Overheating?

So I THINK I have figured out one of my freeze up issues; ironically enough, I think it's a temperature issue. I could be wrong, but I notice that it is running really hot when it freezes; one contributing factor is probably my keyboard. I have a slim multimedia keyboard that I've been setting on top of the laptop keyboard so that I have multimedia controls and a 10 key available. It's slim enough that it barely protrudes above the bottom of the LCD. But it's also trapping heat. I've been using Sophia for about the past 3 hours with no issue having the keyboard off. I don't think this is the ONLY factor, as some programs freeze it up more than others (I had to kill Trillian after years of use due to this; it froze Sophia up about 75% of the time on it's start-up). I still think there are some bad sectors or scratches on the hard drive (my mom didn't take such good care of Sophia before I got her). Now, I know that it sounds stupid to claim that hardware and software can cause completely identical yet unrelated issues, but these are my observations. And yes, I do know that more intense programs (ie games, etc) can cause there to be more heat, but I seriously doubt that's what was going on with Trillian or any of the other few programs I had to kill (Trillian was really the only I used, and I'm using Miranda now, so it's all good). Anyway, anyone have some good ideas for keeping a laptop cool? Even with the keyboard off, it's still spewing some pretty hot exhaust (though not as scaldingly hot)... Do those laptop "cool pads" (USB powered pads with fans) make a big difference? Would over heating be causing my issues?