Asquared
andrew .the key to all this is not only useing a suitable computer but also
a suitable sound device.
problems can be seen on many recording forums. and its independent
of daw software used.
many of us use various daw software without probs.
i'm on xp myself.
the basic problem is puters these days are marketed as plug n play.
but the reality is often some tweaking on the users part is required.
in your case one aspect might be memory..cos the OS itself needs
memory. as well as the music software.
a way to check this is >>>xp task manager.
bring up xp task manager and monitor memory useage while useing the music software.
run tests etc etc to try and reproduce the problem your haveing.
all the time useing xp task manager to monitor memory useage.
if you see that memory useage is high and your reaching limits
you might have to run a test with more memory to see if the problem goes away.
this is one aspect..not enough memory.
also what happens is that xp will use the hard drive in your pc to create
virtual memory on the drive. BUT if your useing the same drive for the
win OS AND to record to as well as win useing the hard drive for virtual memory..
the poor likkle hard drive might not be able to keep up performance wise
cos its being asked to do too much. i suspect your useing a slow hard
drive...a 5400 rpm,..correct ?? this is another aspect.
so what a lot of people do is keep win xp on the internal drive and record//playback from a seperate hard drive.
then there is another aspect ...the sound device used.
choosing the correct sound device is very important.
on board sound can be problematic. some people do use it...
but its not advised. its best to get a proper sound interface with good drivers.
another aspect is the processor. it needs to be powerfull enough.
i suspect this is a laptop correct ??
if not done so already run dpc latency checker on your system and report back.
it will give you an indication of how well your system performs for audio work.
http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
if you see red spikes this is another clue.
the previous poster mentioned useing the correct plug in rather than the on
board synth which frankly is prefereable.
as you can see there are many aspects.
sometime read my tips in the tips n triks section for more info etc etc.
my suspicion without being there (thus its difficult to comment further...)
is that your pc needs some tweaking etc etc.
i would run tests with more memory , a proper sound device,
and a dedicated drive to record to etc.
some might disagree...but ...i have to be honest with you...
if were me i would use that pc
for the net and home/personal finance activities , and get
a desktop quad core pc with lots of ram and two hard drives.
or look for a cheap refurb with warrranty mate.
one drive for win and one for recording plus a decent sound interface.
(zzounds.com has a list of interfaces.)
all the best.

retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.