My system is locking up after a while of playing games like gta3, ut2003,splinter cell etc. I was using a nvidia tnt pro at the time so i went out and just bought a ATI radeon 9600 pro which i'm happy with...problem is my system is still locking up within a few minutes of playing a game. I've got all updated drivers and i'm wondering if there is an issue with over-heating or some display factors. Anyones help is much appreciated.

Tried different compatibility settings??: From a Microsoft web page: If an older application gives you trouble when running Windows XP, you can set the compatibility properties manually so that the program runs in a different mode, such as Windows 95, or in a different display or resolution setting. To set the compatibility properties for a program: 1. Right-click the executable or the program shortcut to the executable, and then click Properties. 2. Select the Run this program in compatibility mode check box. 3. From the list, select an operating system that the program runs in comfortably. 4. If necessary, also change the display settings and/or resolution, or disable the Windows XP visual themes. Run the program again when you?re finished changing the settings. Adjust the compatibility settings again if the program is still not running smoothly: a program that's unhappy on Windows 2000 may flourish on Windows 98.

I have an ATI Radeon 9500 Pro, and used to experience difficulties with games freezing, system locking up, etc. Here's a couple ideas I've read about in the ATI and various OC forums that have worked for me and others: 1) Disable AGP Fast Writes--it supposed to speed up games, but test have shown that it makes a marginal difference, if any at all. Worse yet, it causes lockups. The quickest way to do this is to right click your desktop, select Properties, then Settings tab, then hit the Advanced button. Go to the SMARTGART tab, and disable Fast Writes. 2) You might also want to uninstall SMARTGART, as it has caused a lot of problems for many Radeon owners. Check out this link: http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html Click on the appropriate choices for your PC, which will bring you to a driver page. At the very bottom you should see a SMARTGART uninstaller. Download that file and run it. What was causing my lockups was Fast Writes, but SMARTGART may also be the problem. Provided you have adequate cooling for your case, I would assume it isn't a heat issue, but you may want to check your BIOS for temp readings just in case. Bad or inadequate power supplies can also cause this--Radeons especially are very power hungry. One more thing--you're definitely not alone. ATI's drivers are notorious for having various problems with games. They've only recently gotten better, but they are nowhere near as stable as Nvidia's Detonator Drivers. HTH, Drew