I haven't read all of the posts so i don't know your outcome....just posting this as it may help others. I have had a similar problem in the past with XP. Usually known as the "blue screen of death".
From my limited experience it seems as though it usually occurs after you have installed something new, like a new firewall, virus protection etc etc. Usually system stuff rather than a game.
My remedy was to lose the recently installed virus protection. Had another weaker one running still....
Otherwise it may be an update from windows that has knocked something around, and that can be difficult to find sometimes. SP2 took out my intel monitoring devices with no apparent fix.
Anyway check to see what new programs you may have downloaded and lose 'em....seems to be the quickest remedy....if you need them, try to find a replacement for them that is more compatible with your system.
MajorGeeks.com can sometimes point to healthy alternatives. Google it? Hope it helps
