delay after pushing play

[jeffy_2003]

i have a demo verson of cubase 5 and i can't figure out how to make cubase play right from the point where i press play. it goes back about 1/4 measure first then plays. also after i press stop it keeps going for about 1/4 measure.
does this have anything to do with latency? if so why? i'm not using any audio (audio is disabled, no recorded tracks).

thanks