Windows 7 - Counter Strike Source freezing

I was hoping someone here could help me with a problem.

Whenever I'm playing Counter Strike Source, I am able to join a server just fine. HOWEVER, when that server changes maps or I choose to change servers, the game freezes. Specifically, it gets to the part of the loading screen that says "Sending Client Info" and freezes with no error messages. It then does not allow me to close the hl2.exe process by any means and I need to force shut down my computer. The game ran perfectly fine up until about a month ago when this began.

I've read many threads elsewhere and none of the suggestions have helped.

SPECS:
Windows 7 Home Premium x64
8.00 GB of RAM
Intel i7 @ 2.80 GHz
ATI Radeon HD 5770 (with all the latest drivers)

I had a similar issue once and this is how I got it sorted out.
On the desktop, right click on the Counter Strike shortcut and click Properties.
Then under target, at the end of the link add and the click Apply & OK.
Eg: C:\Program Files\Counter Strike\hl.exe -soft

Try this and let us know if this works.

No luck with adding -soft to the target line. Any other suggestions?