Well, I've had several versions of the Editor on 2 PCs with nominally the same config as you - no problems whatsoever. (Except I had 1Gb AM not 1 Mb
- I know,typo).
I have seen various issues now and then with the Editor but not yours.
The trouble is:-
1) We don't know your PC config.
2) We don't know what software you already have installed on your PC which may interefere.
3) We don't know what software (e.g. freebies and games) you've had and removed from your PC - all leaving remnants in your registry etc.
4) We don't know if your disk is fragmented.
5) We don't know if your RAM is 100%.
6) We don't know if you installed the correct USB drivers and that you installed them correctly. I use them on 2 PCs XP/SP2/1GB RAM. Perfect.
There is just so much in a PC to go wrong or get messed that any suggestions will be based on guess-work from seeing similar issues.
I had an unrelated issue with IE7 crashing. I ran 'RegCure' and it discovered 1253 possible 'faults' mostly associated with faulty links and old registry remnants.
You say: "Is there any way to fix this or did I purchase a doorstop?"
- implying the Programming Editor is faulty. That's not really fair when thousands use it without major problem.
What I'm trying to say is DON'T blame the Programming Editor at such an early stage.
Hopefully, someone will have a great suggestion which will cure it. But my first step would be to check the integrity of my PC before proceeding.