Winamp freezing issue

[ned wels]

I`m a first-time poster and really need some help! I use Winamp with my laptop for backing tracks and it`s worked perfectly for years but lately, the player just stops half way through a tune and emits a really loud continous high-pitched tone to where I have to turn my sound system down for fear of deafening people. After that, I can click on the play button for any track on my playlist and nothing happens, they won`t start and i have to re-boot my computer to get it to work normally but even them, it`s prone to doing it again at random intervals. My laptop works perfectly otherwise, so it seems like the player has become corrupted somehow.
Will I have to delete it and re-install? I`d appreciate any and all help/advice....thanks!
Ned