I have a Toshiba 460cdx with 32mb ram running windows 98. the problem started when I was working on a document in ms word. The computer just froze. The mouse wouldn't move...Nothing worked. I couldnt turn the comouter off by the on/off switch. The only way to turn it off was to keep the reset button pressed in for about 15 seconds, or to take the ac plug & the batery out. Every time i used the computer from then on it kept freezing quicker and quicker, even a slight knock would freeze the computer! Now it has gone off totaly. The power light comes on but the computer does not boot up at all! what is the problem?? Is a hardware or software related??

It's tough to say about a notebook PC because of so many things that can go wrong (a lot of stuff packed into a small space). It could be bad motherboard or hard drive controller (I'd bet on the last). But if the controller is built into the motherboard the whole motherboard may have to be replaced. You may have to take it somewhere to have a notebook professional look at it. As a side note: notebooks are always going belly-up. They are a major pain in the butt. So unless you absolutely have to have one, use a desktop PC instead. I've never owned a notebook that didn't screw up about every other year. (Oh, if anyone does purchase one, buy an extended warranty for 3 yrs if you can get it--it will pay for itself many times over BELIEVE ME!!!)