This is happening to me, too.
WinXP Pro w/ SP1
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Barton, 333
unknown RAM brand - 2700, 333, 512 MB
SOYO K7VMP2 w/ onboard audio, video, LAN, etc
NEC DVD-RW model ND-2500A
Quantum Fireball 60 GB
PowerDVD 4.0.0.2417 (lastest build, patched from
www.gocyberlink.com)
I don't get a blue screen (STOP) message. Mine goes straight to POST/BIOS screen.
This was happening before I patched PowerDVD.
Tried updating audio/video/etc drivers from Windows Update, as well as from SOYO's Web site.
Replaced IDE cable with a brand new one.
I have all latest Windows Updates, except for a couple like Windows Media 9.
Booted to a CD and ran a RAM test...checks out okay.
Everything else works fine. I am able to rip and burn CDs and DVDs just fine.
DVDs play fine in Windows Media Player. Of course, it sucks compared to PowerDVDs functionality.