problem with xps m1210

I'm not sure if I've put this in the right forum..
but my xps m1210 on xp home has some trouble playing dvds as well as avis.
Every time I try a run a dvd or play an avi...black distortion blocks show up like right in the middle of the screen. The blocks vary in colours...sometimes pink/magenta or green. The blocks also vary in sizes.

Sometimes the screen turns entirely green or pink...and the computer doesn't respond at all... to the point that i ahve to manually remove the battery from the back of the machine.

One time, this weird screen that said hardware malfunction showed up...but i don't exactly recall what it said...

I'm just wondering if this is indeed a hardware malfunction or if it's a software malfunction and if the best choice of action is to call dell and have them replace it or whatnot.

 

From what you have said, it could be a hardware problem. If it is, then most probably the graphics adapter (or the video memory). However it may also be related to a driver error, therefore first try changing/upgrading your VGA driver. If that doesn't help, call DELL.

Also make sure that the DVDs or the AVI CD/DVDs are without any scratches, because those kind of artifacts can also appear when the video file is corrupted. The media player you are using can get stuck when playing a corrupted file which intern can freeze the whole operating system, but that is very uncommon , because even when the media player is stuck still the OS responds to Ctrl+Alt+Del Or you can turn off by holding down the power button for few seconds (usually you don't have to remove the battery)