Those unloaded drivers are definitely due to SafeMode yes. That happens.

Check your Driver for errors. It definitely seems like a driver.

Here Windows Driver verifier:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=244617&sd=RMVP

In verifier.exe, choose "load all driver" and it will ask you to reboot. If theres a problem with a particular driver, after reboot when this software loads and check the drivers, you will get a Blue screen with STOP error. Make a note of the info given about the driver, particularly xxxxx.sys as its name will be.

Then get into SafeMode and load up verifier.exe again from Start>Run

Click "Delete existing settings" and then close. Reboot again into SafeMode or safeMode with Networking, find the driver giving you the faults and uninstall it.

Next: Report back and tell us whats the then current situation is with your probelms.

Well, I *was* experiencing an issue where my computer would reboot within a couple seconds (literally) of the desktop loading. This problem seems to be gone (I'm writing this response from the malfunctioning machine, in fact), but I'm worried it'll appear again.

Aside from that, my speakers don't work when I plug them in, but that's not on my list of important things to figure out right now.

In order to get more details please do the following:

Go to start | search (type in) .dmp
Note the location of your .dmp files.
If there are no .dmp files then Search for: minidump
Remember this location and the path that leads to it.

Then:

1) Download and install the
Debugging Tools from Microsoft

All you need do is download and install this. Make no attempt to start or run it.

2) Download and install this
debugwiz

This is a DOS based batch file that will command the above Microsoft Tools.

3) Open the Wiz & Browse to, or paste in the path to, your .dmp file.

4) After the Wiz creates a Text document attach it back to this thread.


If you are looking for links on how to interpret this data for yourself try here first:

http://www.wd-3.com/archive/registercontext.htm

I've found a folder called MINIDUMP. Is this what I'm looking for?

Meanwhile, my process is slowed on this beast; ever since my last reboot, system resources seem maxed (100%), and this slows things down tremendously if it doesn't freeze the system. Not sure what it is I changed that would cause this.

If there are particular minidump files within that folder then that is what you are looking for.

To expedite things you might want to consider the reinstall of XP as you mentioned you would like to.

I should be getting the recovery disks tonight. I'll give it a whirl and see where it gets me.