yes i tried that.

also just got a BSOD again while trying to copy a file from a CD. this happening waaaaaay too frequently to be ignored!

Are your temperatures okay and do you have the latest video drivers?

yes. i've checked the cpu temp several times in the bios after the error occured. it was something <= 40c for the cpu.

just got it again.

this has been in the bsod each time:

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

i'm starting to think maybe i got a bad stick of ram??

it happens almost every time i try to copy a file from a dvd, i've noticed.

Make sure the connection to the optical drive and your HDD is secure, also experiment with different PATA/SATA slots if necessary. After that I would suggest searching for drivers and making sure all of your components are up to date. If you're still experiencing the problem after that I'd look into updating your BIOS as it is relatively easy as long as you follow the instructions very carefully. I had random bluescreens before and my sound was starting to go really funky, updating my bios fixed all of my problems.

EDIT: Oh, assuming you have >1 stick of ram you might try swapping them in and out and seeing if you still receive the error. That rules out RAM.

okay. i just tried removing one stick of ram and am gonna see if i get a BSOD. i've already updated my drivers.

just copied one disk (of oblivion) with no bsod. i'll try disk #2 with the other stick

okay. just copied the second disk with the other stick of ram and no bsod. whats goin on!!!!!!!

Try it with both again.

using both sticks now. trying ram slots #1 and #3

already installed oblivion using both sticks of ram and nothing so far. installing the expansions. this is weird

Are 1 and 3 the original slots?

It could potentially be that they (or one of them) was just improperly installed.

no 1 and 2 were the original slots

Your motherboard supports dual channel ram so you should've been using 1 and 3 regardless. I'm not sure what effect that if any would have if you ignored it though. It could be that your #2 slot is damaged in some way as well.

Your motherboard supports dual channel ram so you should've been using 1 and 3 regardless. I'm not sure what effect that if any would have if you ignored it though. It could be that your #2 slot is damaged in some way as well.

yeah, just leave em' how they are. You'll get slightly better performance by having them plugged in like this

Yea, for future reference, you can run two IDE devices on a single IDE cable (channel). It's just the small jumper(s) between the power and data plugs need to be set so that one is slave, and one is master, or both are set to cable select.

Also, is this a pair of ram? Are the voltages within your mobo range? Do they show up at correct speed during bios? Does it show you running dual channel when you have them in 1 and 3? If you want to test out if any of your ram slots themselves are bad, which is pretty rare, you could always try 2 and 4.