[color:"orange"]the minimizing has never stopped[/color]
Did you edit the configuration files to skip the intro videos, so you don't need the play CD in the drive (most of the time)? If so, then it is not the disk access itself that is causing the minimizing, but something else causing both...
The question is, what would minimize a game, spin up an optical drive and use enough CPU and/or memory that the game takes awhile before it can redraw the screen when maximized?
[color:"orange"]I even went in to msconfig to see if I could disable anything, but didn't know what was what.[/color]
There is a searchable list of XP startup programs/processes
here, or you can Google unknown entries (or to find other guides). If you attempt to disable something essential, Windows should pop up a warning.
Lady_Rain describes how to use the startup manager in Spybot in
this topic.
The topics below contain some system troubleshooting suggestions, though you would have to skip over the Beyond Divinity specific stuff.
yet another "Game simply won't start!"-thread and
BattleFields N00b ?[color:"orange"]So I have no idea why it still happens?[/color]
Have you run an anti-virus program recently? I assume so if you usually have an AV and firewall program running.
[color:"orange"]Could it have anything to do with the fact my monitor is older and didn't come with the computer?[/color]
The only conflict I can think of with the monitor would be if it had trouble with certain refresh rate and resolution combinations. However, that would only be triggered when changing resolutions (starting/exiting the game or cutscene videos).
[color:"orange"]Can you think of anything else it might be?[/color]
Do you have any other DirectX games? If so, do you experience the same problem with them?
Does the problem seem random or periodic?
Did you check the Windows Update site for critical and driver updates? Check the system / motherboard manufacturers site for updated BIOS or chipset drivers.
