System spec:Core2Duo E67502GB RAM9800GTX+WinXP32MSI P35 Neo with onboard soundSB Audigy 4About a week ago I started encountering problem with my DVD drive and then all hell broke loose. The computer started showing a blue screen (bad_pool_caller) on startup and things started to go downhill from there for FS. Eventually the system started to malfunction and slowed to a crawl.I took the system to the shop and they identified that my PSU was not providing enough power and they changed it to a new Powercooler 600W unit. This resolved the startup problems atleast but......the errors in my FSX and FS9 continued whereby the Saitek Yoke and sound cards started to have conflicts and every time I would move the Saitek the sims started to jerk and stutter. Similarly when I would turn off the sound in FSX/FS9 I would get better fps. One benchmark that was obviously wrong was the fps in my default flight with the default C172. This would be around the 55-66fps on startup and now it was around 30 fluctuating wildly to 50 and down to 5. With the sound off the fps would go up but never to the benchmark I was seeing a week ago. I am also hearing random sound conflict sounds although windows media player etc. are working well.The system is running well and hardware shows no conflicts except for the conflictsActions to date (with no impact)1) The sound card in use was the Audigy for which I tried all the latest drivers and no effect. 2) I tried uninstalling the Audigy and used the onboard Realtex sound and no joy.3) I uninstalled the joystick and then reinstalled and the same issue4) I have updated my motherboard drivers to the latest no joyI suspect that the problem is a hardware conflict and I am screenshots of my hardware system.Appreciate if someone can help as this is very irritating.ThanksShez

Modern OSes can share IRQs and mapped memory addresses without issue. You may have a faulty peripheral or failing motherboard. You'll have to start isolating the issue by removing peripherals one by one and testing until the error disappears. You should also update any drivers which you are able to.

Modern OSes can share IRQs and mapped memory addresses without issue. You may have a faulty peripheral or failing motherboard. You'll have to start isolating the issue by removing peripherals one by one and testing until the error disappears. You should also update any drivers which you are able to.

Thanks Techguy. I suspect the mobo may be a problem but I don't want to jump to that last resort solution just yet.I took out the Audigy and no effect. There is no other peripheral other than the video card, the DVD drive (SATA) and the two HDs (one SATA, one IDE).Another issue I am seeing is that I am unable to install USB hardware without getting the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR EQUAL blue screen.Would a reinstall of FSX and FS9 help?Shez

One more fact to add, I ran a program called verifier.exe and a lot of the problems occurred after this. Not sure if it has anything to do with this?Shez

I've not heard of this program. What was it supposed to do and can it be removed?

Here is the link to the program and it was used when I googled to check why the initial BSOD error occurred.http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617Shez

Here is the link to the program and it was used when I googled to check why the initial BSOD error occurred.http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617Shez

Ah, it's an MS app. I think you're fine there. Do you still have the Saitek peripherals connected?

Yes I do. Should I remove them too? What about DVD and the USB hub? I also have an old Printer installed on Port1.Shez

Yes I do. Should I remove them too? What about DVD and the USB hub? I also have an old Printer installed on Port1.Shez

Just disconnect things one by one until you're down to nothing but keyboard, mouse, and hard drive. If you still get the error then update your drivers for all installed devices. If the error still occurs then you either need to reload Windows or replace your motherboard. If you have a spare hard drive you may just want to go ahead and reload on that as a test.

Just disconnect things one by one until you're down to nothing but keyboard, mouse, and hard drive. If you still get the error then update your drivers for all installed devices. If the error still occurs then you either need to reload Windows or replace your motherboard. If you have a spare hard drive you may just want to go ahead and reload on that as a test.

I also think a reinstall of Windows is probably advisable now. If your PSU voltages were poor enough to cause your DVD drive to start throwing errors, it's very possible the same issues caused you to corrupt data on the HDD, including your OS and FS (and other apps, too).Before the reinstall, I'd also use the opportunity to flash the motherboard's BIOS to the latest and check the CMOS battery. You *might* want to consider making the leap to a 64-bit OS now, as well.If it's a hardware problem, that should make itself apparent on the Windows install. Good luck!Bob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

Tech, Bob,Thanks for the advice. I have already uninstalled all the peripherals including all hardware and I am down to the video card, HDs, and of course the mobo/processor. The fps degradation still occurs on FSX when onboard sound is activated. I am going to try and first reinstall FSX and see if it can resolve the apparent corruption. Really want to hold off on Windows reinstallation until the end.I think Bob is right, the PSU issues have corrupted the software installed.Bob, I am wary of 64-bit installation because WinXP 32bit works so nicely with all my applications and programs. What do you think of a jump to Windows 7?ThanksShez

Tech, Bob,Thanks for the advice. I have already uninstalled all the peripherals including all hardware and I am down to the video card, HDs, and of course the mobo/processor. The fps degradation still occurs on FSX when onboard sound is activated. I am going to try and first reinstall FSX and see if it can resolve the apparent corruption. Really want to hold off on Windows reinstallation until the end.I think Bob is right, the PSU issues have corrupted the software installed.Bob, I am wary of 64-bit installation because WinXP 32bit works so nicely with all my applications and programs. What do you think of a jump to Windows 7?ThanksShez

I think that if you move to 64-bit now, Win 7 seems to be the best long-term path forward.You can have it both ways, though. I was a bit tentative about it when I made the move with my dual-core machine, and so I put my OS/FS drive outside the case in an external eSATA enclosure...I now have two of those external drive enclosures, one is Win XP Pro 32-bit, the other is Vista 64. If I want to operate 32-bit, I plug my eSATA cable into one drive, if I want 64-bit I plug it into the other. That way neither environment bothers the other...it's way more bulletproof than any of the dual-boot setups I've had in the past. That said, I find myself using 32-bit XP very rarely now. I have a couple small FS9 planes like the PC-12 that I modded to integrate some of the older RealityXP gauges, and a few utilities that don't like 64-bit. But since I migrated to 64-bit, the dreaded OOM error has gone the way of the dodo bird, and that alone made it well worth doing.CheersBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

Bob,Thanks.Shez

Well it appears the problem is WinXP related. :( I did a reinstall of FSX and it had the same issues.Shez