(FIXED) Seeking PC help from system building gurus

[Trev]

If you can't attribute a spike on a single CPU to a specific process, then it's likely caused by interrupt or DPC processing. You can use Performance Monitor (perfmon) or Process Explorer to confirm.

Try resetting the motherboard BIOS settings to factory defaults and disabling or removing all hardware other than what you need to boot and use the system, i.e. remove USB devices other than keyboard and mouse (use PS/2 devices if possible), disable on-board audio and network interface, etc. If the problem is solved, add bits back until things break again. One you find the bad device, make sure you have the appropriate driver installed (which may not be the latest, but that's a good place to start).

Asus eventually stops adding new drivers for older motherboards to their site, so you may have to go directly to the part vendors for drivers: SiS, Analog Devices, and Intel. For a system you don't want to fiddle with, start with the drivers provided by Microsoft. You can uninstall the current driver and install the one distributed by Microsoft directly from device manager.

[Trev]

Good find. AMD (ATI) would have to provide a custom driver or work with Microsoft to update theirs. At least Microsoft hints at compatibility issues [1]:

Version 1.0a of the UAA High Definition Audio class driver does not work on High Definition Audio implementations that were disclosed to Microsoft after August 1, 2004.

That's the version of the driver included with Service Pack 3.

1. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888111

[Trev]

@redrumloa

It's probably the sound driver for the HDMI output on the display adapter, as Terminills said.

@Retro_71

Microsoft tests (by way of the WHQL process) and distributes drivers developed by OEMs, i.e. Microsoft's Nvidia drivers were developed by Nvidia. Why wouldn't you trust them? I don't usually recommend installing drivers from a CD as they're usually seriously out of date. I only used boxed drivers if I need an HBA driver during installation. Even then, I'll use the latest WHQL driver if I can download it on another computer. (The only other exception would be using something like HP's SmartStart, PSP, or firmware CDs to install bits, as most firms standardize on a particular CD release.)

[Trev]

No surprise it was an MS screw up.

How did you come to that conclusion? With respect to Windows XP, the operating system is nine years old and no longer supported. Regardless, AMD couldn't be bothered to write a proper driver for either Windows XP or Windows 7. (Nvidia's drivers come with audio support, so that card might have worked under Windows 7 without issues.) I'm not sure how Microsoft is at fault here.

Thankfully Linux with Directx is coming up next.

A little hypocrisy never hurt anyone. ;-)

[Trev]

I don't know abount that, the driver's date was 2001. My early 00's business dell laptop with XP has this driver showing under Device Manager, System Devices. This driver is not specific to the ATI Radeon HD 5670 video card. If you mean it should allow sound to be passed through the HDMI, that is possible and likley. I have never done this, the speakers are hooked directly to the PCI sound card.

UAA is a class driver for audio devices similar to the class drivers used for USB devices, i.e. a single USB mass storage device class driver can support mass storage devices from many different vendors. It was an effort by Microsoft to provide system-level support for standard sound devices, something better than legacy Sound Blaster compatibility. There's never been a VESA-style standard for audio devices. (Actually, there is: VBE/AI. Heard of it? Me neither.)

Your AMD display adapter may advertise itself as UAA-compliant under Windows 7 without being 100% UAA compliant. As I said earlier, Nvidia ships its own audio drivers. I don't know what AMD does. It's unfortunate that neither worked properly under Windows XP, but it's not surprising given the age of Microsoft's driver and their inability to validate future hardware before it's manufactured. They need the right kind of Doctor. ;-)