Computer Help
 

Specs:
Windows XP Professional SP2
Intel 3.2GHz Prescott
1GB RAM
NVIDIA 6800 graphics card
Desktop

Problem: Occasionally my computer will slow down and the mouse will skip when I move it across the screen. My speakers will put out a soft, constant beat of static every 2 seconds making listening to music unfeasible. At this point I can hear my HDD spinning louder and then gets softer again right away. Sometimes the problem goes away shortly (an hour or so), other times it doesn't and even remains after I restart the computer.

When it occurs, I checked the Task Manager and found no offending processing that would be causing the slowdown. I have run Ad-Aware+Spybot in regular and safe mode and found nothing. Machine is clear of virii, spyware, malware, and other annoying software. Temperature specs are normal. Any thoughts?

go download HijackThis! and paste it's output into here.

When did you install XP SP2? It might be a time for the yearly reformat. :)

These EXACT same things have happened to me about a year after installation. As a matter of fact, it's about that time this year and I've got the same problem. It's just a stuttering of sound, as if the song has frozen.. rather than static, this time.

Sounds like a driver or hardware conflict. Do you see any questions or exclamations in device manager?

Did this begin recently or has it done it since the box went together?
If this is something new, can you recall if you installed or changed hardware or drivers just beforehand?

Try to duplicate the problem after unplugging everything besides the basics, including hubs, printers, Ethernet, etc.

Well, I did some messing around with the drivers and ended up in a huge pile of crap. I uninstalled a driver I wasn't using and then my Windows snagged after I typed the password in. 3 hours and 20 restarts later I finally got it working again.
I have been planning on reformatting again as it's been quite awhile since my last spring cleaning. I just gotta find another WindowsXP CD as I lost mine. Thanks for the replies all.