my pc freezes when i run certain progs. it started with vlc, then when trying to find why siw (system information windows)freezes. i was trying to open a vid. these work ok in realplayer and wmp.i have uninstalled and tried different versions of vlc. also i have updated audio (audigy 4) and vid (9600) some research point to a codec prob, i am not sure where to start. any help appreciated.

First off...Make sure that your system is clean from viruses and malware/spyware as some of these will cause the same issues. Update all drivers.... not just part of them as any corrupted driver can cause this same issue. You should really decide on a single application to run all your media/music files as they will cause conflicts with each other...especially Windows media Player as it must be used with the DRM protection crap. VLC is a good application but extremely hostile to other players, and you may need to totally wipe it and its file associations from your computer and then reinstall the program. To do this....remove the program by using its own uninstaller (if it has one) or by using add/remove in control panel. Then use a reg cleaner such as Ccleaner to clean out any remnants left behind...Then remove any old codec packages that are installed on your system. Reinstall the VLC program then reinstall the codec package of your choice Then see if it still freezes. I use the Windows Media Player Clasic as my only media player...It is a free standing player with add-ons that play Quick time and Real video clips....as well as DVD and Xvid/mpeg...etc... http://www.free-codecs.com In reference to 11/05/2008 "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." - George Lucas