Last night I used my laptop to provide continuous Christmas music for a 6 hour party. I used a simple "DJ" mix program that has worked well in the past.

Now granted, laptop soundcards are not the greatest, but something curious happened. As the night went on, the sound became progressively "scratchy". No pops or dropouts, just not as clear and dynamic as when I started the program.

Could this be indicative of a bad sound card, a bad driver etc. Since I do presentations with this laptop, I'd love to "nip this problem in the bud". What do you think?

And no, it wasn't the eggnog...

Thanks and have a wonderful holiday!