Dell Studio 1558 External soundcard audio problems

Hi,

I have a Dell studio 1558. The warranty has unfortunately expired and I have found it impossible to find out how to email Dell for assistance.

Basically my problems is this. I use my Dell to produce Music and I have recently reformatted and reinstalled Windows 7 on my dell. It is 64 bit.

I use an external soundcard to route sound out to monitor speakers. When I use my external soundcard the audio stalls for a few seconds 3 or 4 times per song before returning. When the soundcard is not plugged in the audio runs fine. This did not happen before the reformat.

I have tried two different sound cards, many different cables and I still get the same issue.  The stall in audio occurs whether Im producing music or watching a movie with the sound running through my soundcard and out to my speakers. This does not happen if there if im playing the audio directly out of the laptop no soundcard plugged in. This did not happen before I reformatted my Dell.

Can anyone suggest a solution or point me in the right direction to getting this problem resolved? At present its looking like im going to have to buy a new lap top (not Dell) as this is an impossible situation.

I use an Edirol Cakewalk (24 bit) and M Box 2. Both experience the same stall in audio.

Any responses would be much appreciatted!

Thanks

Anthony