With my M-Audio Connectiv, I get pops and crackles in the sound every now and then, and I can cause them myself by opening programs, minimizing windows, etc. etc.
After much research I have concluded that the problem is due to an IRQ conflict. Just curious if anyone has experienced something similar and what they did to remedy the situation. So far I’ve done everything basic (disabled all ports that I’m not using and so forth) but to no real avail :-\
Thanks for the link BentoSan! I already knew everything there but hopefully it helps anyone who has a similar problem.
The main problem with XP (and onwards) is that you cannot change IRQs manually as the OS is installed as ACPI by default. I can turn ACPI off at the risk of messing up my system pretty bad, so first I will change the ports on several devices (i.e. my videocard). Hopefully the problem will resolve itself.
By far, this IRQ problem is the most frustrating thing ever. For everyone:
If you ever buy a soundcard and you get pops/crackles, be sure to return in time if you can’t fix the problem, and then try something else (i.e. something that isn’t USB)!