Cisco VPN 4.8 freezes up my computer

Why don't you try updating your client. I use version 5.0.00.0340. There is probably a newer release by now. I can tell you one thing for sure - the older versions do not take well to Vista.

I made sure that when purchasing the new computer that it was XP.  I realize that I am going to show my very limited technical knowledge here and hope I don't sound too stupid.  This software was provided to me by my employer with their specific set up instructions on connecting to the workplace.  The 4.8 is the version they are using and I don't think they are offering an upgrade.  Is there somewhere I can do this myself and will I still be able to connect if they are using an older version?  Thank you so much for your time.  

It shouldn't matter what version of the client you are using. At least I've been able to use 2-3 different versions for work. But getting any updates might be a problem. You have to login to Cisco.com and have access to download the file. Just a suggestion if you are able to get your hands on a newer version.

So basically I have no recourse?  I am desperate to solve this issue as I could be out of a job in a few days.  I have tried my employer's IT support and they have no idea.  The only differences I can see in my pc and the laptop that will run the program is XP Home and XP Media as well as an AMD processor in mine verus Intel in the laptop.  I was looking at the event log and seem to get this warning around the time of the crashes.  Could this be related?  Thanks.  

Your computer was not able to renew its address from the network (from the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address 001AA006F0D3.  The following error occurred:
The operation was canceled by the user. . Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its own from the network address (DHCP) server.

You said you bought a new computer, so you have 2 desktops both running XP Home and neither work? But the laptop with XP MCE works fine? I've never tried VPN on a Home box.

I wonder if the error message you found has to do with the VPN interface losing its IP address or with your NIC losing its address on your home network. Whenever we have VPN problems (which is about 50% of the time) I usually get disconnected a lot during the day (working from home) but I've never had my systems lock up. I have a desktop and laptop both running XP Professional SP2.

Right, both computers running Home.  Do you think I should upgrade to Pro?  How about issues with the SP2?  Would getting rid of that maybe solve the problem?  Thanks again for your time.  

Thanks for you advice.  I just finally gave up and moved everything over to the laptop.  I very much appreciate your time and effort.