The subject says it all, but here are the details... I fly mostly online on VATSIM, but I have tested this offline as well. I'll start up, select my aircraft and all of that stuff. At least 95% of the time, if not more, FS will freeze on me, rendering the computer completely locked. The only thing going on still is the same sound over and over and over, usually the engine noise. I thought it could also be vid related or heat related, but have tried 3 different vid drivers and running ASUS Probe, my temps never get above 125 degrees F. I'm thinking now that it's a sound card issue, it's a couple of years old, the oldest item in my current rig. I have even went so far as to uninstall and reinstall FS9. I will be getting a new SB Audigy 2 tomorrow via UPS and if that doesn't fix it, I'll be re-formatting the machine. I don't know what else to do, so any advice that can be offered, I will listen to gladly. Thanks in advance!ChuckBStudent PP-ASELAthlon XP 2800+ASUS A7V333Antec TruePower 480 PS1.0 gig DDR PC2700ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128 running Omega Driver 2.4.78 (Based on 3.7)Hercules Fortissimo II SoundWD 60 gig HDDWD 40 gig HDDCH Products USB YokeCH Products USB PedalsWindows XP Prohttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

Some things to try before resorting to a re-format:Remove the left side panel of the case and blow fresh air into the components using a house fan. If the feezes continue, you can then at least rule out overheating as an issue.Reload the sound card drivers, and then DirectX.VIA drivers... an experiance all their own. Have you installed the latest?Hope this helps,

Greg, Okay, I have the latest and greatest from VIA, the newest audio drivers and the side of the case is off. These were done before you posted, that's what I get for posting so late at night, I forget to mention little things. I have not yet loaded DirectX 9.0b again but will do so, just in case. Thanks, and I'll post my findings once that's done.ChuckBStudent PP-ASELAthlon XP 2800+ASUS A7V333Antec TruePower 480 PS1.0 gig DDR PC2700ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128 running Omega Driver 2.4.78 (Based on 3.7)Hercules Fortissimo II SoundWD 60 gig HDDWD 40 gig HDDCH Products USB YokeCH Products USB PedalsWindows XP Prohttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

Well, I reinstalled DirectX 9.0b and that proved to be useless. Another crash. Just to try and stay ahead of the troubleshooting, let me expand on what I have and don't have installed. I have FS9 with a few addon aircraft, nothing fancy. I had a lot loaded before, but since reloading FS9, I have kept it simple. I was having lockups with the default aircraft long before I ever added any. Relating to DX9, I have turned my hardware acceleration from fully accelerated all the way down, and I'm still having lock-ups. All motherboard inclued sound is turned off and confirmed as well. So for now, I'm still stuck with a machine that locks up all of the time with FS9, and most of the time with other games as well...ChuckBStudent PP-ASELAthlon XP 2800+ASUS A7V333Antec TruePower 480 PS1.0 gig DDR PC2700ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128 running Omega Driver 2.4.78 (Based on 3.7)Hercules Fortissimo II SoundWD 60 gig HDDWD 40 gig HDDCH Products USB YokeCH Products USB PedalsWindows XP Prohttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

Check your IRQ's and make sure that your video and sound card are not sharing the same IRQ. If they are move the sound card to another slot. Richard

Well, I checked the IRQ's of my new sound card and the Radeon. Sound is on 17 and video is on 16. I tried FS again after loading the default drivers that came with the new Audigy 2 and things were going great for about a half hour and then whammo!! This time though, the sounds were really whacked and it was like when I pressed keys on the keyboard or moved the mouse, the sounds got really funky. I don't know what to do now. How can something work perfectly for almost two months and then suddenly crap out??ChuckBStudent PP-ASELAthlon XP 2800+ASUS A7V333Antec TruePower 480 PS1.0 gig DDR PC2700ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128 running Omega Driver 2.4.78 (Based on 3.7)SB Audigy 2WD 60 gig HDDWD 40 gig HDDCH Products USB YokeCH Products USB PedalsWindows XP Prohttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

well, i cant offer much help but i do have a couple questions, do the new omega drivers fix that damn stutter thing that 9700s and 9800s seem to be plauged with?

I'm afraid not yet...ChuckBStudent PP-ASELAthlon XP 2800+ASUS A7V333Antec TruePower 480 PS1.0 gig DDR PC2700ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128 running Omega Driver 2.4.78 (Based on 3.7)SB Audigy 2WD 60 gig HDDWD 40 gig HDDCH Products USB YokeCH Products USB PedalsWindows XP Prohttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

Well, after coming home from my extended trip, I have found that the problem did not magically fix itself. I have also noticed something new. With my old sound card, I never heard any odd noises when the lockups occurred, but now with the SB Audigy 2, I hear all kinds of craziness. I hear the aircraft noise in a loop, but I also hear strange high pitched noises, like something that is getting amplified by the sound card. Could this be a problem with something grounding out or similar? I'm wondering if anyone has ever had an experience like this...ChuckBStudent PP-ASELAthlon XP 2800+ASUS A7V333Antec TruePower 480 PS1.0 gig DDR PC2700ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128 running Omega Driver 2.4.78 (Based on 3.7)SB Audigy 2WD 60 gig HDDWD 40 gig HDDCH Products USB YokeCH Products USB PedalsWindows XP Prohttp://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpghttp://www.pic767flyingclub.com/fc.php?vat...D1&a=pic767.jpg

Are you running anything overclocked ?? My sim freezes if the Graphics card is overclocked too much.Also do a thorough memory test... or take out one stick and run it through its paces.Apart from that it may be an IRQ problem .. Try rearranging the cards in the pci slots. (smell them for the distinct smell of burnt pcb or transistors.. you never know)Have been building my own pc's for a while and when i do get a recurring freeze its usually one of the above

I had the exact same problem. It got much worse when I recently plugged in a new Barton processor and upped the FSB from 133 to 166 MHz. I tried all the fixes that have been mentioned here and nothing worked. Finally last night I noticed that my DDR voltage in my BIOS setup was 2.5v, the default on my Soyo MB. In poking around the Corsair memory support forum, I noticed that they recommend 2.7v, and will still honor the warranty up to 2.8v. I changed the DDR voltage to 2.7v in my BIOS, and bingo! I was able to complete two flights without a lockup. That's no guarantee, but before upping the DDR voltage I couldn't complete a single flight without a lockup. So far it looks promising.