PC locks up 5-10 seconds after closing a Window??

[Spill the Blood]

Ok, first off, I'm a computer technician and I work in a store repairing PCs and laptops. But this problem has got me stumped. I really don't want to bring it into work and start swapping out parts to see if the problem was fixed, because the wiring job took me forever.

So here's the issue: Just about 1 out of 5 times I close a window (be it Firefox, SmartFTP, Windows Explorer, Dreamweaver etc.) my PC will lock up for 5-10 seconds before it resumes normal operation. And by lock up, I mean everything on screen freezes except the mouse, which I can still move. It has been doing this for a month now, and I've already done a fresh reinstall last week. So it has got to be something hardware related.

Specs:
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum board
2GB Kingston PC3200
Athlon 64 3000+ (1.81Ghz, not overclocked or anything)
Western Digital 250GB SATA II HDD

other hardware in the machine that I doubt is the problem:
eVGA GeForce 7900GT 256MB
Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Hauppauge TV Tuner
Allied 450w PSU

Also, might I add, that my games run flawlessy (Oblivion, Battlefield 2, Half Life 2 etc.) with no lockups or any lag. This problem only happens in Windows itself, when I CLOSE a window. I can move it all over the place, minimize several etc., but if I close the window, chances are, everything will lock up for 5-10 seconds, right when I click on the red X.

Thanks in advance

 

[shdwsclan]

Sounds like somesort of registry conflict with duplicate data.

Refer to the military scud / patriot missle dissaster.....though that reference both timers...

 

[dipique]

Sounds like somesort of registry conflict with duplicate data.

I would have to agree. See if the problem is the same in safe mode, and also try turning off all the XP visual effects. Post the results.

Dan