I am not familiar with the symtoms you list but I am a big believer in periodically reformating the computer HDD, say every 12-24 mo to avoid problems. I also replace the HDD after 36-48 mo. I replaced my Thinkpad T43 HDD last weeking with a new shiny fast 100GB 7200RPM Hitachi ($150). You can get a used 40GB 5400RPM HDD on ebay for about $25 plus S&H (I just did). Itsa cheap fast way to possibly find a solution.

MisterNice