Welcome to the boards, the Dark Neighbor! [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] I hope you'll be back about the Gael Serran soon...
A couple of thoughts come to mind... and while you may have done these, you didn't say so specifically, so you can skip over any you've already done
First, any chance you can add more memory? 318 is pretty sparce, and sounds like you've got a 256 stick with a 64 stick. Swap that 64 for another 256, and you should be much happier in general
Second, what are your virtual memory settings? Basically, you'll want to set it to a fixed amount that's around 768MB. And when you've got that other stick of memory, set it to a gig. It has to be fixed, too... none of that "let Windows manage it for me" garbage.
Third... head over to
www.trendmicro.com and have them do a full system scan for you. You have to do it in IE (last I recall), but even though you've checked for virii and malware, they can often find something more. I still do it...
Fourth... what version of DirectX? I had issues on XP when I moved up to 9.0C, and there's no good way to bust back to an earlier level.
Fifth.... what other programs do you have running when you play? There are a lot of things that run automatically that just cause grief... various helper programs and such. Use the task manager to eliminate anything you don't absolutely need. That means save Explorer, Systray, and your firewall or AV programs if you're always on-line. Maybe a couple of other things, but not much.
Give that a shot, and then post your results in another new thread. That way, everyone will see them and we'll get a shot at fixing it up for you.