PC reboots while loading areas

hi all, i did a clean install of winxp pro and GW on a fresh harddirve. since then everytime i start the game, it loads, i can sign on, i load into whatever town i was in last, but when i go to enter a mission or exit a town, the screen shows me loading the files and then the PC reboots. i have re-installed GW, defraged the .dat file (using the posted methods here), turned off my sound, reinstalled video drivers, nothing seems to be working for me. any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. here are my system stats, TIA.

intel P4 1.8 ghz
768 Ram (pc400 rdram)
diamond xtreme sound card (7.1/24 bit)
sapphire radeon 9550 256 mb video (have no previous issues before)<uses ATI drivers
450 watt power supply
WD hdd 7200rpm <<< brand new

I had the same problem after careful troubleshooting I discovered it was a bad stick of RAM. One of my 1GB DDR modules went bad at some point during the last few weeks. :/

But, here's a list of what could be your problem:

-overheating

-bad RAM

-over clocking related issue

-incompatible BIOS setting

-faulty/underpowered power supply

------------------------------

Assuming you don't overclock, mess with your BIOS settings, lack a power supply problem or have inadequate cooling...I'd suspect RAM.

If you have 2 modules, try booting with one module installed and playing the game until you have eliminated the possibility of a bad stick. (be careful handling RAM)

Right click My Computer > Properties > Advanced Tab.

Now, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings and uncheck Automatically Reboot.

Should you reproduce this issue a blue screen should appear instead of automatically rebooting. This will help in diagnosing the issue.

Sounds to me like a graphics driver issue.

Tarun is right with turning automatically reboot off BUT you have to reset your graphics card or get a new one! i had this problem it restarted by itself there is no fix other than reinstalling graphics card or new computer!
Sorry its bad news

Dont post if you do not bother reading the thread or know what you are talking about (an entire new computer? Reset the graphics card? what).
Two posters before you already said what issues it could be & none of them lead necessarily to purchasing a new video-card.
(Also yarddog has not come with new information which makes the advice of purchasing a new card even more meaningless).
My bet is a faulty ram-stick.

This could be caused by a variety of things, as has been said. Strangely enough a co-worker of mine had a very similar problem, and it turned out to be the driver for her DSL modem. Yes, driver. Yes, DSL modem. She had one of those crazy setups with the DSL modem plugged into the PC via the USB port, and she would reboot between areas until she updated her driver. Weird, eh?

hi everyone and i founnd out what the problem was/is. it seems my brand new HDD was a bummer. after i followed the guidance and suggestiones here, i tried to reboot again, actually many reboots. well all of a sudden the boot file wasnt found !!!!!! i went into the bios/cmos screeen and noticed that my harddrive wasnt even present. swapped harddrives and viola, problem solved. thank you for your input and "game on" WooHoo

A bit late but, did you have S.M.A.R.T. activated on your old (broken) harddrive? (Its sort of a hardware log & diagnostic tool added in newer harddrives, speedfan is one program that can access/read it.)