Boy!! For the last year or so I have had a lot of pc woes. We even
replaced a couple parts and run tests and then finally found out it is
the motherboard. By then i  could no longer afford to replace that. So
I learned to live with it...sort of.

I couldn't go onto a web site with success very often; especially if
it had too much java or other busy applications and had to be careful
to take it off the screensaver for quite a while (I played Solitaire)
before going after my email. But it would still have random
blackout/re-boots. Aggravating. Then a few months ago the ISP started
having escalating down times.

They finally found out Jeff knows more than they do. They would call
him up and then he would suggest tests to be made. Finally, this last
time, after he had heard the results of all thier testing, he told
them to test for a certain piece of hardware. And that was the
problem. So, hopefully, that will solve that. No more 3 day down time.

In the meantime, I got heartily sick of this messed up pc and talked
to jeff about it. So he dug out an old pc--a Pentium 166, 48mg RAM, 7g
hard drive. He spent days getting it ready for me. Then he made the
big switch. It is slow, but stable and sure. I will eventually get
used to the feel of the keyboard.

I spent yesterday evening viewing the links posted on the ng. Scout
and Silver are adorable and so is Miranda and Caliban. I saw Frank's
last pictures. It was wonderful.

In the meantime Jeff took my old pc and set it up as the Gateway in
his room. It always has been the Gateway; but now he controls it. And
he is welcome to the 30g hard drive. He will basically use it for
storage of his massive downloads.

But, wouldn't you know? The first thing he did yesterday was look for
a certain file on it that opened up in Wordpad. Too much for the MB;
so it promptly went black and started trying to re-boot. The air in
Jeff's vicinity went blue. I made myself scarce while i snickered at
it being his problem now.

But it wouldn't re-boot for a long time and then only in Safe Mode. So
he used that opportunity to remove all non-essential applications. He
really stripped it down. Then it finally re-booted in working mode.

He really needed the HD and it is better for him to have the Gateway
in his room instead of mine. And I am doing better on the Pentium. It
is old and slow. But, at my advanced age my eyes and brain are slow.
So it works out for the best for both of us.

--
CATherine