Help with a couple of small Windows XP glitches

I would check for new drivers for your sound card. Have you tried it with headphones plugged into the port to see if it is the speakers or the card?

 

Yes, before I plugged in the speakers, I used to use headphones and they were OK.

 

I would check for updates for your sound card, and for a BIOS upgrade on your computer manufacturer's website. It just seems bizarre that speakers would cause a problem like this.