direct3d issue with windows 7 x64?

I've got Windows 7 x64 installed on my e1505 laptop, integrated intel 945 express chipset for video.  It locks up kind of frequently for a split second and won't let me run any low-spec games.  The laptop has 4Gb of ram, 2.16 core2duo, and a 7200rpm hdd with plenty of space so I don't think it's the specs causing the problems.  When I run dxdiag it says "error getting extra display info" and shows Direct3D Acceleration is not available, but when I run 64-bit dxdiag Direct3D it is enabled.  The troubleshooting tab in the display option doesn't let me change the hardware acceleration.  I've got the latest chipset drivers from intel.com, any idea on how to fix this?