Ableton Forum

Hello everyone.
I am writing this thread because I don't know what to try more.
I have a big problem with Live 7 on the pc I will describe below:
with one track playing the CPU is overloaded,
no plugin inserted, only one track playing and the CPU load that shoots through the roof!
The CPU is overloaded up to 100%, of which more than 90% is occupied by Live, producing clicks and dropouts in the audio playback and the slowdown of the whole system. In the normal use of the pc instead everything seems normal
Other audio softwares (eg an editor like SoundForge, the only other software installed on the computer) run very well and in any way encumbers the CPU.
The pc is an HP Compaq nx9420, with Windows XP Professional SP3, drivers supplied by HP are updated, updated BIOS. I'm using a M-Audio Firewire 410 sound card, with updated drivers.
I recently replaced the original HDD with a Western Digital one (SATA, 320MB, 16MB cache, 7200RPM). I use the laptop without battery, directly connected to the power supply.
The hardware tests do not return me any negative result.
The current system, in theory, is slender, no softwares was installed more than those specified, of any kind, either antivirus or firewall or anything else, just Live, SoundForge and a few other system softwares.
All this happened since I reinstalled the operating system and the new HDD because of the collapse of the old one...
Previously everything was fine, even with different softwares installed and runnig simultaneously and also with very heavy sessions with the same current setting of both softwares and hardwares (except HDD of course).
I finished all my resources: I did a downgrade of some dirver, I changed my power supply, I have stopped several Windows services, I tried with some other version of Live: Live Lite 6, 4 and even a demo of 8... the problem remains the same. Now I'm back to the initial situation, but I don't know what else I can try!
So I now address you, dear musician friends: Had someone my same problem? May depend on what this absurd malfunction? What's wrong?
Can you help me?
I will gladly give you further information if you ask me.
Thanks in advance and sorry for the prolixity.

P.s. Sorry for my bad English.

Is it an audio file that's causing the problem? Always the same one, or all of them?

All of them.

Did you keep your ableton preferences from the old install or absolutely everything was installed from scratch, including a brand new user profile?

formatted and reinstalled absolutely in a clean mode.

Have you tried using your M Audio card on directx mode instead of asio? How about whatever your computer's built in soundcard? ASIO4ALL?

Whit my built-in soundcard the system really slows down and becomes unusable for a lot of minutes...
I will try with asio4all.
I will let you know. thanks.

Using ASIO4ALL the problems persist, even after adjusting the settings.
The same is true using the M-Audio in Direct-X or Wave modes.

I'm beginning to fear that maybe there is a serious problem on the motherboard...
I no longer know what to think.

At this point I will try to test the motherboard.
Could you recommend a good software, preferably free, to do this?
Do you think the problems can actually depend on the mobo?

I would try windows 7 also. I had some problems with my hp nx7400 on windows xp, after upgrade to windows 7 some of the problems where gone.

I'm trying with Windows 7 but the trouble goes on, rather it adds the tedious problem of the HDD overload.
I'm just wondering where is the problem before buying a new laptop... ugh!

Engineers have given their verdict:
"Hardware problem on SATA controller: Motherboard replacement needed"...
SOB!

Auch!

yeah this just started happening to mine. no way its the motherboard. your saying you reformatted your computer and still had this problem???