Laptop locks up continually with newer games...

[freak]

I'm getting sick and tired of this thing locking up on me every time I try to run a new game.  This morning I installed RTCW and RTCW:ET...both games crash within minutes of joining a server.

It seems that any game running a q3 game engine wants to crash on me.  I've tried taking the settings all the way down to the most basic and least draining on system resources...I'm talking 640x480 in the lowest graphics settings...still locks up within just a few minutes of playing.

As I said, Quake 3 does the same damn thing, as well as CounterStrike.  Any newer games just won't work, and it kills me because this laptop definitely has enough power to run these games (see specs below).

If anyone knows what's up with this, I'd sure like some help, cuz I'm sick of only playing q2.  =P

General laptop specs:

proccy: Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 - M CPU 1.80 GHz
vidcard: MOBILITY RADEON 7500
diskdrive: FUJITSU MHR2030AT 30 gigabyte harddrive
monitor: laptop default (of course)
Network adapter: Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection

Please help if you can.  thx guys.

[M^tster]

well it should in theory run any or all of those games...you got the latest drivers for all that?

[X'tyfe]

a clean format always helps!!
but i wouldnt do that unless you have to

[Dr_Cornholio]

a clean format always helps!!
but i wouldnt do that unless you have to

... a hammer also works

[X'tyfe]

hehe dont think i havent thought about that before
i do want it to work after tho

[Dr_Cornholio]

hehe dont think i havent thought about that before
i do want it to work after tho

Aha! You think you thought about that b4 me, but little do you know that I was referring to a hammer with a retractable wrench and pocket knife! 

[X'tyfe]

  WOW!!

[Dr_Cornholio]

[Art]

You weren't really clear as to whether the laptop was locking, or just the game. Just a preliminary guess would be if it's just the game locking up, I'd suspect drivers. If the whole system is locking, I'd suspect something in the video hardware. You don't have it oc'd, do you ? Can you run software mode with those game ? If so, with what result.

just thinking ....