Maya requires a minimum of 512MB of RAM just to work properly. While I doubt it's the main problem, it could be part of it.
Mmm. Have you created and are you setting a project? You might want to create a project for the scene, then set it to that project. That way Maya knows where to put stuff. It may be trying to put / look for things that arent there. Just a thought.
Dave Baer
Professor of Digital Arts
Digital Media Arts College
Boca Raton, Florida
dbaer@dmac.edu