Run Memtest86+ to find out if your ram is bad. If you haven't done it already. Problems from beginning usually indicate a problem with a component in a new setup unless you tried to tweak the OS right from the start. In which case reinstall the whole thing and don't tweak.
I'm not over-clocking the processor, RAM, or anything else. Nor am I using some odd or unknown drivers for sound or video. It only happens when I've got the USB hub plugged in and I'm listening to WinAMP 3. Otherwise the system runs for hours regardless of what I do; music, games that don't need a stick (SH4, Doom3, HL2), watching movies, it doesn't matter. The only other goof I've noticed is some texture hiccups in LOMAC (aircraft have a weird white outline around the edges of their texture, which is also too dark) and HL2 (fog is applied to some shapes instead of the whole scene). Both of which are probably caused by me switching from a Radeon 9800 Pro to a Sapphire Radeon 4670. Different card, newer driver, older software.
I haven't run memtest86+. Why? Easy, I've never had a memory problem before and my old burner software doesn't work. I'll be trying the burner software that came with the motherboard later today.
As for tweaks, I didn't change anything until after Windoze Update got SP3 installed. That's when I turned off the Windows firewall, installed ZoneAlarm, got Firefox installed, and generally started getting my computer back the way it was from a software standpoint.
Couple of questions:
Why are you running Winamp while trying to play AH? Look at your task manager when you start Winamp and look at the resources Winamp and the Winamp agent take up.
Have you tried getting an up to date driver for that sound card from Creative's website?
Why are you using a USB hub and where is it connected? Unless that hub is self powered (ac adaptor) you may be overloading the USB hub on the mobo.
I listen to music when I fly in FS2k2 and AH, instead of the stock sounds. It seems to help me focus on what I'm doing, and like a lot of other people, I enjoy it. Upon reflection, I listen to music pretty much any time I'm on the computer. WinAMP doesn't run the agent (my version is 3.0D), and takes up 5,800k of memory while playing music.
The driver from Creative's site is not WHQL signed, so I let Windoze grab the one off the Creative disc without installing all of Creative's other junk. That way I at least had sound. From there I ran the most recent updater they have for XP (dated April '06) which triggered the WHQL warning. I did not allow that driver to be installed, but did get the updated driver from the Windoze Update site. That driver has an '07 date on it and is WHQL signed. It changed my Audigy SE to a SB Live card in the Device Manager, but nothing else changed (including this damned Trap crash).
The USB hub is a Belkin 4-port hub that is self-powered (AC adapter) I've had for a year or more. In the old system it worked perfectly with one exception: I couldn't cold-boot the computer with it plugged in. Aside from that there was no problem at all. I chose to get a powered hub because my old power supply (PC Power 470w) couldn't handle the additional load of a CH throttle and the MS Sidewinder stick. Plus CH throttles don't spike as much when you use a powered hub.
Initially the hub was plugged into the top-panel ports, which use USB-4. That controller shares IRQs with the Audigy's PCI slot and the Radeon PCIe slot. I thought this may have been the cause, so I tried plugging the hub into one of the back-panel USB ports. Same result (Trap Cause Unknown, Windoze crashed to prevent itself from being damaged, etc...). I unplugged the top-panel USB ports from the USB-4 controller on the mobo and moved them to USB-5, which shares IRQs with nothing. For reference, my temps are perfectly normal and never exceed 35C. The Vcore moves depending on system load, but the other rails (5v, 3.3v, 12v, etc.) do not vary at all. Power supply is a Corsair TX 750w.
Here in a bit I'll plug in the hub and pick a fight in LOMAC, then unplug it when I'm done and crank WinAMP. It seems to take about an hour or so for the Trap Unknown crash to happen.
I really appreciate the help, guys!
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Flakbait
