Lock-up My notebook periodically freezes up; sometimes within minutes, somtimes within hours. I have read in many forums that this is a common problem with this machine, but I've not run across any real solutions or even definite causes for this problem. The processor is AMD Athlon 1.5Ghz with 512Mb ram. My new computer locks up when clicking on yahoo mail addresses and also in yahoo games clicking on a lounge in Pinochle. Sometimes I can get into both of these, but most of the time I have to ctrl-alt-del and start over. I just bought this computer and am using Windows XP for the first time. The people I bought the computer off of says it is a software problem and will charge me to look at it. I have had it 2 weeks.

If you can control + alt + delete and start over, then it may/may not work, then they're probably right and it's a software problem and not a hardware problem like overheating.

The first thing I would do is turn off all background programs. Here's how you do it:
Start
Run
Type "msconfig"
Hit 'Enter'
Go to the 'startup' tab
Click 'disable all'
I'd go back up the list at this point and recheck 'touchpad' if it's there. There often is such a thing on a laptop.
Click 'OK'
Restart the computer
When the computer starts back up, you'll have to check a box that appears that says you changed some system setting (or some such), just check and continue. You won't see it again unless you repeat the above process.

See if you continue to lockup.

If you don't, then you know one of those programs in that startup menu is causing the problem. You can repeat the above process and turn them on one by one (as opposed to disable all) (or leave them all off for a faster, smoother running machine!) if you want to and figure out what was causing the problem.