dunc07: Hi all,

there have been a number of posts regarding sound lags and crackling in FSW in WIndows Vista and higher, but none of them solved the issue for everyone. So after some research and testing of combinations in different OS configurations, I am now pretty confident that the following combination of fixes (none of them I claim credit for) will fix the issue once and for all.

1) Install FSW, fire it up, go to the "Options" -> "Audio" screen. Here, crank up the "Quality" slider to MAX, and the "Music" slider to MIN/OFF. Notice that you can not use the "EAX" checkbox, it is "grayed out". Exit FSW.

2) On the FSW shortcut (either on the desktop or in the start menu), right-click and select "Properties". On the "Shortcut" tab, change the "Run:" drop-down box to "Minimized". On the "Compatibility" tab, activate the "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" checkbox and select "Windows XP (Service Pack 2). Hit "Apply" and "OK" to exit.

3) Make sure you have OpenAL installed. I would have LOVED to add a working link, but due to the fact that I never posted before and how this forum software works, I seem not to be allowed to add links. Let me try anyway in a (slightly) disguised way:
www(dot)openal(dot)org(slash)creative-installers(slash)oalinst.zip

4) If you have a Creative/Soundblaster card, check if you have "Alchemy" installed. If you don't have it, or if you have a NON-Creative/Soundblaster card, download and install the "Creative ALchemy Universal" program:
community(dot)pcgamingwiki(dot)com(slash)files(slash)file(slash)28-creative-alchemy-universal(slash)

5) Fire Up ALchemy, it should show Full Spectrum Warrior in the list of "Installed Games". Mark the entry and press the ">>" button in the middle to activate ALchemy for FSW. Exit ALchemy.

6) Navigate to your FSW folder. Find the "dsound.ini" file, open it in a text editor and edit it in the following way:
Buffers=4
Duration=5
MaxVoiceCount=32
DisableDirectMusic=1

7) Navigate to your "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc" folder and find the "hosts" file. Right-click on that file, select "Properties". On the "General" tab, de-select the "Attributes: Read-Only" checkbox. Open the file in a text editor and add the following entry...
127.0.0.1 fswpc.available.gamespy.com

...save the file and close it. Right-click again, select "Properties", and re-apply the "Attributed: Read-Only" checkbox.

8) Start up FSW. Be aware that by setting the "minimized" option on the shortcut, the game might start minimized to the taskbar. In that case, simply click on the taskbar icon to maximize it again. Once the game is up, go to the "Options" -> "Audio" screen again and make sure your settings regarding the quality etc. are still in there. You should as well notice that the "EAX" box is now usable. However, do NOT check it!

That should be it! You should now be able to enjoy FSW w/o any sound issues. :)

One further note for those of you who edited the "Resolution.cfg" file to match your native monitor resolution: be aware that this file will get reset to a "valid" default FSW resolution whenever you make changes to the in-game options. So after adjusting the options for the audio stuff mentioned above, it might be wise cross-checking the Resolution.cfg file again.

As stated earlier, I tested this in various OS configurations, so I hope it will be valid for everyone. Feedback is always welcome!

Cheers,
Dunc.