Souncd Problem Latbreastude C640
In December my hard drive failed and my companies' tech support installed a new hard drive and "imaged" the machine. Every since then the sound has "stuttered or paused" on all sounds (system sounds, CDS, DVDs, Audio, MP3s, etc). Tech support has suggested we "re-image" the machine. Right now, I cannot afford to be without a PC for two days (their average time to return a machine). I have opted to live with the problem for the time being, but do have some online clbuttes coming up that would be easier with good audio. I have tried most common things recommended to fix (installing latest drivers, making sure DMA is enabled, deleting devices and reinstalling, etc.). I have even tried a few of the odd things suggested (installing the latest release of quicktime - I knew this wouldn't fix the problem but was simple to do).
I have never upgraded a processor before, but I am thinking of upgrading to a P4 from a celeron. The most complicated upgrade I've done is replacing the hard drive...
Any suggestions before I turn the machine over to tech support?