This program cannot be closed. 1 of 2 problems

The following error happens when Microsoft Word or Excel hangs on my Dell Precision 340 with Windows 2000 Pro: This program cannot be closed. If it is being debugged, please resume it or close the debugger first. When I select OK (it is the only choice) the program is still running but not responding and I cannot close it. The only way I can is if I shutdown and restart Windows which is a pain.
Here is the second problem. When I try to shutdown and restart the computer, the computer hangs. This didn't happen with my older machine which ran fine. It's frustrating to get a new computer and not have it run properly. Can anybody help???