Bill,

Thanks for taking the time to write out these tips. You've probably read already that I'm running anti-spyware and a firewall, though I know some are better than others.

Backups: Yes, I bought a program that backs everything up onto a second hard drive as soon as I save it to it's original location. Then I save the whole hard drive to my externals at the end of every day.

Router: Yes, that IS a good idea. I'm going to look into that as an addition to my arsenal.

I don't have Flash Player 9 installed as I'm trying to keep my plug-ins to a minimum to keep the Registry from bloating. I'm assuming I need it for streaming audio, but I should still be able to download a sound file? Yes?

There is no "play bar" on my screen where you said it should be. But....there is a faint blank rectangle there. Clicking on it does nothing.

Are my supposed to be registered to access the features of the site? I'm on a roll here. I couldn't even register! It wouldn't accept. Unless my firewall is blocking cookies?

If you or anyone has any other ideas, I'd like to hear them. I'm also going down to the library to try and connect on a high speed and IE browser.

BTW, my worst crash was the "rootkit" one. Try getting one of those out before it eats up all your data as an appetizer.

I'm anxious to hear Diki's demo's. They told me he arranges better than Enio Morricone and sings good enough to be on American Idol! And that he also has good posture!