If you are still registered with LW you're still eligible for any updates up to 6 mths after. You should have a personal dwnld page. (Check here & add email you registered with.)

I remember when I was using LW 2.x (just 6 mths ago), it didn't especially like being hidden (seemed to be a ram rush.) Are you running any other apps whilst you try to hide LW?

Java is not the most reliable item out there & even now still has some probs with memory leakage & language probs.

Until I can think of something else, do a complete maintenance of your comp. Run your apple & 3rd party utilities; repair minor probs, check directory health, defragment. It might not necessarily fix the prob, but if your comp is in tip top shape, it'll help overcome some of those tipsy situations like you have.
How much RAM do you have? Do you run heavy apps whilst running LW in the background?