Hi again you two hardworking folks
In Device Manager, the Nvidia HD Audio now shows as disabled (with a red X, right?)....
If you find a definite cure for this, gamers all over are going to be very happy. So far, I was both right and wrong about the options when installing the Nvidia drivers --- while it is better to remove the three options mentioned, and also to opt for 'clean install' method, -- it also seems that we still have to manually disable the Nvidia HD Audio in Device Manager ... because it seems that Windows automatically installs it - even when the user doesn't (using the Nvidia download). Unfortunately, it's possible that even disabling the Nvidia HD Audio in Device Manager doesn't completely cure the audio stuttering issues. I'm looking forward to see how you do with the Nvidia HD Audio installed but disabled. (You might need to restart to test it more completely). It shouldn't load the drivers when it is disabled. I have to believe that eventually Nvidia will fix this, but till then .... on we go!
Good luck!