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I've recently built a system for my dad;

Shuttle SG33G5
C2d 6750 (1333MHz FSB)
2GB Value RAM
500GB WD SATAII
160GIG IDE drive from old computer
2600XT
XP Professional SP2

Basically, when I try to download the C&C3 demo from gamershell, it crashes.

First time, after selecting where I wanted it to download, it didnt come up in the firefox download bar for 30secs, then bluescreened with BAD_POOL_CALLER.

Second the same thing happened, after 30secs or so it blue screened, this time with IRQL_NOT_EQUAL_OR_LESS.

3rd time I tried it with IE6 and it just reset the computer.

Anyone know what is going on?

Unfortunately, it could be almost anything -- motherboard, RAM, PSU, CPU or chipset overheating, or software (e.g. buggy device driver, or even a malware infection).

Does the system seem to run stable otherwise, or have you seen unexplained crashes during other tasks as well?

First I'd run a memory diagnostic like Memtest86. Then make sure you've got the latest BIOS for the motherboard, and the latest chipset, NIC and video drivers installed.

As far as I'm aware, the system is stable. I downloaded the demo with another PC, put it on a DVD, and installed and ran the game on the shuttle with no problems, so I don't think it's a stability issue.

A bios update was the first thing I tried, but I think it's too new for any revisions...it isn't on their download list. (It's an SG33G5)

I'll try Memtest when I get home. Cheers .

OK, Memtest 3.3 and 1.5 ran fine, as did Prime95. The system itself seems ok, I'm wondering if it's a HDD problem...are there any stress tests for HDD's around?

Does the download page use flash? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say maybe it's a video driver or flash plugin issue.

OK, so apparently it's a little deeper than just a download problem (which happens on all downloads, not just the C&C3 demo);

I can run memtest for hours, no errors. If I run Prime95 on CPU intensive, or Max heat/power, it's fine. If I do the blend of tests, which tests lots or RAM, it crashes after 5 mins (it doesn't cause an error, it either hangs, blue screens or reboots). Bloody thing, gonna have to hunt for a BIOS update i think.

Try loosening your memory timings.

Run chkdsk.