XPS M140 problems

Hi all,

I'm having problems with my laptop.  I have a cable internet connection and it says its connected, but when I click on Internet Explorer it won't connect.  I've tried repairing the connection, but it then says it can't.

I've also had problems when I've clicked on icons and it shows that its trying to open it, but then it doesn't.  I don't get any kind of an error message, it just doesn't open.  Also, it then will not let me shut things, and will then not allow me to shut it down which forces me to turn the laptop off manually.  I've tried doing a system restore, and though that will stop it from freezing up, I still can't connect to the internet and eventually I still end up having the same problems that I've mentioned.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you can help me.