J,
sorry forgot to mention that op sys is Windows ME, and the cd for windows wont let me proceed because it says drive is not formatted for Op sys and i need to re format before proceeding.
But i...

I'd be grateful if anyone could help. I have a 3yr old dell inspiron 8000.
Couple of days ago, internet explorer froze, so switch laptop off by pressing power off button, This usually works, but...