[Cpt-Maxim]

I see the mention of 3 gig switch. Are you referring to ram, hard drive swap file size, or something else?

I have been building PC's - and/or working with various operating systems for a long time.. quality assurance software tester in real life job as a living.. so my interest in solving issues goes to levels that require checking even the BIOS on a motherboard..

Asking one question for all the details is faster than getting one detail each for 30 separate questions on system specs.. always a good idea when investigation of a PC mystery begins.. the info allows for compatibility checking, cross checking etc..

The first thing that pops out of your description is the fact you use Vista, and because its outdated and no longer supported.. I think it may be one of the first areas to check into. I don't have a machine running Vista at the moment, and if anyone else does, they could shed some light if they also have issues.