BEFORE you do anything new to your system, if you have ME, 2k or XP, create a Restore Point. Even if it's just updating your antivirus or doing Winblows Update.
A couple of days ago I downloaded a Win recommended update & I started to have probs soon after. System lockups occurring with accellerating frequency. Would even lockup during boot.
The solution was to go to the Restore Point before the update, a very stable point. Some probs with Norton IS, but minor to diagnosing the lockup prob, uninstall/reinstall.
If you are currently in a very stable point with you OS then now is the time to create a Restore Point. XP allows a descriptive name.
Just a tip to help avoid having to post in this forum so you can have more time to play.
Titus