As a test.......right click on your "My computer" icon on the desktop, from
the popup menu select Properties, you should have the System Properties
window up, select the Performance tab, click on the Graphics button in the
Advanced settings portion at the bottom of the window, then move the
Hardware Acceleration slider to one notch above "None", then OK.   Reboot
your computer and see if the freezing probem has gone......if so, you should
consider updating your video drivers or replacing your video card.......in
the case you have 'onboard' video, you would need to disable that and get a
suitable card for your particular motherboard (AGP or PCI) and, also,
consider your existing power supply and its' ability to handle the new card.
                   Heirloom, old and worked for me