I'm not too familiar with windows XP becaus I am using win 2000, but I may be able to offer some advice.
As far as the computer freezing up, that may be caused either by an issue such as spyware or something of the sort, or else it could have something to do with your system such as the pc running slowly and inefficiently due to fragmentation.
I experienced some problem of the sort whil playing Gunbound, the screen froze on me but I could still hear the sound and go between the desktop and the game, but I couldn't see anything or quit It and was forced to reboot. This was due to my system, but I also have an old computer and my hardware isn't exactly toop of the line either.
Can you tell me how long you have been running the computer? Also, did the monitor actually go blank, or did it just freeze?