computer lock up, can it be old battery

Good morning! I have an old laptop (2003), Sony Vaio, PCG-FRV27. XP home SP3, 1 G ram, 250 G HDD. Both upgraded by me. Lately the computer locks up, no recovery except hard power switch shut down. Lock up can occur prior to boot, during boot, during use after fully booted.
I know Im the dumbest guy in the room, but it occurred to me today that maybe, just maybe the old original battery might cause this? Dont laugh.
Thanks in advance.
Mike
Ps. I know that I should break down and just buy a new computer.

 

Hi David,
Thanks I will try this.
Mike

 

Could be bad sectors or even blocks on the hard drive try Norton disc doctor on Hiren's bootcd to run a diagnostic test on the drive:boxing. Or it could be an issue with the on board video on the motherboard even the board itself. Try updating the video driver if you can. There's nothing really pin pointing where the exact issue is but these could be the main culprits. I've never seen a battery cause this type of issue, but I wouldn't say it's not 100% impossible.