had bits of silence in between (if that makes any sense?)
So basically the game acts like a damaged record sometimes. Afterward it says "Network Connection Lost" and I can just immediately go back to playing, but it happens again later.
I do however notice that it seems to be when there's a lot of things going on in the game at once, i have turned off particles, turned the texture down, etc etc. I do not think it is my graphics card, because it is a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500, and even games that came out before that card (I.E Red Alert 2) do the same thing while online.
If it helps to get an answer it is a Compaq 5000 computer, using wireless routed broadband (if I'm thinking correctly)
Can anyone help me? I'm at a loss of what to do and it is ruining my gaming experience.

Thank you. Brian.

[patio]

Could be the connection speed...
Could be not enough RAM...
Could be the wireless signal itself...

I'm afraid more details will be neccessary.

[Deerpark]

Do you have any way of trying a cabled connection instead? I know from experience that some wireless adapters/routers aren't very good at handling online gaming. I'm not saying this is definitely the problem, but from the info you've given us so far this would be my best bet.

Else we need more info on your system.

[Scooter90]

Do you have any way of trying a cabled connection instead? I know from experience that some wireless adapters/routers aren't very good at handling online gaming. I'm not saying this is definitely the problem, but from the info you've given us so far this would be my best bet.

Else we need more info on your system.

kay, here's the system info....
1.5GHz Pentium 4 processor
256 Mp SyncDRAM(added another 256, so 512 total)
40GBUltraDMA hard drive
48X MAX CD-Rom (taken out and added a DVD player)
16X Max  CD-RW drive
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 Graphics Card

That was all on the side of the tower (excluding Graphics Card and things in parenthesis)

the wireless gear is NETGEAR WG111 V2 54 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter

I would use a direct cable line, but one i don't know if that's possible with our router, I think it is, i saw ports for it in the back, but we chose wireless because the master computer is on the top floor, and we have 2 computers feeding off it's internet. Mine is in the basement, two stories below the router, but still manages 36 Mbps, 64% of the signal.

A friend suggest it might be that the graphics card drivers are not updated.... but I don't think that's the problem.

P.S. thank you for responding so quickly, i didn't think anyone ever would. Your help is much appreciated.

P.S.S I discovered earlier today that Videos (Such as YouTube, or Google Video) do the same thing, all on the internet....if that helps any more.

[Quakky]

lol u seem to have a similar problem as me, but you also havnt done alot fo diagnostics.

first u gotta try a wired connection or try playing games offline. if offline games work fine then you should try a wired connection and just connect your pc straight to your modem, and try to play online. if the problem is solved then its probably the wireless connection that might be doing that to you.

[Scooter90]

lol u seem to have a similar problem as me, but you also havnt done alot fo diagnostics.

first u gotta try a wired connection or try playing games offline. if offline games work fine then you should try a wired connection and just connect your pc straight to your modem, and try to play online. if the problem is solved then its probably the wireless connection that might be doing that to you.

diagnostics? Sorry I have limited intelligence with computers >_<.  As for a wired connection, well i'll try it, but is there a cord that could reach that far??

[Scooter90]

okay! I've got more info, it is not the internet, so this should really help narrow it down. This only happens when a lot is going on at once, for instance Halo, only happend because there were explosions happening, all the while shooting a gun, and others as well, and on Red Alert 2, i had about 60-80 GI's on the screen at once, and it happend again, and i disconnected the wireless internet entirely when that had happend! Ok, so that should help, my guess is the graphic card drivers, or the ammount or RAM.

[Quakky]

Well since u d/ced ur pc from the internet and played offline, and ur still having problems then its something u have done recently that is related to videocard or maybe drivers to a component in ur pc. Have u updated ur drivers lately?

[Scooter90]

Well since u d/ced ur pc from the internet and played offline, and ur still having problems then its something u have done recently that is related to videocard or maybe drivers to a component in ur pc. Have u updated ur drivers lately?

no, i don't know how....

[Scooter90]

K, figured out how, and only on of all the drivers needed an update, and that STILL did not fix it....

[lil_falco]

Make sure that Windows Firewall isnt popping up in the background asking whether or not to block the program.
^^^That applies for full window apps.

Otherthan that you need AT LEAST 1gb of ram for gaming. I think Halo reuiqres 1GB.

Personally I run 4Gb of ddr 667 OCZ GOLD ram for my gaming, but 2 will suffice for most games.

[Scooter90]

Make sure that Windows Firewall isnt popping up in the background asking whether or not to block the program.
^^^That applies for full window apps.

Otherthan that you need AT LEAST 1gb of ram for gaming. I think Halo reuiqres 1GB.

Personally I run 4Gb of ddr 667 OCZ GOLD ram for my gaming, but 2 will suffice for most games.

You have got to be kidding me..... it's not even Halo, it's the Trial thing, and Red Alert 2 says the minium requirement is 256, and it still skips with that.... ok ok, well here's what confuses me, this problem just surfaced about 2months ago, i've played red alert (and newer, more intense games) before that and never had this problem.... Maybe i'll try cleaning my PC up a bit more.

FYI, no, there is no windows firewall problems, when something comes up, it minimizes the game, and I take care of it right away on every new game that accesses the internet.

also, that can't possibly be the reason Videos on YouTube and Google Video, and other video engines do the same thing....can it?

[lil_falco]

I believe ram is your problem. End even though its the trial of Halo... ITS STILL HALO.

[Scooter90]

would that do that to a single video on youtube too?

[trouble]

Look for running programs in the background...Then try video diagnostic procedures..

I play a online game also and i had the same trouble untill i switched to high speed wireless ..But anything you can stop from runing in background should help...


I hope i am allowed to give advice in forum..