This may be a little late, but most computer problems like the one you are describing are caused by any of the following: bad ram, buggy/bad drivers, bad hardware. There are many other possibilities of course, but these are the most likely.
If you can, try the following:
1) Even though you are able to sync fine through the mobile center, test your PC's RAM by downloading Memtest86+ at
http://www.memtest.org/#downiso
and running it on your computer. I suggest the cd image.
2) Update your drivers in XP, including any all-in-one drivers such as Nvidia Forceware, Via 4in1, etc. Try updating the drivers for your USB host controllers via the device manager and choose the option to search windows update. In addition, make sure you have all of the latest Windows Update critical updates.
3) Switch your cradle, sync cable, or bluetooth adapter to another USB port. If your cradle is connected through a USB hub, connect to the computer directly (although still with another port).
If you already know all this, sorry for the trouble.