Hello everyone,
Recently, perhaps within the last 30 days, I've been having problems with using Skype with my USB7100 phone.
In a predictable manner, I am only able to make one successful call. Each attempt to make another call causes Skype to display an error message: "Problem with Playback Device." The only way to make another Skype call is to re-boot my computer after each call; obviously this is not a solution.
I have attempted restarting both VTECH USB7100 software (version: 2.17) and Skype software (version: 3.6.0.244. Restarting these programs does not help!
Changing the audio device to the computer's speaker and microphone does work, however, but I prefer to use my VTECH phone for Skype. This find seem to point to a specific issue between the VTECH phone and Skype. But I suspect that a recent Skype upgrade may have actually caused this problem.
Next, I uninstalled Skype version 3.6.0.244 (the latest) and installed Skype version 3.0.0.190 but this version also displayed the "Problem with Playback Device"
Then I installed Skype version 2.5.0.82. This time when making a call, no error message appears, however, Skype hangs up about 10 seconds after initiating the call. Finally, I installed version 2.6.0.97b of Skype and this time, I can make calls and connect EXCEPT there is only a soft hiss coming through the VTECH ear piece. The caller on the other end cannot hear me nor can I hear the other caller.
I give up.
Any suggestions?
Has any one else encountered this problem?
BTW: Other than typical Windows XP Pro updates and Skype updates in the past 30 days (approximate time since this problem began), nothing else has changed on my computer.
Hardware: Fujitsu Lifebook T4210, 1.5 GB RAM, VTECH USB7100, High speed Internet over 54MBps wireless WPA.
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Further to the above, the problem is not the 3.6 version but the compatibility between the old version in the VTech phone, and its incompatibility with the PC versions. YOu could ostensibly try every PC version they came out with, but I think in the end you will conclude that, unless you luckily hit on a compatible version, you will have to scrap the Vtech for a stand-alone phone that uses ethernet and does not require a PC.
Hello scrathcyboy.... I think you finally realized that I was, in fact, using the latest version of Skype when the problem was discovered. Though trial and error, I discovered that version 2.6.0.97b partially worked (at least no errors) but there was also no audio either.
I'm not sure that scraping the VTECH is an acceptable answer. VTECH is still selling this phone! I will contact them directly.
Thanks for your input.
I can now confirm that VTECH's version 2.35 does fix the problem. This version is in the Vista section BUT it also works under Windows XP.
It may be downloaded from here:
http://shop.vtechcanada.co
No objections, I suppose. I was hoping for a Vista solution but like many things related to Vista, I suppose I have to accept that sometimes I must accept the 'impossible' - as absurd as that may seem.
It became a real pain to keep VMware with Windows XP open all the time. Despite having a Quad Core and 6GB of memory, I found that my virtual XP really slowed down Vista. Perhaps it is because VMWare is still a 32bit application?
Anyhow, the other issue was that my visualized XP would occasionally lose the USB Vtech and required me to unplug it and plug it back in. A bit annoying!
Then.... one day, I had the 'brilliant' idea to use my HTC touch connected to my wireless and use the PPC version of Skype. Wow! What a failure that turned out! Perhaps my HTC touch with it's 201 MHz CPU isn't speedy enough for clear Skype calls?
Now... I am considering a dedicated Skype phone....
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by: scrathcyboyPosted on 2008-01-05 at 21:19:42ID: 20592703
The problem is, you are using a 2.x version. These versions had this problem. I HAD to upgrade to the latest 3.6, as with the new Skype servers out there, my old version was dropping dial out connections predictably after 9.5 minutes, every time. The new skype servers almost REQUIRE the latest software. Get on their site, and upgrade the system to the latest 3.6 version. If the separate phone is programmable, you should also upgrade it. If not, you might be looking at a newer phone to keep up. I hate the 3.6 interface, it is a big step backward from the old interface in terms of logical usability. But it is ROCK SOLID on outgoing calls. Try it.