Another strange query..... a computer, only 7 days old, Athlon 2400+ processor, 60Gb hard drive, 512Mb RAM, running Windows XP, last night started having trouble booting up with the cable modem plugged in (it's a USB SureTouch modem).

Thought it was a problem with the ADSL connection first, but after hours on the phone to the ISP, and after uninstalling and reinstalling drivers many times, and trying to boot up with and without the modem in, and lots of other fuss, the support guy at the ISP came to the conclusion that the modem couldn't draw enough power from the PC to start properly, if it was plugged in to the PC at boot.

The solution given was to boot up, then plug the USB modem back in, then re-install the drivers, every darn session! ISP guy said there may be a way to solve this problem by tweaking soft/hardware, but couldn't say what it was.

Does anyone know anything useful here?

I want my mate Gav to take the thing back to PCWorld and demand a refund and go get a better machine, as he's had nothing but crashes and lockups since the day he first got it (last Saturday). But he wants to see if there's a way to solve the problem first, as PCWorld are being bastards.

Thanks