Glad to know you haven't fallen off the edge of the world yet, Rincewind...
Yes.
I think it's something specific to this particular cpu - I installed it on another box with almost no issues. I'm not sure what it could be - all drivers are up-to-date et al. Videos play fine if viewed manually, so I don't think it's a codec or dll issue, though I suppose some odd file could have gone rogue somewhere. If that was the case, I'd think the issue would be rectified upon reinstalling.
Hmmm... Since I'm also experiencing issues with the dedicated server, I'll just run with the 'my copy is cursed' standby until something suddenly comes up.
Thanks.