Strange problem; Key depression makes computer freeze

Hey guys;

I recently installed Vista on my system (decent rig) after upgrading most of my components. However, I have a VERY annoying problem now.

Whenever I press and hold a key down... after about 1 second the entire computer freezes. The moment I release the key (any key) the computer goes back to normal. Now, this makes most games basically unplayable. As part of my research into the problem, I looked at my computer resources as I was doing this... I noticed that the CPU usage spiked when I depressed the key. Sometimes to 100%... sometimes just to 30%. Now, I may not be as computer savvy as I was 10 years ago, but something tells me a keyboard key depression should not tax an AMD64x2 4800+.

I am at a loss here. Its a standard Microsoft PS/2 keyboard (nothing fancy) and I NEVER had this problem before.


Any ideas?

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ (stock cooler; repeated checks indicate my system is well within the green for operating temperature)
RAM: G-Skill (4GB); 2 sticks of 2048
Video Card: BFG 8800GTS OC 512
Motherboard: ASUS M3A-H/HDMI
PS: ANTEC 500W
Hard Drive: Western Digital Raptor 250GB SATA 300
Monitor (just for giggles); ViewSonic VX2025
Pointing device: Microsoft Trackball (I lub them; my favorite kind is hard to find nowadays!)
Keyboard: El Generico PS/2 Microsoft keyboard; I tried it with a USB keyboard... does the same thing
Network: ATHEROS 10/100/1000t integrated network controller