XFi Xterme Music Card - Annoying issue

Hello, strange problem here, not a major one, but would be good if anyone has a idea on what could be the cause.

Basically i have noticed recently that when i turn my pc on after it has been off for a reasonable amount of time, it all boots up into XP ok, but about 2 mins later i can hear this loud static noise feed back through my headphones. If i toggle the mic mute button then the sound stops - i don't do this though as i need it alot for teamspeak/vent.

I have found a workaround where simply the best solution is to reboot once after the first time i put the pc on and as if by magic the problem has gone. Its not the headset that is the issue as i have tried various headsets/seperate mic's etc. Also if the pc has been turned off for only 3 or 4 hours and i put back on i don't get this problem - its only when the pc has been off say overnight or at weekend.

I have tried re-installing the creative drivers but no joy there. also seems there was only 1 now old driver release that i can try. The ones that came on the disc are no different it seems.

Any ideas appreciated :)

You're getting feedback. I'd normally suspect a loose jack or wire, but seeing as you've tried a number of mics then it seems likely that it's a hardware problem with the card. Maybe a capacitor has come loose or died. I'd be surprised if it was a driver problem.