Probably a simple fix

I have a PowerBook G4 w/os X.3.1. I use Safari browser. Simple to all of you that are used to using the Mac but I have had this a few years but at my work I use a PC and don't get much time on this Mac. So please forgive my ignorance and help if you can. Thanks.

My little curser changes every now and then to a little multi-colored ball and sticks. It happens when I click on a new link and I have no way of knowing how to fix it so after several minutes if not off, I do a hard shut down and I don't want to ruin my sweet machine.

Also, I'd like to have an upgrade to a larger OS but I don't know how to go about that.

Thank you.

You'll have to be more specific about your problem. What site are you on? What browser are you using?

I can tell you that is the equivalent of the cursor going full hourglass (or full glass ring in Vista) on a PC. The computer is telling you it's working at high CPU load to accomplish what you want it to do. You may need to update a plugin somewhere or since you said you used this for work consider reinstalling OS X to clean up any modifications made to it for work or any excess data you don't need now that it's your personal computer.

The beach ball, as it is known, may indicate a severe shortage of memory but this is hard to tell as you have not supplied any details. Suggest a minimum of 1GB memory if your model accepts that amount.