problem with "checked" status

[ocashmoney]

Actually i have 2 inter-related questions for u guys...

i dont know why but my utorrent seems to freeze at high speeds regularly... i assume this is from my mistake in preferences when i changed the maximum global number of connections and downloads and peers connected to higher levels... cuz i used to be just fine with utorrent with no problem at all

now it freezes in a bad way... windows won't restart but basically it gets into a disabled mode... i cant even launch IE or i cant even terminate ANY process... well that is also no normal way to shut the system down or reboot but to press the damn restart button... I get an error "windows cannot access the specified device" when i try to launch IE or any other software even winamp or mediaplayer

oh and UT taskbar icon also shows unvolatile info/data like no matter how many times i point the mouse at it... none of the numbers (not even decimals) change at all D speed and up speed and number of files never change in this state

I'm not able to maximize UT from taskbar in this mode

Connection though dies.... like there is no indication on my modem nor on the taskbar connection icon about data transfer... no activity

anyways if someone knows why exactly all above is happening to me please help me out

(im using WINXP, no commercial firewalls but XPs own and no other seciurity softwares at all, have 512 MB ram and 3.0 Ghz pIII and 150gb hdd.)

the 2nd problem i think rises as an aftermath of the above issues... when i get the system back on track and load utorrent again... Some (most) of my torrents show "checked 0.00%" under status tab... I assume this is the hash check which could be disabled before i set the torrent to download... now i have more than 100 active (download only, completed ones-seeding tasks not included) torrents and mostly larger files...basically i cant cancel/delete them all and redownload them and select that "skip hash check" option on the download pop up screen... but at the same time i have to sit and wait and just look at my hard drive working its ass off till these VERY SLOW checks finish so i can actually start downloading the files... why does that happen and how can i change it at this course

plus it does not happen to all of the files im downloading... some perfectly remain in tact and i can just press start download button and they resume to "downloading" status immediately

i hope i could make the point clear

so in summary it'll be great if someone can tell me:

1. How to set preferences for UT so i avoid the type of freezing explained above (if not related to UT plz guide me otherwise)

2. How can i skip and avoid the "checked" status, keeping and using an incomplete download, without having 2 restart the DL and mark "skip hash check" box

Thnxnadvnc

[Firon]

Do you have a firewall or other security/av software?

[ocashmoney]

"(im using WINXP, no commercial firewalls but XPs own and no other seciurity softwares at all, have 512 MB ram and 3.0 Ghz pIII and 150gb hdd.)"

its right in middle of the post...i know its a lenghty post... my bad but yea i dont use any security software but win xp firewall

[Firon]

Don't skip the hash check, ever.

Don't forcedly close µTorrent, as that will cause all your download torrents to be rechecked.

Check your hard drive controllers and ensure they're all set to UDMA6.