Windows Media Player Wrecks Sound?

Sounds like some strange routing, maybe looping back through audio interface.
I use media player often before and after Sonar with no issues.
What is your Windows default playback device set as? Are you using the built-in sound card for media player or your interface?

This is the common complaint when windows forces another audio driver. And it seems there is not one answer to this as different systems may or may not work for you. It a driver issue. 
 
In my case I have always disabled on board audio and only use my audio interface for all sounds. i've done this for 15 years. But with one interface, an M Audio, it caused a clock rate shift after using WMP or Win Amp. I was recording at 48 and it would force Sonar to 44.1.  My solution was to aviod those players and just use Sonar and Wave Lab. 
But my last 2 interfaces don't seem to have a problem playing anything I throw at it. So it's something in the drivers that can cause problems. 
 
There are some people who use on board sound side by side with ASIO and seem to have it working but this I think is uncommon. 

I use the on-board sound device for all windows playback with a separate set of speakers.
 
Then I have the rme card exclusive for sonar use.
 
In the past I have disabled the on-board device and just used my "pro" card (delta 66 and 1010, now rme) for the windows sound.
 
The problem I had with that is that even if I disabled all sounds for windows, every time there was an update it would enable the windows sounds and I had to disable them again.
 
At this point I prefer to have both audio interfaces enabled. However, I do disable the audio device associated with the HDMI port on my video card.
 
 

I am one that have always had at least two audio devices active going back to my first serious audio interface. I used an SB live for all Windows sounds and media playback. I used a TDIFF card hooked to a Tascam TM D 1000 digital mixer. I did this because I didn't have the mixer always on as well as having it exclusively for Sonar or Logic. Also Windows would not boot with the mixer on. 
 
I never had a problem doing this. As time past I upgraded the mixer and also got rid of the SB. I used the on board audio for Windows and a USB audio device for Sonar.
 
I have never advised turning off the on board audio but use it for normal day to day use and leaving your pro audio for your DAW.
 
Windows can handle this arrangement with no difficulty what so ever. 
 

Thanks, everyone.  Oddly, I have not changed anything (knowingly).  All audio (Sonar and other) comes through my Roland VS-700 I/O, using ASIO.
 
If this is a driver or some such, I wonder why using Windows Media Player would mess things up and rebooting would fix it. Odd.
 
Everything was fine.  PC hadn't been rebooted in a while.  Played a short video clip--nothing new.  Then audio went crazy. I actually freaked out and thought I had a virus or something. (MS Security Essentials didn't find anything and the reboot fixed it.)
 
I can only assume that Windows updated itself in general or Media Player specifically and hosed up those defaults.  Maybe I will uninstall and reinstall Windows Media Player.
 
Sound reasonable?

OK, Doktor, thanks.  Whenever something just stops working when no changes have been made, it makes me wonder.  I know I didn't change drivers.  I do know that Windows makes updates whenever it feels like it. So, I'm jujst trying to get a handle on this.  As always, the help and advice are much appreciated.

And I'll repeat, This issue is common and it is DIFFERENT on each system. 
It really seems to be up to how the ASIO drivers "share" if you set that option. 
I use my interface exclusivly because I do not ever playback anything but my studio music on my DAW. 
If your DAW is not exclusivly a DAW but used for "do all" computer stuff like surfing etc then the on board option might be the best.
 Me I need to hear all music playback though my studio monitors. 
I disable windows sounds and they seem to stay disabled unless I change a theme. 
 

I always have windows system sounds turned off. But I don't want to have to change my interface from ASIO to listen back on WMP to some audio for comparison sake.

As WMP is what some people will be listening to music on I want to have that available on my DAW to see how a mix might sound through WMP on computer soeakers.

sharing drivers in Sonar is in a way mis labeled as the driver will always be available to any program that can address it. The only difference is that when sharing in Sonar is checked then only the program with Windows focus can access the driver. When unchecked all programs that can address the driver will be able to do so simultaneously.

Because with some ASIO drivers WMP or other Windows music apps will change your mode from ASIO to WDM or ?  and / or if your projects were 48 it will turn them to 44.1. But as I said this really depends on which interface your using. This never happens to me anymore. 
Rebooting puts Sonar back to it's defaults. 
 
So I think for those of us who have no problem we only need an ASIO audio interface for all audio.
But for those who have your issue then you should probably use your on board audio for Windows Apps. Or like Bob try the HDMI. 

konradh
Maybe I am missing something, but here is my question.  If my drivers are messed up, why are they fine until I use Windows Media Player, and then why does a reboot fix it?
 
Under Sounds in Control Panel, I disabled Speakes and Headphones and left VS-700 as the default device.  That did not change the issue.

See my very first post. It's all about the driver and it's environment.