Protools Express and Windows 8 - laptop freeze

[mollymoo]

I posted earlier this week - got one response - thank you! And then my post etc all got lost in the database crash. Meanwhile, I have been trying some of the things suggested...and I'm down to the last.
To recap: I am running (or trying to run) Protools Express (10.3.4) with an MBox Mini 3 on the PC for which the Sandra report is listed below. It worked fine for the first couple of weeks but now freezes after anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes of running Protools. No other programs (including a CPU stress tester) cause the freeze. I have optimized Windows - upgraded to 8.1, updated all driver, shut down everything I was supposed to shut down and I have a cooling system running under the laptop to prevent overheating. Oh and I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Mbox drivers, Protools, EZ drummer, EZKeys and EzMix.
It was suggested to me that the problems I am having are because I am running Windows 8. However - I read in other threads that other people were successfully running Protools 10 - and Protools Express in Windows 8 and/or 8.1 (if they were running as administrator/set compatibility to Windows 7 or 8).
I have looked into the possibility of "downgrading" to Windows 7 - but it looks like it's going to be difficult (I may have to buy Windows 7 too) and I hate to do that if it won't fix the problem I am having.
I am not in a position to buy Protools 11 right now (another suggestion).
Is there anything else you guys can think of that I can try to get this beast running? I know there is no problem with the Mbox, the external hard drive etc - because they work OK with the old (windows 7) PC. Problem with that one is we get "insufficient RAM" errors all the time and it's 32 Bit and not upgradeable.
I guess my worry is that I picked a laptop with incompatible hardware
- although if that were the case, why did Protools run OK for the first two weeks?

SiSoftware Sandra

ID
Host Name : jackspc
Workgroup : WORKGROUP

Computer
Model : HP Pavilion 17 Notebook PC 103C_5335KV G=N L=CON B=HP S=PAV
Serial Number : 5CD33*****
Chassis : HP Notebook
Mainboard : HP 1984
Serial Number : PDQKF05*******
BIOS : Insyde F.17 08/07/2013
Total Memory : 3.22GB DDR3 SO-DIMM

Processors
Processor : AMD A8-5550M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics (2M 4T 2.1GHz/3.1GHz, 3.2GHz IMC, 2x 2MB L2)
Socket/Slot : FS1r2 (µPGA)

Chipset
Memory Controller : AMD F15 (Trinity) APU HT Hub 200MHz, 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM 1.6GHz 64-bit

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : A-Data AM1L16BC4R1-B1GS 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM PC3-12800S DDR3-1600 (11-11-11-29 5-40-13-6)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : AU Optronics Generic PnP Monitor (1600x1200, 17.1")

[mollymoo]

Well after calling in the Geek Squad I'm still not much further with this problem: they were able to confirm what I already found out - that the processor spiked to 88% of CPU usage right before the freeze - suggesting it was a CPU related problem. I now have the PC at Best Buy getting diagnostics run for hardware failure. I suspect a faulty processor - which would be a good thing - because they will replace it if it is!! Will let you know what I find out. If nothing else, it would be nice to let someone else know that Protools Express WILL run in Windows 8 even if it's not supported...

[mollymoo]

Just in case it helps anyone else - I finally came to the conclusion that the problem was simply that the AMD processor/graphics card combo were not compatible with Protools...so...sold the laptop and found a desktop that was on the AVID compatible PC list... The Surplus Pcps on ebay has this:
HP Z400 Workstation Xeon Quad-Core W3565 3.2GHz 8GB 1TB DVDRW Windows 7 Pro for $400 - and I got them to throw in a second 500GB internal hard drive for an extra $50. Fast and expert service :)
Got it home and installed Protools express Ezkeys, Ezdrummer, Ezmix and (after making sure ALL the windows 7 updates were done and updating the video card driver) it runs like a CHAMP! :) And didn't cost any more than the laptop (given that I had monitor/keyboard/mouse already)