ok, i need some expert advice as im at a loss as to whats happening. i was running vista 32, i had it installed and running without problem for a year or more. in last month or so i started having difficulties opening, closing or even selecting folders, clicking on links on the net or even getting the start menus to open up. basically, although i could move the mouse icon around, attempting to click on the folder would have no effect. if i placed the cursor over the x in the corner to close it, it would remain greyed out instead of the usual red highlight. i found if i hit ctrl-alt-del then once task manager opened i could then select the folders or whatever i was previously trying to work on. the problem got so frustrating that i decided to format my pc and reinstall xp on a fresh install. having done all this i find im still having the same problems!! so, is this a hardware problem? anyone have any ideas cause i really dont know where to turn..

You can check some of the hardware. Memory test http://memtest.org/ There is a version to create a bootable floppy diskette and/or an ISO for creating a CD. Run it overnight and any failures are unacceptable. You could also run chkdsk /r This will check the disk for weak/bad sectors. Note that it takes quite a while to run.