Windows 98 won't play MP3, heavy distortion

[mrmagill]

My son has an older box with Windows 98 on it. Standard AMD 500 Mhz processor. When we go to play an MP3, we get about 2 seconds (or less) of grossly distorted sound and then it stops playing. WAV files play fine, as do MIDI.

The kicker is that I solved this problem about a year ago, too. Identical symptoms. Solution took less than 5 minutes, but I've lost the fix somewhere. :confused:

Does anyone remember seeing this problem before? Know how to fix it? Its been a long time since 98, and I've made a concerted effort to forget most of what I knew about it... :D Post back if you need any specifics of the machine. Common sound card, all the appropriate drivers, etc. Was working perfectly for a year until something unknown happened again.

Thanks!

[(jj)]

What player is installed on that computer?

[mrmagill]

What player is installed on that computer?

Presently WinAmp, but it does not make any difference whether you try to play the sound back in WinAmp or even Media Player. One thing: If you're using WinAmp and it makes its little spurt of sound and stops, if you try to play something again it says the device is unavaiable (as in already in use) and won't play the sound again.